Writing this week's newsletter is taking longer than usual as I keep checking Mark Sheridan's tracker and updates on his Facebook page. Starting at 9:00 Monday morning, at the time of writing Mark had been swimming for more than 30 hours as he makes his way along the length of Lake Geneva, a total distance of 69km. It's a distance, and a time span, that
boggles the mind, and something that only a small number of swimmers could consider tackling. It's certainly way beyond any distance I could imagine swimming.
But luckily open water swimming isn't just about conquering long distances. This Saturday I was at the Great Newham London Swim and watched a group of first-timers complete a half-mile swim. Their joy at this achievement - and it certainly was an achievement as some of them only took up swimming in February this
year - was infectious. The next day I joined another group of swimmers for a 6km jaunt along a rural and scenic section of the Thames. It was completely different but equally enjoyable.
With such a wide range of events and challenges now available and books to guide us to hidden wild swimming spots, now really is a good time to be an open water swimmer. There are also increasing options for swimming holidays. Jonathan, our editor, is currently swimming in Finland and
pretending he's working (see his 'Picture of the Week' at the end of this email).
There is, of course, also a magazine dedicated to open water swimming. Our current issue should be arriving with subscribers by the end of this week or early next week - and
the digital version is already available.
We also seem to be having a spell of hot weather in the UK. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Happy swimming
Simon Griffiths
Founder & publisher, H2Open Magazine.
p.p.s. Mark Sheridan completed his Lake Geneva swim in 33 hours and 6 minutes! Amazing.
