Windermere is England’s longest lake and for open water swimmers it’s something of a rite of passage. For our member Luke, it was a challenge that had to be taken on, so 2025 became the year to do it.

The swim was organised by Chillswim, who run several Lake District events including the iconic Windermere crossing. September 6th was the date, with around 300 swimmers signed up. Entries require you to declare your intended pace, as swimmers are set off in waves. For the first hour you must stay with your wave, so pacing matters – too slow and you’ll spend the swim frustrated, too fast and you risk blowing up early.

Training started in the pool through the winter before moving into open water in early May. Luke kicked things off with a 5km lake swim, where he was beaten by his 15-year-old son, a reminder he is not as young as he once was! However rather than denting morale, it sharpened Luke’s focus.

Next up was a 9km swim at Lake Bala. True to form, the Welsh weather delivered rain, wind and chop. It was a tough and slightly unnerving experience, especially knowing it was only half the distance of Windermere. Confidence returned later in the summer during a 4.5 hour training swim in a large, flat-calm lake in France. Luke swam the entire session alone (phone safely in his tow float and always close to shore). After that, he was ready!

Event day begins with registration in a field at the north end of the lake, followed by a minibus ride to the southern start, an uncomfortably long journey when you know you’ll soon be swimming the whole way back.

The route is 17km (11 miles in the event’s preferred metric). Feed stops appear every mile, with small boats offering isotonic drinks and jelly babies, yum! Luke also carried carbohydrate pouches in his tow float and aimed to refuel roughly every two miles, about once an hour.

The opening miles were perfect. Flat calm water, a group of around 40 swimmers, and a pace that felt just right. The first feed stop broke the pack apart and from there it became a steady process of overtaking swimmers from earlier waves.

Just before halfway, the course cuts across the lake from east to west to keep swimmers clear of other lake traffic. It’s a welcome change of direction before the halfway point and the scenic stretch past the islands, where the waves begin to merge and the water fills with swimmers.

Beyond the islands the lake opens into its wider northern section. More boats, more waves and by now the weather had picked up slightly. Fatigue started to creep in, and thoughts turned increasingly to the large yellow rubber duck marking the finish line. At one point Luke spent nearly a mile chasing a swimmer with a small yellow duck tow float before realising it wasn’t the finish..!

The final mile crosses toward Ambleside, the real duck finally in sight. Tired arms are replaced by determination as the shoreline gets closer. At the finish, the enclosure is full of tired but happy swimmers, supporters and volunteers and the unmistakable camaraderie that seems to define open water swimming.

Huge well done to you Luke — you’ve shown the way and inspired a few of us to give it a go! An iconic swim, and a brilliant one to tick off the list!

The post Conquering Windermere: Luke’s 17K Open Water Swimming Challenge appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

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

The post Spencer Swim Team Seeks to Recruit Additional Coaches appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

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.

The post Podcasts for Masters Swimmers – Dive into the Content appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

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.

The post Open Water Swimming Adventures of Spencer Members appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

The evening’s programme was filled with purposefully designed relay events, all aimed at shaking up the usual lane orders and injecting a little mischief into the mix. Swimmers faced unusual tasks and quirky twists, many of which had never been encountered before. The result? Unpredictable races, plenty of laughter, and a great deal of friendly competition as teams were regularly shuffled to keep everyone on their toes.

Hosted at our Thursday night session in Tooting, the team enjoyed a mix of medley and freestyle events — but with a Halloween twist. Amidst the chaos and creativity, one of our newest members, Emma, stood out by captaining her team to a narrow victory in the final event of the evening, aptly named “The Tandem.” Despite a slower start, her team clawed back to clinch the win in style.

It was a spooktacular night full of camaraderie and cackles — the perfect way to unwind after a hard push into the Nationals. Spirits were high, the competition was friendly, and everyone left with smiles and sweets (and perhaps a few goosebumps).

Here’s to more sessions where training meets a touch of trick-or-treat!

The post Frighteningly Good Fun at Spencer’s Halloween Squad Session appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

Masters swimming revolves around personal improvement and enjoyment. Participants include former competitive swimmers, triathletes, and those who have discovered the pool later in life. Some thrive on the excitement of racing in scheduled events throughout the year, while others seek fitness, and many cherish the camaraderie both in the water and beyond. The structured coaching in a masters program enables adults to train purposefully, with sessions tailored to individual ability levels that focus on technique development, aerobic conditioning, and speed work.

