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:

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.

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Brockwell Relays are a tried and tested format: a freestyle relay, medley relay and breaststroke relay, followed by a squadron and, if you have any energy (or body heat) left, a final relay mixed with swimmers from all the other teams.

We had a great blend of Brockwell veterans and newer members, which is a big pull for events like this. We also had a spread of teammates from all our weekly training sessions and locations, and a catch-up in the Prince Regent Pub once the racing finished.

Special thanks, in addition to Hannah and Jen, also go to:

– our amazing timekeeper Daisy

– Team Alex (his housemates) for cheering us on again

– Robyn for bringing much-needed drinks

There was some amazing other stuff going on in the other teams too. I’d never seen supported swimming with a noodle for partially sighted swimmers before, which was pretty humbling. There’s a real collegial spirit across all teams at the event, helped of course by the mixed race at the end.

If this is something you’d like to do we’d love you to join the event next year. There are two Brockwell Relay galas in 2027, one in May and one in August. There are also the Tooting Midsummer Relays in their 100 yard lido.

Spencer offers many opportunities for fun events throughout the year, away from mainstream masters competitions.

The Spencer Team

– Alex, Alicia, Anna, Christine, Hannah, James, Jen, Josh, Mark, Robyn, Ross

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The Dart 10k – Open Water Distance Swim

The Dart 10K is a river swim that starts with a boat trip from Dartmouth up the course before mooring and letting the swimmers go. In fact there are three boats, each with about 150 swimmers on board, and a buzz and anticipation that open water swimming often brings.

The course starts in a meandering, high-sided landscape before opening up into a wide, flat valley where the first feed station awaits. Some jelly beans and water before you head into a long bend round to Dittisham, then through a narrower section with lots of boats. At this point you realise the tide is quite strong as you fly past the boats, and only narrowly miss a few!

The final long straight into Dartmouth comes faster than expected, and you cross the line to receive a branded mug of hot chocolate as a reward. It’s a quick and exhilarating race, a little over 2 hours (comparable to the 3 hours it would take in a lake).

The Hurly Burly – Open Water Distance Swim

The Hurly Burly is another level, and its name is definitely appropriate. It’s wild, fast, and leaves you breathless and grinning from ear to ear.

You set off at 7:30 in the morning as the tide turns in and swim into the estuary. You swim straight off the beach along the sea wall before being taken by the current, heading straight for a bridge at pace. Keep your head up and sighting as it passes by in seconds, and you sigh in relief you didn’t hit it! They guide you sideways even though it looks clear straight on, and once you’ve hit a sandbank inches below you realise that following them is the only way forward. The water is choppy, the sky blowing past and the Welsh valley serenely beautiful.

At the finish, you have to sprint from left to right without passing it by, then onto land, where a band of drummers greets you. Less than 1.5 hours, wide-eyed and bashed, a wonderful swim. There are 600 swimmers, and pretty much all of them end up in the pub for a bacon sarnie and a slowing of the pulse.

Swims like these underscore the pleasure of swimming in open water and swimming distances you rarely attempt in the pool.

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Instead, swimmers of all age groups take on the Spencer Mile, a 2k open water course (spot the irony). This two-lap, ‘first-back-on-the-pontoon’ event is another great feature of the club’s commitment to providing a varied swimming programme for our members. Plus, we all love having a bit of fun.

The Open Water Race and Winners

This year’s race was tightly fought on both the men’s and women’s side, with Matthew Taylor and Helen Cumber coming in ahead of the chasing pack. There was the usual competitive spirit on show, with some mini-races at different stages around the course.

With friends and families also welcome, our two time-keeping assistants were gainfully employed in return for payment in Haribo sweets – which suited them fine!

This year’s competition saw far fewer wetsuits, as the long, hot summer created ideal conditions for an open-water event. On the day, we were also fortunate to have full sun and a delightfully warm morning.

With winners announced and prizes awarded, the serious business of hot drinks and cake provided a great opportunity to socialise. As ever, we were deeply grateful to those who supplied a variety of tasty treats for our delectation.

We can’t wait for next year!

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A few years back, a group of our swimmers banded together for a day out at the coast and a sea swim. Now, that annual trip has become a fixture on the calendar, and its popularity has spread. 

This year, we were treated to open blue skies and sunshine, which immediately lifted the mood as we congregated at Clapham Junction station. A few coffees and pastries later, as we chugged south, the train turned towards Hastings and tracked the coastline, revealing beautiful calm and inviting coastal waters. 

