A Sunrise Worth Waking Up For
The Swim Rutland Water event has given me swims that I have said were my best and my worst. The place is beautiful, the atmosphere is always great, and its the reason I keep coming back each year. I’ve been coming here since 2022 and completed the 4km several times and 8km back in 2024.
This year I was back for the 8km and the early morning starts often come with a sunrise that makes the 3:30am alarm feel almost justified. I decided to the tackle the 8km again this year, partly as prep for my upcoming 10km at Loch Lomond, and partly because I wanted to enjoy the longer Rutland course properly. The last time I took part in the 8km the conditions were tough to the point that the organisers even extended the cut‑off time.
My usual routine before a longer swim starts couple of days before with pasta (we can call it carb loading, but really its just an excuse because I love the stuff!). I’ve also started having an electrolyte drink the day before. On the day of the swim its porridge and yes, you guessed it..more electrolyte dinks. As I travel to the swim location I’m usually munching on flapjack sipping on electrolytes to keep everything topped up.
The calm before the storm
After a great swim at Coniston in June, I felt good. Maybe I could have squeezed in a couple more long training swims, but I’m just so much better at tapering!
Arrived in plenty of time, so after registration I even managed to catch a quick twenty winks in the car. After a brief nap, I was all fired up and ready to start. Walking down to the waters edge I was relaxed, talking and laughing with some of the other swimmers and looking forward to getting started.
The water was a glorious 21°C and as we acclimatised and bobbed about in the water waiting for the start, everything just felt right.
The first 2km was just sublime. Every stroke felt smooth and almost effortless so that by the time I approached the end of the first 4km loop, I genuinely thought I might be on for a PB. I had the slightest niggle of cramp in one calf, but nothing worrying.
As we exited the water at the midway point I decided to grab an energy gel to try and head off the cramp before it became an issue. I sometimes use gels when I’m on the bike without any problems. I’ve heard some horror stories for swimmers using gels, so to be safe I only took a small amount of the sachet and figured all would be fine….
The lesson begins
At this point buddies…..all was not fine and I was about to be given a lesson whether I wanted it or not!
The first 4km had been the calm before the storm!!!
In the couple of minutes it took to exit the water, have the gel and get back in, a breeze had picked up. The water went from calm to ‘lets shake things up and throw him around like a ping pong ball”. Suddenly, it went from a nice relaxed swim to a complete slog.
Ok, maybe not ideal conditions I’d gotten used to but I’ve had a couple of choppy swims in the past and figured, its just a case of head down and keep turning the arms.
When I lifted my head to sight, I found the water had pushed me off course and buoys weren’t quite where I expected. Around the 5km mark, things got worse when my stomach decided it wasn’t a fan of gels for a swim.
By now I wasn’t just fighting the water, I was fighting my own body. The rolling water, the chop of the waves all contributed to nausea building. Every few hundred metres I had to stop, gulp down some air and fight the urge to be sick. I could feel the safety kayakers watching closely, probably wondering if I was about to call it.
Was this going to be my first DNF
I passed the 6km mark I was deep in the “this might be my first DNF” zone. I was having to take more frequent breaks to fight the nausea and genuinely thought I might have to call it.
As I stopped again for what felt like the thousandth time, I lifted my head, and there in the distance I could see the finish. That was it, that was the point where it became “I’m not dnf’ing today…get swimming and stop being a wuss” (that’s the polite edited version).
So, I pushed on with the same pattern…swim… stop… breathe… gag… shout into the water… repeat. It wasn’t my most enjoyable swim but with each pause I could see the finish getting closer.
Class dismissed!
Eventually, I slowly made my way out of the water, feeling sick and completely drained. As I walked up the mat and over the finish line I could feel a smile growing with each step. Yes it had been tough but I’d not given up and that made finishing even sweeter!
My final time was 3 hours 26 minutes, which is higher than my previous 8.5km swims. I was so close to not completing the swim and I fought for that finish, so I’m happy to take that time and collect the bling.
This swim gave me a couple of lessons I won’t forget in a hurry!
For me, energy gels and swimming do not mix and are definitely off the menu in future.
What I also learned is not to let calm water and sunshine lull me into complacency. Conditions can change quickly and being ready for the shift can make it easier to handle. You can’t control everything during a swim, but with a mix of gritted teeth, a dash of stubbornness and a glimpse of the finish can help you slug it out to the end.
Now, its time to look forward and prepare for the Loch Lomond 10km and one things for sure, there will be no gels on that one!