Masters swimming is overseen by the national governing body, Swim England Masters, which promotes adult swimming through local clubs, sanctioned meets, and open-water events. Masters competitions are organised by age groups, usually in five-year bands (25–29, 30–34, 35–39, and so on, all the way up to 100-104), creating a level playing field that encourages lifelong participation. Many swimmers involved in masters swimming find renewed motivation through setting goals, tracking progress, and celebrating achievements both big and small.

Beyond the stopwatch, masters swimming fosters community and wellbeing. Training together encourages accountability, friendship, and fun — essential ingredients that keep swimmers returning to the pool. Plus, there are many social opportunities within the club and across the swimming community, with swimmers often making life-long friends. The low-impact nature of swimming makes it ideal for maintaining fitness and mobility throughout life. Many masters swimmers report improved physical health, mental clarity, and stress reduction.

Whether you’re aiming to compete at national championships or simply swim a few laps with good company, masters swimming offers a flexible, supportive environment. It’s a reminder that the love of the water doesn’t fade with age — it evolves, deepens, and continues to inspire. For many, joining a masters program is not just a return to swimming, but a rediscovery of why they fell in love with it in the first place.

Dive in — the masters swimming community is waiting to welcome you to a life of health, wellbeing and fun. Sign up for a free trial with Spencer Swim Team now!

Based outside London? You can also join our club as an out-of-town member and benefit from being part of our community, giving you access to competitions and relay opportunities.

The post What is masters swimming? appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

Besides the easy access to the pool in Putney, it is the club atmosphere that makes it special. With adult swimmers coming in from Barnes, Wimbledon, Richmond, Fulham, Wandsworth and further east, the club’s sessions are a greater mixer for members to enjoy their swimming but also socialise. After sessions, it is not uncommon for teammates to head up the road to the pub or tennis club for a catch-up.

Most people are familiar with Putney for the famous Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge, which is perhaps one of the most significant symbols of sporting endurance and teamwork. A short walk from where these elite athletes are pushing themselves to the very limit on the water, the Spencer swim team are also challenging themselves in pursuit of competition honours, personal bests, or fitness improvement.

Whether you’re training for Masters Nationals, aiming to perfect your butterfly, or love the feeling of moving through water, you’ll find yourself surrounded by people who share your drive and who support your journey. Coaches know every swimmer by name, sessions are structured with purpose, and progress is celebrated at every level.

In this corner of southwest London, you’ll find more than a pool — you’ll find your team, your challenge, and your swimming home.

The post Putney Remains Popular Swimming Home of Spencer Team appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

We’ve done the hard work to crunch a lot of data and showcase these excellent achievements, sharing them with our swimming community. In keeping with our ‘one team’ ethos, it was terrific to celebrate the accomplishments of our swimmers who train at our regular practice sessions across South London, as well as our members who are out of town and train elsewhere but who choose to be Spencer members and represent the club in individual and team relays at competitions.

Massive congratulations to all the swimmers who achieved this level of performance, and we are pleased to have such a diverse group of talented swimmers in the Spencer swim team.

Daniel COTTON (Mens 50–54)

Lauren WILLCOX (Womens 35–39)

Amanda HEATH (Womens 65-69)

Esther ISEPPI (Womens 65–69)

Clive BENSON (Mens 60–64)

Christopher DUNN (Mens 75–79)

Diane FORD (Womens 80–84)

Tony CHERRINGTON (Mens 80–84)

SPENCER Swim Team Relays

The post Spencer Swimmers Rank Among World’s Best appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

It was great to see new Spencer Team member John Fitzgerald smashing his fly and backstroke races and to have “out of country” member Hoda Elridi over from the Netherlands, racing for Spencer again.

The individual events took place in the morning and afternoon sessions, with team events in a fast and furious evening session. The Spencer 240+ team of Hoda, Amanda, Matthew and Godfrey won all 3 of their events, the 240+ mixed 4x100m & 4x50m medley and 4x50m free relays, beating most of the 200+ teams in the process. This put us in 6th spot for the overall Top Club Award for relays, based on points for placings, and in 5th place for the Top Performance Club based on performance of the club’s best 3 relays relative to British records.

