Rules of the Marathon & Channel Swimming
In order for a swimmers channel/marathon swim to officially be in the books of completed crossings/swims there are rules that the swimmer must abide by.
1) The swimmer can only wear a porous swim suit, swim cap and googles. This means that the swimmer can not use anything that will help them swim the channel, ie, fins and/or wetsuit. The swimmer may use lard, Vaseline or a combination to help insulate the body from the cold of the water.
2) Once the swim has started at no time can the swimmer touch the support boat or kayak, ie, when they stop to feed. If the swimmer does touch or hang on to the support boat or kayak at anytime then the official stops timing the swim and the swim is seen as a incomplete channel swim.
3) The official timing of the swim starts when the swimmer signals from the shore of the starting point. The official stops timing when the swimmer is standing on the shoreline of the stopping point.
1) The swimmer can only wear a porous swim suit, swim cap and googles. This means that the swimmer can not use anything that will help them swim the channel, ie, fins and/or wetsuit. The swimmer may use lard, Vaseline or a combination to help insulate the body from the cold of the water.
2) Once the swim has started at no time can the swimmer touch the support boat or kayak, ie, when they stop to feed. If the swimmer does touch or hang on to the support boat or kayak at anytime then the official stops timing the swim and the swim is seen as a incomplete channel swim.
3) The official timing of the swim starts when the swimmer signals from the shore of the starting point. The official stops timing when the swimmer is standing on the shoreline of the stopping point.
History of the Nutrition Used
Back in the 1920's and 1930's not a lot was known about proper nutrition for swimming such an incredible distance. Most didn't use any type of nutrition at all. In the later years liquid mixtures of glucose, milk, maltose and fruit juice were used. Some would use soup to keep up their inner body temp while swimming in the cold water. One gal, who did a crossing in the 1920's, only had a half pint of whiskey. This of course was after fighting off repeated attacks from a barracuda.
With all of the advancement in nutrition today, what a swimmer eats is a personal choice and should not be taken lightly. Every swimmer practices with their nutrition to make sure that it sits well with their body during a swim. Most swimmers use a liquid feed that is purely carbohydrate based but also have food that can be eaten quickly, such as, gels, bananas, chocolate and fig newtons.
With all of the advancement in nutrition today, what a swimmer eats is a personal choice and should not be taken lightly. Every swimmer practices with their nutrition to make sure that it sits well with their body during a swim. Most swimmers use a liquid feed that is purely carbohydrate based but also have food that can be eaten quickly, such as, gels, bananas, chocolate and fig newtons.
previous 8 bridges photos
Photo Credit: LOST Swimming
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Photo Credit: Wall Street Journal
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