Countdown to Great North Swim!
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11th September 2008
SWIMMERS have only a few days to prepare for this year’s Great North Swim – the UK’s first mass participation swim - that will take place on Saturday 13th September 2008.
More than 2,200 people from across the country have signed up to take part in the one-mile swim across Lake Windermere, in Cumbria.
Competitors include some of Great Britain’s most decorated athletes, including members of the country’s triumphant Olympic swimming team.
Five of Britain’s six long distance swim medallists will line up for the triathlon swim on Saturday.
David Davies, who won a silver medal in the men’s 10km open water swim, will be looking forward to a rematch with Holland’s Maarten van der Weijden, who took the gold in Beijing. He will also face bronze medallist Thomas Lurz.
The trio provided one of the most exciting races of the Olympics when the Dutchman beat Davies by only 1.5 seconds.
Silver medal swimmers Keri-Anne Payne and Cassie Patten will also take part, along with North Yorkshire’s Bronze medallist, Joanne Jackson.
Swimmers of all abilities are expected at The Great North Swim, which is organised by Nova, the people behind the Great North Run, and it is hoped the race will join its sister event by becoming a fixture in the country’s sporting calendar.
Team GB’s flag bearer in Beijing, Mark Foster, will also be among the starters on the shore at Low Wood.
He said: “The response from the public has been phenomenal and to have 2,200 swimmers of all abilities taking to the water is a real achievement for the sport.
“People waiting to take part and those heading to Low Wood to support family and friends are in for a real treat, as they will get to see the most talented long-distance swimmers in the world doing what they do best.”
The Great North Swim is the latest event to be launched as part of Take To The Streets, a national activity programme designed to fight inactivity and obesity rates and raise money for charity in the process.
Entries are now closed, but for spectator information and tips on how to train for the Great North Swim, visit www.greatnorthswim.org.