This Sunday, July 12th, sees the Henley Mile, Half-Mile and Splash open water swim events taking place at Temple Island Meadows near Henley-on-Thames, London. As the rowers vacate the Thames, around 600 swimmers will take to the water of the Henley Royal Regatta course.
There are a number of categories across the day, from the Elite races where swimmers are competing to be crowned race winner, to the Sporting category where swimmers will be travelling at a more leisurely pace, admiring the scenery and enjoying the moment. Parents and children as young as 8 will also be swimming together in this category.
The H2Open Magazine Open Water Swimming Show is also taking place alongside the Henley Mile. Guest speakers include Red Szell, the only blind person to climb the Old Man of Hoy, and author Caitlin Davies who has written a book about the history of swimming in the Thames. There will also be an endless pool to test equipment, and exhibitors showing the latest swim related products.
Among the first time swimmers are 8 women who, inspired by This Girl Can, are entering an open water swim for the first time. The 8, ranging in age from 26 to 56, won a free place in the event through a competition run earlier this year, and have been blogging for the past 3 months about the run up to the event. Their blog can be viewed online at www.thisgirlcanswim.com.
One of the girls said “It has been hard juggling training and everyday life over the past 3 months; all sorts of hurdles have been thrown at us. However now the event is near we are massively proud of how far we have come and cannot wait to get in the water. The support of the other girls, through our Facebook group, has been invaluable and we are all excited to finally meet in person.”
With food and drink available all day, the event and show are positioned as ‘the perfect family day by the river’.
