Arla Great North Swim

½ mile
A great place to start

•   20 minutes
•   32 lengths

A great introduction to outdoor swimming, the ½ mile is the equivalent to around 32 lengths of a standard 25m pool. The average completion time to complete the ½ mile distance is approx 20 minutes.

Entrants must be 12 years old and over on the day of the event.

1 mile
Get a feel for the open water

•   40 minutes
•   64 lengths

The 1 mile is suitable for swimmers of all abilities and is equivalent to 64 lengths of a standard 25m pool. The average completion time is approx 40 minutes. You can choose to enjoy a leisurely breaststroke while taking in the scenery or kick into crawl for a faster time.

Entrants must be 16 years old and over on the day of the event.

2 miles
A great challenge for all abilities

•   1 hour 15 minutes
•   125 lengths

2 miles is the perfect event for open water swimmers looking for a longer challenge and who have maybe tried an open water swim before. A 2 mile swim is equivalent to around 125 lengths of a standard 25m pool and the average completion time is around 1 hour 15 minutes.

Entrants must be 16 years old and over on the day of the event.

5k
A challenge for experienced swimmers

•   Max 2 hours
•   200 lengths

This distance is suited to experienced, confident swimmers looking to go that little bit further. A 5k swim is equivalent to around 200 lengths of a standard 25m pool. For this distance cut-off times apply: swimmers must be able to reach halfway (2500m) within 1 hour and finish within 2 hours. Generally the 5k takes in 3 laps of the standard 1 mile route.

Entrants must be 16 years old and over on the day of the event.

10K
Official open water Olympic distance

•   Max 4 hours
•   400 lengths

The 10k marathon swim is suitable for regular swimmers who are capable and confident of taking on longer distances. Putting in the hours of training for this distance is highly recommended. The entry age is 18 years old and over (on event day) and anyone who enters must be able to swim 10k unaided, within 4 hours. This swim is generally 6 laps of the standard 1 mile course.