Location, location, location!
You just never know who you are sharing a pool with. This special feature is about two of our Masters swimmers who have escaped the pool and taken their swimming outdoors.
Chris Horne and Debbie Taylor both train and compete as Barracuda Masters swimmers but also really enjoy taking part in open water events so we thought we’d find out a bit more about just what it involves and where they swim. First off though I think it would be helpful for you to know that when we train in a commercial indoor facility the water temperature is usually between 25-28C. Just keep those figures in mind as you read on.
Chris Horne 
Now Chris started open water swimming about 10 years ago as a challenge and was absolutely bitten by the bug – metaphorically speaking, of course! He liked the fact it was less technically demanding than pool swimming but knew there were some new skills to get to grips with like “sighting” and “drafting” (the latter being illegal (if caught) but fun, he says) and new kit required – wetsuit at the ready! Chris tells us he enjoys swimming in an entirely different environment, which changes from day to day.
He quickly got involved in entering the large events like ‘The Great North Swim’ but realised it was difficult to achieve good times in the big events due to them being overcrowded. Realising there were some much nicer, less crowded events that suited him better he started to take part in some of the Epic Series events in the Lake District. He has done Ullswater, Coniston and Derwent Water where he does the mile races and now consistently does the distance in under 27 minutes.
Last year he took part in the 2.4km Castle Howard event in Yorkshire which was part of The Castle Swim Series, and finished 4th – a great result. He also likes to take part in some of the BigBrutal series in Wales where he says there are some stunning venues. Chris is always looking for new races so this year will see him enter mile races in Semerwater and Windermere – weather permitting! He does admit though that his favourite location is Rydal Water on a summers day – the pleasure of taking your time, looking around and taking in the views is second to none.
Debbie Taylor 
Debbie on the other hand is one of those hardy souls who only enters events swum under ‘Channel Swimmer Rules’ – that is, no wetsuit, only swimsuit, one cap and goggles! Now in 6C temperatures in the open air that’s pretty tough.
Debbie has done some iconic events. Last July saw her as part of a four woman relay team swimming the Jersey Round Island Challenge which is a 45 mile route. Swimmers do one hour stints in the water before change over and wetsuits are an absolute “no, no”. With tides and currents to contend with it was quite challenging but the highlight for Debbie was being joined by a pod of wild Dolphin for a couple of hours – magical!
In February she should have been competing in the Parliament Hill Ice Swimming Hootenanny (PHISH) at an outdoor Lido in London but had to pull out due to injury. Debbie takes part in the endurance event which is for experienced cold water swimmers only and you have to have completed another 1,000m event at 6C or less in order to be able to enter. The race itself is, 10 lengths of the lido (610m) plus one length for each degree centigrade it is above freezing up to a maximum of 1,220m – now I’ve never seen that rule before! Debbie has competed in the event every year since its inception in 2014 and didn’t want to miss out completely so offered to be a timekeeper. With the temperature on the day at 6C it was difficult enough to keep warm fully clothed on the pool deck, never mind in the water!
Having successfully swum the 10.5 mile length of Windermere herself many times she was asked last September to crew and provide kayak support for another swimmer’s successful 10.5 mile attempt.
April this year, saw Debbie attempting the 2s4l (2 swim 4 life) in Guildford Lido where you must swim a mile on the hour, every hour for twenty-four hours continuously. Whatever is left of the hour is your rest period – no asking the coach for a toilet break mid-swim here! Debbie has previously completed this as a four, and then as a two person relay in previous years but thought that this time she would have a go for the solo. Even as a relay this is a gruelling event of sleep deprivation and air temperatures below 0C over night. Debbie said, “I went in knowing I wasn’t fully prepared (re-occurring tonsillitis) but planned to aim for 12 miles/ hours. I completed 15 comfortably but pulled out as I didn’t fancy pushing myself to injury. It’s my first ever DNF as a marathon swimmer and I will be back to complete it!”
In August, she took part in the BLDSA (British Long Distance Swimming Association) Loch Lomond Relay in celebration of 60 years since the first solo crossing. This is a 24 mile swim, starting early morning and swum throughout the day. Debbie was part of a team of 6 who were self supporting so when they weren’t swimming they were either providing kayak support or making the brews! Debbie swam 6km and provided kayak support for 8km in approximately 15C water. In all it took the team around 11 hours to complete the swim.
In September, she is flying out to San Francisco to take part in the Odyssey Alcatraz Crossings – approximately 2 mile swim from Alcatraz Island, under the Golden Gate Bridge to the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. But she’ll not just be ‘spotting’ for other swimmers this time, she needs to watch out for the Sharks!
In terms of why she does it she says, “as a middle aged diabetic I know I’m never going to be fast, so I get a massive sense of achievement out of destination swims, so from land to land like the Channel Relay I did years ago. I also kept pushing the distance just to see how far I could get in one swim (21 miles to date). But the best part is the intimate experience with nature, I love watching the sunrise out at sea and when it pours with rain in the middle of a lake. You see the world in a different way when viewing it from the water.”
Debbie also admits that open water events have taken her to interesting places that she would never have thought of otherwise. For example, the South China Sea (for the Clean Half) and the Baltic (for the International Winter Swimming Championship). But, she and Chris both agree that their favourite location will always be the Lake District.
Always looking for new opportunities they would both like to do the 3km swim from Denmark across the fjord to Germany and Debbie also has her sights on an Artic Circle swim so watch this space!
If you want to know more about open water swimming you can follow any of the links above or follow this link to “A Beginners Guide to Open Water Swimming“. If you want to speak to Chris or Debbie they are usually down at the pool – Monday, Tuesday or Thursday 9:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.