Post by Jess Needham
As keen swimmers from Australia and New Zealand respectively, Brad and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to swim in ‘our local’, the River Thames. So, on Saturday 2 September, we participated in the Totally Thames Tidal River Swim, a relaxed swim event in which we, along with about 100 other swim enthusiasts, circumnavigated the Chiswick Eyot (a distance of about 1km).
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Brad and I really enjoyed our swim. It was a beautiful sunny day, the water was a balmy 17 degrees and we had the tide with us on the outward journey. Further, the water quality exceeded our expectations. You couldn’t see your hand as it entered the water for your catch, but visibility is always going to be limited in the Thames as it is a silt-based river. We are pleased to report that neither of us swam into or through anything weird (that we’re aware of …).
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Brad secured bragging rights of not only swimming in the Thames, but being the first person to arrive back at our launching spot in Hammersmith. I was the first female finisher, but this swim event really was less a race and more of an opportunity to enjoy the river.
Thanks to the Outdoor Fitness Collective for providing us with an opportunity to do a different kind of swim. The event formed part of the Totally Thames festival which seeks to celebrate the famous lifeline of London that is the River Thames.