You Don’t Have to Be an Endurance Swimmer to Swim an Endurance Event

Can a jogger run a marathon?

Of course they can.

They may not be a professional runner. They may not even think of themselves as a “runner.” But with the right training, consistency and patience, someone who simply enjoys jogging can build enough endurance to run 26.2 miles.

So why should swimming be any different?

I just spent four days in Greece taking part in UltraSwim 33.3, swimming alongside 187 other swimmers. There were experienced open-water swimmers, serious endurance athletes and plenty of people who would probably describe themselves simply as recreational swimmers.

And watching that group take on four days of swimming got me thinking about what recreational swimmers are actually capable of.

You don’t have to start by swimming 10K.

You don’t have to swim for two hours.

You don’t even have to consider yourself an “endurance swimmer.”

You just have to start building.

Maybe today your longest swim is 1,000 yards. Over time, it becomes 1,500. Then 2,000. Eventually, you might surprise yourself with what feels manageable.

That’s what I loved about the 33.3km format. The challenge wasn’t one giant swim. It was multiple swims spread across four days.

Instead of asking, “Could I ever swim that far?” you can start asking, “Could I swim a little farther than I do today?”

That’s a much more achievable question.

My experience in Greece reinforced something I think recreational swimmers sometimes forget: you are probably capable of more than you think.

You don’t need to become an Olympian. You don’t need to train like one. And you don’t need to make swimming your full-time job.

Set a goal. Build gradually. Get comfortable spending more time in the water. And see where it takes you.

Maybe your version of a marathon isn’t 26.2 miles on the road.

Maybe it’s a 5K swim.

Maybe it’s a 10K.

Maybe it’s four days of swimming.

Or maybe it’s simply swimming farther than you ever have before.

That’s the fun part! You get to decide where your finish line is.

And when you’re spending that much more time in the water, there’s another lesson I was reminded of in Greece: comfort matters.

The longer you swim, the more important it is to have equipment that fits properly and stays comfortable. That’s exactly why we obsess over the fit of THEMAGIC5 goggles. When you’re swimming for longer periods, you don’t want to be thinking about your goggles.

You want to be thinking about your swim.

So, can a recreational swimmer take on an endurance event?

After four days in Greece, swimming 33.3KM alongside 187 other swimmers, my answer is simple: your limits might be a lot further away than you think.

You don’t need to call yourself an endurance swimmer to set an endurance goal. Start with the distance that challenges you today, build from there, and see just how far swimming can take you.

Because ultimately, endurance isn’t about where you start. It’s about being willing to go a little further.

— David Shackley, CMO at THEMAGIC5, reflecting on taking on UltraSwim 33.3KM alongside THEMAGIC5 CEO & Co-Founder Rasmus Barfred and Co-Founder Niklas Hedegaard.