Lake Zurich - 5 August 2012
The Lake Zurich Marathon Swim is a 26-kilometre race from the town of Rapperswil to the city of Zurich, along the length of one of Switzerland’s largest lakes. For me, Zurich is a return to the sort of water that broke me as a child. This time, I wanted to find out whether I could learn to love a lake.
Facts & Background
Distance: 26.4 kilometres (16.4 miles)
Route: Rapperswil to Zurich, Switzerland
Organiser: Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team
Cost (as at 2012): 410 Swiss francs (about £280)
Description: The Lake Zurich Marathon Swim has been held since 1987 and is one of the longest regularly held open water swimming races in the world. Participation is capped, with a queuing system that rewards repeated entries. Each swimmer can choose to have a dedicated escort boat as part of the entry or provide their own.
Photographs from the Day
At 130 metres deep in places, the setting is beautiful but challenging. It looks simple, with no tides and no shipping lanes. Start at one end, swim through alpine scenery and finish at the other. But it takes endurance to keep going, stroke by stroke, hour by hour.
Original Film of the Swim
I've kept some of the documents from the swim.