As we disembarked at Hastings station and scurried to acquire more provisions for the day ahead, the excitement levels began to rise, and the potential cooling effects of the sea became increasingly motivating. 

Arriving in Hastings

We convened at the Coastguard Cafe in Hastings, hosted by our coach, Steve. We drank more fluids and ate extra calories for the impending swim. Then came the walk down to the sea, taking in the coastal footpaths across headlands and down through the woods. 

Emerging from the dense woods, our swimmers were hot and ready. The eagerness was palpable. Without hesitation, we stripped to our swimsuits and stuffed our towfloats, launching ourselves into the breakers and heading immediately for deeper waters and along the coast to Hastings town.

What a total delight it was, with warm water and sun on our backs. The swim almost went too fast, but we were united in exiting the water in Hastings town and heading back to the cafe for a post-swim BBQ and a bit of refreshment.  Since the bus taking us there wasn’t as quick as our swimmers, we had extra time to lie on the beach and grab some Mr Whippy ice creams. 

The high-energy atmosphere after the swim showed just how enjoyable it had been. The team had a lot of fun as the burgers and hot dogs topped up their energy, while the beverages kept the laughs rolling. 

Swimming at Spencer starts in the water but extends far beyond.

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Results and Medals

We kept ourselves busy, swimming 85 individual events and 13 relays. The team won 49 individual golds, ranging from 4 in the 20-24 group (Ava) up to 8 in the 65-69 group (Amanda), as well as 12 silvers and 6 bronzes. In the relays we took 2 golds, 5 silvers and 2 bronzes. 

Spencer finished a commendable 3rd in the overall table, behind Woking – who brought some spectacular swimmers – and Croydon Amphibians – who seemingly brought half of Croydon. 

Highlights

Whilst there were so many good swims across all our swimmers, some to call out included:

* Leo breaking the 2 minute barrier to win the 30-34 200m Freestyle in 1:58.80, and also swimming the 100m Fly, 100m IM and 200m IM. He wisely took the last session off after all that. 

* Alicia winning the 30-34 100m Fly in 1:12.96 after only joining Spencer 3 weeks ago. Imagine the times she’ll post once she’s been training for a whole month. 

* Amy, when she wasn’t breaking her cap just before her race started, picking up another impressive debut win in the 30-34 years breaststroke. 

* Luca winning gold in the 50-54 years 200m IM in 2:44.82. 

* Karl and Helen going neck and neck throughout in adjacent lanes in the 100m IM, with Helen just taking it at the end. 

* Jen, not being content with a hard day’s racing, was speeding off to camp overnight and swim the Seahorse on Sunday too. 

* Clive kindly taking the hit on pretty much all the Fly in the medleys, leaving us the more enjoyable strokes. 

So what makes the Surrey’s Championships good to get into racing?

Personally, I really enjoyed my first gala since 2001, and had been looking at the Surreys for a while for this reason.

* They’re really accessible and inclusive. There are no qualifying times, and no competitive swimming membership requirements. 

* The oldest swimmer was an inspiring 95 years old(!), and there was just a huge range of swimmers scoring points for their clubs at a really friendly, supportive event. 

* There are some amazing swimmers to watch, with 2 swimmers going 1:52 in the 200m Free and the 50m Free being won in 22.88. Many swimmers are at the other end of the performance scale, which makes it feel very inclusive for all abilities.

* Guildford’s pretty close to us (closer than Aberdeen) and lots of us gave lifts to teammates. The National Express goes to the door too and you might be able to get back for the evening Putney session at a push. 

* We were superbly organised by Luca (thank you!), who, in between his races, made sure all the relay teams were ready to go. Christine, when not racing, fed us with some delicious carrot cake she baked for the team. 

* It’s a great set up with a warm up/down pool as well as the racing pool. 

* Our training is geared for it in the weeks running up to the gala so you’ll definitely feel ready for it. 

So if it is something you’d like to consider, do have a chat as we’d love to take more people down next year!

Spencer Full Team

Annabel Barker, Clive Benson, Daniel Cotton, Helen Cumber, Joseph Dean, John Fitzgerald, Valentyna Foytlova, Barbara Halls, Amanda Heath, Clare Humphries, Jennifer Kelly, Christine Lutsch, Laura Mason, Alicia Merlino, Luca Milana, Leo Murison, Alan Parkins, Amy Powell, Ava Simpson, Karl Simpson and Mark Thompson

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Spencer Swim Team will celebrate its 50th year next year, placing it among some of the most long-standing and prestigious masters swimming clubs in the UK. With a strong community of adult swimmers achieving success at regional, national, and international competitions, and the growing interest in all forms of adult swimming, we are experiencing membership growth.