Highlights of the individual events were Matthew Taylor going under 5 minutes for 400m free with a 4.58.11 and event best performances from Godfrey Admans in the 100m backstroke beating Spencer member Nigel Salsbury‘s time from 2011 and Amanda Heath beating Spencer member Diane Ford’s time from 2009 in the 50m breast. John Fitzgerald also achieved an event best performance in the 50m backstroke, with a 29.57, beating his own time from last year.

Individual results:

Hoda Elridi 40-44

100m backstroke, gold

200m IM, bronze

Godfrey Admans 70-74

50m backstroke gold

100m backstroke gold/SER meet best performance, 1.28.79

50m freestyle 4th

100m freestyle 4th

100m IM 4th

John Fitzgerald 50-54

50m backstroke gold/SER meet best performance, 29.57

100m backstroke gold

50m butterfly silver

100m butterfly gold

 Matthew Taylor 55-59

50m backstroke gold

100m backstroke silver

200m backstroke gold

400m freestyle bronze

Amanda Heath 65-69

50m breaststroke, gold/SER meet best performance, 42.14

100m breaststroke, gold

200m breaststroke, gold

200m IM, gold

400m IM, gold 

The post Spencer Team Shines at South East Region Meet appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.

Have you ever seen a Spencer silver or gold swim cap and wondered how to get one? The secret is out! They are prizes in the Spencer Mile Open Water Race! After a break of a couple of years, the event made a very welcome return to the calendar in 2025 at a new venue – Denham Lake – thanks to the brilliant organisation of Jennifer and Coach Steve.

Check in was at 9am for a 9.45am start, when Spencer had the use of the whole lake to ourselves. The “mile” consisted of 2 x 1k laps of an easy-to-navigate course parallel to the iconic Colne Valley viaduct for HS2, the recently completed longest railway bridge in the UK.

Early on the scene, in a preview of the race to come were out of towners Matthew, Alan and Amanda (in that order) who were there in plenty of time to survey the course, discuss tactics and don their superfast wetsuits.

Steve gave the briefing, where we learnt that there would be two waves, with the men starting 5 minutes behind the women. There was then a big debate about how cold the water was and whether the fastest guys could catch the fastest girls. There was only one way to find out, so the girls slithered off the pontoon and into the water. The answers: a very pleasant 17-18 degrees and no, of course they couldn’t!

The race produced some very close finishes, with Matthew spotting the pontoon finishing line to overtake Alan in the final stretch, and Clare and Laura touching together.

Post race, we enjoyed Denham Water Ski club’s hot showers, changing facilities and coffee bar, as well as home made focaccia, banana bread and muffins kindly provided by race participants. Then, on to the prize giving, where everyone won a gold, silver or blue Spencer cap for coming 1st, 2nd or 3rd in their age group.

The best thing: everyone felt so great after a brisk morning swim and socialise. Here’s hoping that more folk will join us for next year’s race.

Results:
Wetsuit women:
Lisa Scott – 37.24, 1st, 20-29
Alexandra Bullen-Smith – 42.25, 2nd, 20-29
Josie Miller – 34.07, 1st, 30-39
Amanda Heath – 32.09, 1st, 60+
Nicola Malin – 38.52, 2nd, 60+
Overall winner: Amanda Heath

Wetsuit men:
Matthew Taylor – 28.52, 1st, 50-59
Joe Dean – 36.19, 2nd, 50-59
Alan Parkins – 28.54, 1st, 60+
Overall winner: Matthew Taylor

Skins women:
Jennifer Kelly – 33.41, 1st, 30-39
Helen Cumber – 34.19, 2nd, 30-39
Clare Humphries – 37.06, joint 1st 40-49
Laura Mason – 37.06, joint 1st 40-49
Jane Turner – 41.38, 2nd, 40-49
Overall winner: Jennifer Kelly

Skins men:
Alex Hulme – 37.04, 1st, 20-29
Josh Stratford – 37.17, 1st, 30-39
Ross Needham – 32.31, 1st, 40-49
Michael Shaw – 39.51, 2nd, 40-49
Ben Lillywhite – 44.36, 3rd, 40-49
Luke Schuberth – 35.43, 1st, 50-59
Karl Simpson – 36.55, 2nd, 50-59
Overall winner: Ross Needham

The post Swimmers Compete in the Returning ‘Spencer Mile’ Open Water Race appeared first on Spencer Swim Team London.