Your First Open Water Race: A Beginner's Guide to Training & Event-Day Success

By Rebecca Wetten, Co-Founder & Head Coach at Catch

If the Great North Swim is your first open water event, you’re in the right place. Whether you’ve already been training in the pool over winter or you’re just getting started, this guide will walk you through the essentials: how to train, what matters most, & how to show up on race day feeling calm, prepared & excited.

These tips are built from coaching hundreds of swimmers through their first events - including many who began exactly where you are now.

1. Train Your Mind As Much As Your Body

Your mindset is a huge part of how your race feels. Start by asking yourself:

• Why does this challenge matter to me?
• What makes me feel excited?
• What are you most looking forward to?
• What makes me feel nervous?

Naming your nerves takes their power away. If they pop up on race day, you’ll recognise them - and know they’re normal.

It also helps to prepare for “what if” moments:

• What if I feel breathless?
• What if I get bumped?
• What if my goggles leak?

Have a simple mantra ready for tricky moments. One I lean on a lot: “This is hard - but I do hard things.” Pick something that anchors you & brings you straight back to your ‘why’.

2. Technique: The Fastest Way to Transform Your Swimming

If you want your Great North Swim experience to feel smooth, efficient & enjoyable, focus on technique. It makes a bigger difference than fitness alone.

Work on the foundations first, such as breathing, body position & kick.

Once the foundations feel more natural, you can layer in the likes of rotation, timing, upper body power & - importantly - open water skills like sighting.

If changing your technique feels strange or a bit slower at first, you’re doing it right. Progress often begins with discomfort - it means you’re making real change.

You can learn all of this inside Catch Gold, with weekly video lessons tailored to your ability.

3. Build Your Fitness the Smart Way

You don’t need to train like a full-time athlete to swim well at the Great North Swim. You just need consistency.

Aim for 2 to 4 swims per week, depending on your lifestyle & goals for event day.

Try to include a mix of these (which is exactly how we build plans in the Catch app):

• Technique - slow & focused, making changes to your technique one step at a time
• Aerobic - longer, steady swims to build confidence & fitness over longer distances
• Threshold - pushing your faster paces - they can feel spicy
• Speed - short bursts of top-end speed for fitness gains

Mixing in these sessions keeps your training effective & interesting, building rounded swim skills & fitness.

For better fitness gains, do less over a longer period; consistency wins over intensity every time.

& remember: swimming should feel good. Let winter be about gentle, steady progress. Be patient with yourself, & celebrate your wins, no matter how small.

4. Start Open Water Practice in Spring

You don’t need to swim in open water all winter to get ready for June. Most swimmers begin outdoors in April or May, when temperatures start creeping up. But you do want to get at least a handful of open water swims in, as it does feel different to the pool - & you don’t want any surprises on race day.

Once you do head outside, start practising key open water skills:

• Sighting - lifting your eyes just enough to see ahead
• Swimming straight towards a target - without relying on lane lines
• Staying calm in choppier water - develop your breathing in more wavy water than the pool

If you only practise one thing, let it be sighting. It’s the skill that helps you stay calm, in control & confident on race day.

We’ve made a full video on how to sight properly here: How To Sight In Open Water Swimming

Want to fast-track your progress for the Great North Swim?

The Catch app is designed to transform your swimming - technique, fitness, confidence, the lot.

Here’s what you’ll get:

• A personalised training plan tailored to your Great North Swim distance
• A full video course that’ll give you all the front crawl & open water skills you need
• Unlimited coach support from me
• A community that’ll lift you up through every stage of training

Use code GNS26 for:

• A 7-day free trial of Catch Gold (personalised plans, weekly technique lessons & coach support)
• £5 off your first 3 months

Catch Gold is your own swim coach in your pocket - helping you swim further, faster & with far more confidence.

Written by Rebecca Wetten, Co-Founder & Head Coach at Catch.