08:45
£42
Age 16 & over
Savour the summer and swim happy with Swim Serpentine as you tackle an epic distance at the Olympic venue made famous by the double-medal winning Brownlee brothers.
Brought to you by the organisers of the London Marathon.
Swim in the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, London's largest Royal Park.
Sociable hub to hear inspiring speakers, buy kit and meet like-minded folk.
This event is part of Swim Serpentine.
The Serpentine Lake
Hyde Park
London
Greater London
W2 2UH
UK
A classic distance in the world of open-water swimming events. The Swim Serpentine takes place on the same course as the London 2012 Marathon Swimming Olympic event, with one full lap around the Serpentine making up the mile. This is the most popular of all the swim distances with swimmers taking anything from 20 minutes through to one hour to complete it.
Everyone who takes part must either wear a full-length wetsuit or use a tow-float for safety reasons. If the temperature of the water in the Serpentine is 15°C or above, wetsuits are optional. If you choose not to wear a wetsuit, you must use a tow-float. If the water temperature is under 15°C, wetsuits are compulsory.
The course will be clearly marked by large buoys, and a water safety team is on hand to assist any swimmers on the day if needed. All swimmers should complete their chosen distance in full while training in a pool. Swimmers should also practise swimming in the open water before the event.
London Marathons Events inspires and delivers innovation in mass participation event sustainability.
Recycle every plastic bottle.
Reduce power usage and use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel over red diesel in generators.
Separate waste to support recycling and reduce plastic with plastic-free goody bags made from sugarcane.
All finishers will receive a medal after their swim – no matter what their time and ability – as well as a souvenir swim hat to wear on the day!
Every year thousands of swimers take part in this event and fundraise for charity. While this is hugely beneficial to the charities it gives the participant advantages too, from supporting a cause that is close to your heart to securing a place in this highly sought-after event and much more.
Committing to raising money for charity gives you motivation to get training, plus all of these extras which will elevate your event experience:
Charities know that raising money is all part of the challenge, which is why they provide advice, branded materials and a personalised online fundraising page to help the donations roll in. Think videos for social media, branded imagery and testimonials from previous participants.
Whether this is your first swim or your fifth, you'll need to train for it! You'll receive an in-depth training plan with guidance, plus many charities have access to expert coaches and elites too, who can provide exclusive tips for your race preparation. Experts include Runningwithus, Full Potential and Olympic champs.
When you show up on the day, people need to be able to see clearly that you're supporting a charity. Most charities will give you a branded and personalised t-shirt or vest to wear on the big day, and often a charity swim hat for training.
When you're partway through your swim and your energy is flagging, what you need is a boost from cheering spectators to keep you moving. Many charities set up a cheer station along the route, keeping an eye out for you to send up a huge cheer as you glide past!
Refreshments and an indulgent post-race sports massage are often provided by charities for their participants. This is the perfect way to recover alongside other people who are supporting that cause.
You won't be the only person swimming for that charity, so it's well worth meeting others through the charity's invite-only social media pages! You can organise training sessions, chat with the charity's expert coaches and share tips and stories with each other to keep the motivation levels running high.
Charities buy places in this event, then give them to swimmers who agree to raise money for the charity – these are called charity places. Charity places are a great way to support a good cause and get a place in the event, especially if general entries are closed.
Swimming challenges and charity fundraising go hand-in-hand - which charity will you swim for?