Building on our coaching success

Spencer has already established a fantastic coaching team, with four coaches covering our seven scheduled sessions across the week. With over eighty regular swimmers, the club provides sessions for a wide cross-section of the masters swimming community.

Over the past year, the club has evolved its coaching structure to meet the demands of competition cycles. Our evolving structure has increased the popularity of many of our training sessions.

In response, the club is now seeking to recruit additional coaching experience. This appointment will support our expanding swim squad with development and performance.

Adding the right skills and experience

Spencer Swim Team seeks a passionate coach committed to improving masters swimmers to fulfil an open job role. The role will cover 1-2 sessions per week across our schedule.

An incoming coach must work with an existing team that has deep swim-coaching experience and knowledge. Our goal in appointing a new coach is to identify skills and experience that complement the current team. As a club, we’re interested in assistant coaches and those with more experience in planning and delivering training sessions for masters swimmers. Any new coach should be familiar with the principles of long-term development in adult fitness and performance. Experience of modern coaching approaches, including emerging research. Applicants must be at least a Level 1 Swim England Assistant Coach and preferably a Level 2 Swim England Swim Coach.

The coach must be local to our sessions across South London and able to access Dulwich, Forest Hill, Clapham, Tooting, and Putney.

Coaches interested in talking to us about joining the coaching team, can email us at spencerswimteam@gmail.com

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The Masters Swimmer’s Podcasts

Torpedo Swimtalk

Conversations at the heart of masters swimming

Torpedo Swimtalk has earned its place among the most beloved swimming podcasts in the masters swimming community. It brings warmth and genuine curiosity to every conversation, interviewing masters swimmers and coaches, elite age group competitors, and record holders from around the world. The show explores what keeps adult swimmers motivated across decades, how veterans approach periodisation and recovery differently from their younger counterparts, and the personal stories behind some of swimming’s most remarkable late-career performances. Episodes are accessible to swimmers of all levels, making it an ideal starting point if you are new to swim podcasts.

Pursue Potential Podcast

Unlocking the athlete mindset for lifelong competitors

The Pursue Potential Podcast takes a performance psychology lens to competitive swimming, examining the mental frameworks that allow athletes to keep improving well into their thirties, forties, fifties and beyond. Episodes draw on interviews with sports scientists, high-performance coaches, and masters athletes who have found ways to train smarter rather than simply harder. Topics range from goal setting, strength training, handling race-day nerves, to building sustainable training habits and bouncing back from injury. For the masters swimmer who wants to understand the ‘why’ behind their performance, this show offers genuinely actionable insight. Check out the excellent video content from these providers, Aquatic Sports Performance.

Freestyle Media

Swimming culture, stories, and the wider aquatic world

Freestyle Media takes a broader view of the sport, blending interviews, storytelling, and commentary that covers everything from grass-roots club culture to the upper reaches of competitive swimming. Masters athletes feature regularly, and the show does an excellent job of showing the continuum between recreational and elite participation. The production quality is high, the conversation is engaging, and episodes often surface perspectives from parts of the swimming world — open water, triathlon transition, para swimming — that do not always get airtime on more narrowly focused shows.

Unfiltered Waters

Honest, unscripted conversations about the sport we love

As the name suggests, Unfiltered Waters leans into candid, free-flowing discussion rather than tightly scripted interviews. The result is a show that feels like an honest conversation between passionate swimmers rather than a broadcast, which gives it an intimacy that fans appreciate. Topics range from training philosophy and meet preparation to the politics of the sport and the quirks of pool culture. Masters swimmers will recognise themselves in many of the discussions, and the lack of filter means opinions are genuinely expressed rather than carefully hedged.

Propulsion Swimming

Technical depth for the swimmer who wants to go faster

Propulsion Swimming is the show for the analytically minded masters athlete who wants to understand the mechanics of speed. Episodes dig into stroke technique, underwater work, starts and turns, and the biomechanics of efficient swimming with a level of detail that repays careful listening. Coaches and sports scientists appear alongside competitive swimmers, and the show does not shy away from complexity. If you have ever wanted a genuinely deep explanation of how to improve your distance per stroke or reduce drag through better body position, Propulsion Swimming delivers.

