The Henley Swim team is looking to recruit six women, who have never tackled a swim in open water before, to feature in the 2019 This Girl Can campaign. The women will swim a mile at the Outdoor Swimmer Henley Swim Festival, taking place on 14th July, and receive a ‘highly valuable bundle of kit’.
Henley Swim is keen to encourage more women to get involved in open water swimming. The event organiser adds that it is one of the fastest growing trends in sport around the world and provides not only incredible physical rewards but huge mental health benefits as well.
The Outdoor Swimmer Henley Swim Festival is a downstream swimming event with different waves and distances open to men, women and children over the age of 8. It is set on a prestigious stretch of the River Thames in Henley.
Women who are interested in taking up one of the free This Girl Can places must have never swum in an open water swimming event before and should either be near the beginning of their fitness journey or returning to exercise. A release from Henley Swim added, ‘We will need to know what is driving them to give this challenge a go and what they think they will achieve from the experience.’
The closing date for entries is 1st April 2019 and winners will be notified on Thursday 18th April 2019.
The chosen participants will receive a starter kit worth over £380, containing a Dryrobe, a swimming costume and goggles by Zoggs, a Selkie hoody, bobble hat and flask, a Swim Secure tow float and swimming hat and a 6 month subscription to Outdoor Swimmer Magazine. The women will be helped along their way with a 12 week training plan which will ‘transition them from swimming pool to open water’.
In return, from the moment the winners get their place to the moment they cross the line, they will write a short weekly blog, allowing others to share their experience – ‘the good, the bad and the downright ugly!’
One winner from 2018 explained “From winning the competition to going through the finish line 12 weeks later, I experienced many feelings – extreme highs to confidence blows, but when I got myself through that finish line it was literally the best feeling! I can honestly say that winning the place and going through this experience has been one of the best things I have ever done and I feel so proud that I achieved it.
“The team at Henley Swim were so supportive – from the safety crew, the day to day contact to the photographers. Open water swimming community – I’m here to stay!”
