Ready, set, go: registration for summer swims is now open

Ready, set, go: registration for summer swims is now open

Kerch Strait, Volga, Baikal and other distances you can tackle

Participating in running marathons and open water swims is becoming not only trendy, but also a very inspiring trend. Together with X-Waters, the leading organizer of international open water swim starts in Russia, we tell you about the best swims of this summer. Registration for all swims is now open!

Kerch Strait Swim 2018

What: Swim across the Kerch Strait
Where: Kerch Strait, Kerch city
When: June 2-3, 2018
Distance: 5 km.
Registration
For all participants, this is not a competition, but an exciting challenge and one main goal – to swim across the Kerch Strait. Athletes will swim in small groups of three people, each group will be accompanied by a separate boat. The minimum requirements for participation in the swim: one successful finish at a distance of at least 5 km in open water at official swims.

Seliger Swim 2018

What: Swim on Lake Seliger
Where: Lake Seliger, Ostashkov
When: June 30-July 1, 2018
Distances: 1 mile, 5 km, 10 km.
Registration
The Seliger Island Swim is Russia’s only 10km open water event. The lake has a complex winding shape, so if you haven’t swum in large bodies of water without a close shoreline before, it will take some getting used to. The organizers also plan to do a children’s swim as part of the event.

Ural Swim 2018

What: Swim on Lake Turgoyak
Where: Lake Turgoyak, Chelyabinsk region
When: July 7-8, 2018
Distances: 1 mile, 4 km.
Registration
Lake Turgoyak, located in the Southern Urals, is on the list of the 100 most valuable bodies of water on Earth. It is considered to be truly the most beautiful lake in the Urals, with water clarity reaching 17 meters. Participants start from Vera Island and swim East to the settlement of Zolotoy Plyazh.

Baikal Swim 2018

What: International swim in the main lake of the planet
Where: Lake Baikal, Listvyanka settlement
When: July 14-15, 2018
Distances: 1 mile, 5 km.
Registration
On this swim the main difficulty that participants will face is the water temperature (this year the expected temperature is from 12 to 16 degrees Celsius). The route runs in a straight line along the shore to Cape “Rogatka” and Baikal Museum. Athletes who have chosen the distance of 5 km will move along the shore through the source of the Angara River. In addition to these distances, the organizers of the swim offer participants to try their hand at the 1 nautical mile distance.

STADA Volga Swim 2018

What: Swim on the Volga River
Where: Volga River, Nizhny Novgorod
When: July 28-29, 2018
Distances: 1 km, 3 km, 5 km.
Registration
According to 2017 data, this is the most mass open water swim in Russia. In 2018 the planned number of participants is 2000 people. The swim course is located at the confluence of the Oka and Volga rivers, the finish of all distances – on the embankment near the boat “Hero”, in the center of Nizhny Novgorod.

Saint-Petersburg Swim 2018

What: Swim around the Peter and Paul Fortress
Where: Saint-Petersburg
When: August 11-12, 2018
Distances: “Fortress” = 2300 m, “Double Fortress” = 4600 m.
Registration
The swim around the Peter and Paul Fortress is a great opportunity to spend a summer weekend in the northern capital! The start and finish of the swim will take place on the main city beach with a panoramic view of the Palace Embankment, the Hermitage and the arrow of Vasilyevsky Island. Fans will also enjoy the swim area – you can watch the swimmers almost uninterruptedly along the entire course.

Arctic Swim 2018

What: Extreme swim in the waters of the Arctic Ocean.
Where: Barents Sea, Teriberka settlement
When: August 18-19, 2018
Distances: 1 km, 1 mile.
Registration
Arctic Swim is the northernmost mass swim in Russia. Participants are recommended to use wetsuits – the expected water temperature in Teriberskaya Bay in August this year is +6-8 degrees Celsius. On the eve of the start there is a mandatory acclimatization swim of 300 meters along the shore.

Sevan Swim 2018

What: International swim across Armenia’s largest lake Sevan.
Where: Lake Sevan, Armenia
When: September 1-2, 2018
Distances: 1 mile, 6 km.
Registration
Ancient Lake Sevan is one of the largest high-altitude freshwater lakes in the world, located 1,900 meters above sea level. The human body works differently here, so experts recommend either swimming immediately (within a day or less upon arrival at the lake) or, on the contrary, spending at least a week there before starting. The effects of altitude are strongest on day 2-3 of the stay.

Wörthersee Swim 2018

What: Swim in the Alps
Where: Lake Wörthersee, Klagenfurt, Austria
When: September 15-16, 2018
Distances: 3km, 9km, 17km.
Registration
Lake Wörteresee is Austria’s most popular lake and one of Europe’s top resorts. The swim includes a 17km course crossing the lake from end to end. The water at this time of year warms up to a comfortable temperature of 20-22 degrees Celsius.