The Aqua Pod

Community, competition, and the joys of adult swimming

A podcast by Scottish Swimming, The Aqua Pod celebrates the community side of masters swimming as much as the competitive side. The show captures the camaraderie of swim clubs, the experience of training alongside people of wildly different ages and backgrounds, and the particular pleasure of a sport you can practise for a lifetime. Episodes feature a mix of competitive masters athletes and recreational swimmers, and the tone is inclusive and encouraging throughout. For anyone who wants a podcast that reminds them why they got into the water in the first place, The Aqua Pod delivers that with genuine affection for the sport.

Making the Most of Your Listening

The beauty of swimming podcasts is that they fit naturally into the rhythms of a training life. Long car journeys to swim meets, foam rolling sessions, early morning commutes before a dawn practice — all of these become opportunities to absorb coaching insights, hear from inspiring athletes, and deepen your connection to swimming.

Consider keeping a small notebook nearby when you listen to these swimmign podcasts. Masters swimmers are typically motivated, detail-oriented athletes, and you may find that a single observation from an interview — a cue for your catch, an idea about how to structure your taper, a mindset shift for approaching a target time — can have a meaningful impact on your training.

The swimming podcasts listed here vary in style, depth, and focus, which means there is something for every type of masters swimmer. Subscribe to a few, follow the ones that resonate, and enjoy the extra lane that swimming podcasts open up alongside the one you already occupy in the water.

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As a masters swimmer, that mindset is vital. Winning is always nice. Achieving PBs or setting records is a great reward. However, for most masters swimmers, success is better measured by consistency, health, enjoyment, and gradual improvement. Training in a balanced and methodical way, taking everything from every practice, is an extraordinary benefit of returning to competition.

Many masters swimmers competed as age-groupers or at university and return with a mix of positive memories, unfinished business, and occasional apprehension. But masters competitions are different. The vibe is far more relaxed and community-oriented. And while your teammates will root for you from poolside, the emphasis is on participation and self-challenge rather than comparison. You’ll only ever hear positive support.

The Practical Side of Competitive Swimming

To get back to competing, you’ll need to join a Masters club affiliated with your national governing body (e.g. Swim England). Clubs provide coached sessions, technique advice, and, most importantly, a community of swimmers who understand the challenges of masters swimming and can advise on the best meets and races to target.

You need to register with your national swimming federation, Swim England, as a Masters Category 2 member. The club typically handles this and can assist you. Once registered, you’ll have a membership or ID number, which allows you to enter licensed events. Clubs are usually the primary source of guidance on competitions and entry procedures.

Target Progress not Perfection

Many masters swimmers turn up at competitions after extensive breaks from racing – often after decades away. As a result, swimmers are far from the finished article, and that is entirely normal. Most competitors jump in and give it a go. Don’t judge yourself against the younger you.

Training for competition should be approached with patience. Many returning swimmers remember how they trained in their twenties and are tempted to jump straight back into high volumes or intense sets. This often leads to fatigue, injury, or loss of motivation. A more effective approach is to focus first on consistency and technique. Swimming two or three times per week, with a focus on efficiency, aerobic fitness, strength, and basic skills, will lay the foundation for speed later on. Improvements in stroke mechanics often deliver bigger gains than simply swimming more lengths, particularly as we get older.

Be Selective and Patient

When choosing your first competition, it pays to keep things simple. Speak to your fellow swimmers or coaches for some friendly advice. Local or regional Masters meets are ideal starting points – your club can advise. You do not always need recent race times to enter; many events accept estimated entry times, and heats are commonly seeded to allow swimmers of similar ability to race together. Once you have banked a few times, you can enter swim meets with more stringent entry criteria.

Selecting a small number of races that you enjoy and feel comfortable swimming in allows you to focus on the experience rather than the outcome. For many swimmers, the first meet back serves as a useful benchmark rather than a performance target and helps identify which events suit you best at this stage. Chances are, you’ll climb out of the water totally exhilarated and impatient to swim again.

Enjoy the process

Keep expectations realistic and flexible. Identifying the right races for your current abilities takes time, as does relearning race pacing and skills such as starts and turns. You’re on a new swimming journey, and what you swam as a younger person may not carry over to masters competitions. For some swimmers, podium finishes may be realistic. For many others, the early goals should centre on enjoyment, confidence, and producing performances you feel proud of. Progress accelerates once consistency is established.

The truth is, unless you try, you’ll never know. And that is the spirit of masters swimming. One further key piece of advice: bring good snacks.

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We spoke with three of our swimmers to share their experiences and achievements.

Josh’s Incredible English Channel Swim

We’re proud to celebrate one of our own Josh, who took on the legendary English Channel.

