Upcoming Swimming Races
Open-water swimming returns the sport to its most primal habitat: lakes, rivers, and open seas. Without lane ropes, pool walls to push off, or a tiled bottom to orient you, open-water events demand a completely different set of skills — sighting between strokes, reading currents and chop, drafting behind faster swimmers, and pacing in conditions that can shift from calm to challenging within a single race.
Events in Central and Eastern Europe take place in some of the most spectacular natural settings on the continent: the lakes of the Masurian district in northern Poland, the wide bends of the Dnipro river, the warm salt waters of the Black Sea coast near Odessa, and the cold mountain reservoirs carved into the Carpathian highlands. Distances range from a welcoming 1 km sprint — ideal for pool swimmers making their first open-water start — to 10 km+ marathon swims that challenge even the most experienced competitors and require separate qualification.
Open-water swimming builds a unique kind of mental fortitude. Cold water temperatures, current, jellyfish, and the disorienting openness of a natural body of water strip away every comfort of the pool lane. What replaces those comforts is something harder to describe but instantly recognisable: a deep, elemental connection to the water that pool swimming — for all its precision — simply cannot replicate.
Pick your distance
Choose the format that fits your fitness level and goals.
Swimming Race Agenda
A full look at the swimming race calendar
