Frequently asked questions
Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge
What is the Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge?
The Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge is a challenge to swim a marathon distance in 2020 at a venue of your choice and in your own time. Your challenge is to complete the Marathon 10k or Ultra Marathon 25k over any 30 consecutive days before midnight 31 December 2020 (dates have been extended due to Tier 4 restrictions). You can complete your challenge whenever and in as many swims as you like.
Enter, record your swims and submit your final result to become a marathon swimmer. The challenge is FREE and the purchase of medals, swim caps and t shirts is optional.
Enter today to secure your place in the first Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge. You can enter at any time, just make sure you have enough time to swim your challenge before the end of the year.
How do I record my swims/results for the Virtual Challenge?
Record your swims in anyway you wish. Whether you record your results on a device, app or simply by recording each swim manually – you can then take a screenshot or photo of your results and upload it.
Record your distansce and time.
Details on how to submit your results are in a question above.
How much is it to enter the Virtual Challenge?
How do I upload my Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge results?
1. Firstly, please only upload your results when you have COMPLETED your challenge. You can only submit one image and this must be of your completed challenge distance/time.
When is the Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge?
Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge ends 31 December 2020. You can start whenever you like (after 1 Nov), but you must swim the complete distance of 10k or 25k over 30 days, finishing before the end of 31 Dec to earn yourself a medal. (Results deadline has been extended due to Tier 4 restrictions).
How do I enter the Virtual Challenge?
How will people know that I am taking on the Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge?
Can I fundraise for charity in the Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge?
Yes of course, we’d love for you to raise money for charity – especially our amazing partner charity Level Water.
You can fundraise for any charity, so please let us know on your entry form who you will be raising money for and how much you’d like to raise (don’t worry you’re not committing to raise this much, we’d just like an idea of how much you think you could raise)
What distances challenges are available?
You can choose to take on the Marathon 10k or Ultra Marathon 25k in the Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge.
You can change your distance up to midnight 20 December 2020. After that no distance changes are possible.
We do have an Ultra Marathon 50k challenge but this has been suspended for this year due to current swimming pool restrictions. We hope to launch this challenge distance in future, possibly next year.
Once entered, can I change my Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge?
You can change challenge distances if you wish. This can be done by logging back into your Active account and choosing a transfer. The transfer will cost £5.
Where can I swim my Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge?
You can swim in a pool or any swimming venue you wish. And you can mix it up.
The Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge was originally planned for 1-30 Nov 2020, however this was changed to 30 consecutive days between 1 Nov - 31 Dec following the UK Government's decision to close all swimming pools for 4 weeks on 31 October. The deadline has subsequently been extended due to the Tier 4 restrictions - closing date to be announced.
Please make sure you book your swims in advance, as the venue requires and that you follow all of their social distancing and safety measures. You will need to pay for each swim - our challenge is FREE but your will need to pay for your swims in the normal way.
You could swim your virtual challenge in open water, however we do not recommend this unless you are a very experienced cold water swimmer and swimming at a managed location with the necessary safety provisions in place. Each open water swim would also need to be very shorter than a typical pool swim due to the temperature of the water.
When do I receive my Marathon Swims merchandise?
Thank you for your Marathon Swims merchandise purchases. All purchases include the cost of postage. All merchandise, including medals will be sent to you following your submission of your results for your challenge.
What happens if I can't start or continue my Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge due to local restrictions?
The Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge was originally from 1 - 30 Nov 2020. However, following the announcement (31 Oct) that all pools would need to close for 4 weeks, we extended this timescale to 31 Dec 2020. The timescale has been extended again to take into account Tier 4 restrictions. A new closing date will be announced soon.
When do I upload my results?
Results can be uploaded any time between 1 November and midnight 31 December 2020. However this timescale has been extended due to Tier 4 restrictions. Closing date to be announced.
Can I opt out of the free prize draw?
Our partners have kindly given us some of their products and services to give to lucky participants in the Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge. All particiants who have submitted their result before midnight 31 Jan 2020 will be entered into the free prize draw. To opt out of the prize draw, please email us - info@marathonswims.com
How does the free prize draw work?
Our partners KitBrix, Outdoor Swimmer, Swim for Tri, Swm Quest and Soul Cap have all kindly donated some amazing prizes for the Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge.
When are the results published?
We will publish results (distances completed and name) regularly throughout the challenge. Results can be found here - https://resultscui.active.com/events/MarathonSwims2020VirtualChallenge
How does the Lockdown affect my Marathon Swims Virtual Challenge?
The PM's announcement of a national lockdown on 31 October has meant that pools have been ordered to close for 4 weeks from Thursday 5 November. This is unfortunate timing, as our challenge was originally due to be throughout November and the majority of participants would have taken part in UK pools.
I don't want my results to be publicly available
No problem at all. We need your result to confirm that you have completed your challenge, so please simply email us (info@marathonswims.com) to state your results and time and asking us not to include your results in the online results. We'll then send out your medal
I have paid for a medal, but I can't complete my challenge?
If you bought a medal but do not complete your challenge - you will be sent a 'generic' medal (without the distance of Marathon 10k or Ultra Marathon 25k) on it. However, you will need to email us to let us know that you have not completed your challenge for us to know to send it to you.
What happens if I am not able to complete my challenge?
If you are not able to complete your challenge, please drop us a line (info@marathonswims.com), so we can post to you any merchandise you have paid for.
How do I purchase more merchandise or add international postage?
Click this link to take you to your Active Account:
I ordered a medal, but I cannot complete my challenge in time
If you ordered a medal but are unable to complete your challenge distance and submit your results before the closing date (date tbc), we will send you a generic medal (without the distance on the ribbon)
Where can I find my R-number?
Your R-number is on your confirmation email from when you registered. You'll need your R-number to submit your results.