“Training for the English Channel felt almost more gruelling than the swim itself,” Josh says. Preparation started two years in advance, building cold water resilience and even putting on extra insulation. When Covid closed pools, he improvised: “I was sneaking into a friend’s garden, tethered to a bungee cord, in water often below 5°C. January, February, March hardly tropical but it paid off.”

Training included long Dover weekends, with one brutal session: “7 hours on Saturday, 6 on Sunday to mimic the Channel distance. Fun times!”

The Swim

Josh had the first swim slot of the week, though the weather was tricky. “At 10pm, I jumped in 50 metres offshore, stood alone on a dark pebbly beach, waiting for the horn. No lights, no company just the cold.”
His feeding plan was simple: no feeds for two hours, then hourly, then every 45 minutes toward the end. Around hour four, nausea hit. “I got cold and told my crew they reminded me quitting wasn’t an option. Thirty minutes later, I warmed up and felt much better.”
He swam without a watch, counting strokes to keep focused (Coach Steve would have approved!). Around 2am, something large bumped him. “Pretty sure it was a seal but let’s call it a shark for dramatic effect.” Jellyfish stings provided the occasional distraction!

The Finish

As dawn broke, Josh knew he was closing in on France. His crew urged him to sprint for the finish, though it felt like the shoreline never got closer. “I could see it and swam straight for it, but the boat guided me to a restaurant ramp to avoid rocks.” He finally reached the ramp, much to the surprise of the early morning diners, before swimming back to the boat for the return trip to Dover, where family and friends waited to celebrate his achievement.

Aftermath

Saltwater left him with a throat full of needles and a doubled uvula. “Explaining to the pharmacist at Boots that I’d just swum to France was… interesting, especially when they suggested a saltwater rinse!”

Josh calls it “the best experience of my life”, meeting inspiring swimmers and conquering a challenge few dare attempt.
We’re incredibly proud of Josh and his phenomenal achievement. Here’s to the next adventure!

From Lockdown to Lake Annecy: Emily’s Open Water Adventure

Over the past few years, Emily’s open-water journey has grown from a lockdown hobby into a true passion. She first discovered the joy of sea swimming during Covid, often heading out alone along the wild west coast of Scotland. That love for adventure soon led her to SwimTrek holidays starting with 5 km days and, more recently, taking on longer 7 km routes.

While Emily has dipped her toes into events like the Seahorse Swim in Dorset and the Southeast Region Open Water Championships, her focus so far has been on swimming for the pure enjoyment, freedom, and fitness that open water brings saving her competitive edge for the pool.

This summer, she completed her biggest challenge yet: a self organised two-person relay along the full 18 km length of Lake Annecy in France.

Emily credits the Spencer community for helping her continue to grow drawing on the advice of seasoned open-water swimmers and building strength and confidence through club training, especially the endurance sessions at Dulwich.

                                   Emily in Scotland in 2020

Hannah’s 33.3km Open Water Adventure in Croatia

Hannah’s passion for open water swimming has grown rapidly over the past two years. What began as a spontaneous 5k race with just a week to prepare soon became a full-blown love for the sport.

Earlier this year, Hannah took on her biggest challenge yet: the Ultra 33.3km Challenge in Croatia, swimming across four days. She followed a 16-week training plan, covering 24–30km per week in the pool, combined with strength work and weekly sports massages to manage a shoulder injury.

Reflecting on the experience, Hannah says, “Training taught me so much—not just about my body, nutrition, and rest, but also about staying accountable, motivated, and disciplined. Those lessons carried me through the challenge.”

The challenge itself was unforgettable. “The first two days were brutal—a storm rolled in, waves and winds were ridiculously high, and breathing became nearly impossible. But the final two days were magical: crystal-clear water, calm crossings, and even a dolphin sighting!”

Hannah’s results were impressive:

• 4th in her Age Group
• 5th Female Overall
• 34th out of 160 swimmers
• First British Female across the line

Beyond the statistics, Hannah highlights the community spirit. “I’ll never forget feeling mentally defeated on Day 2, and having Andy Donaldson swim up to encourage me—it unlocked something in me. Those moments, and the shared struggle with everyone else, made it so special.”

Day 3, an 11km solo swim, was her proudest moment. “Being surrounded by the stunning Croatian coastline, I felt a real sense of pride in how far I’d come. It taught me the biggest lesson of all: to believe in myself.”

We’re proud of everything our Spencer swimmers have achieved and inspired by what’s still to come.

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