On Sunday 9th August, hundreds of swimmers took to the River Thames for the Thames Marathon, one of the UK’s most distictive long-distance open-water swimming events.
There are few better ways to speand a summer’s day than diving into the River thames and swimming 13km through the heat of the English countryside. the Thames Marathon once again challenged open water swimmers to push themselves to their limits while enjoying a spectacular route from Henley-on-Thames to Marlow.
The Thames Marathon race
The race is more than a test of endurance. From the momment you enter the water, you are surrounded by beautiful scenery, historic villages and the buzz fellow swimmers taking on the challenge. there are three distances to choose from: the 5.5km Half Marathon, the 9km Mid-distance and the full 13km Marathon. Spencer had a swimmer at each distance.
The full Marathon route passes through places such as Hambleden, Hurley and Temple before reaching Marlow. Swimming that distance demands determination, patience and plenty of physical and mental strength. When fatigue sets in, the atmosphere and a vision of the finish keep you going, one stroke after another.
Alice, a relatively new member to the Spencer Swim Team said:
It was my first long-distance swim, so I went in wanting to take things fairly steady, enjoy the experience, and see how I handled the distance.
Alice
I felt really good throughout and ended up finishing 11th overall, which I was really pleased with, especially for my first attempt at that sort of distance. I loved the experience and it’s definitely made me want to do more long-distance and open-water events/races.
Hannah, a regular open-water swimmer who has accomplished far more challenging distances in harsher conditions completed the 9km and enjoyed every meter. While Ross chose to take on the Half distance of 5.5km.
Open Water Swimming
Swimmers from across the Spencer team have embarked on multiple open-water challenges this summer and it is great that our squad members are transferring their passion for swimming from the pool to more exciting environments.