Well done everyone! Taking part in this journey is a big undertaking and we hope you enjoyed it. With the river very high following recent rain and a spring tide, times were fast on the Saturday (Sunday winds slowed things back down), and we saw several PBs (and some debris in the water, loosened by the high flow).
Our fastest 10k swimmer took 1hr 39min, and 4hr 8min was the most leisurely. Dart veterans Lou Barber and Paul Smith became the first to complete the “double Dart” (swim both days) in skins. One woman did the whole distance breastSTroke, another paraplegic swimmer came back and put in a strong performance among the elites, and one 56 year old mother was there as her daughters’ hen night (‘other mothers get to go to a spa’ was overheard). We had some zero to hero’s who learnt to swim this year but did the distance, and some swimmers back for the first time since our first Dart10k in 2010 – you can read Alice Gartland reflections on the changes online at Outdoor Swimmer.
The weekend weather was eventful: many showers, endless rainbows, occasional downpours and some gusts of wind which kept changing direction and meant some Sunday swimmers encountered tough stretches. It didn’t stop it feeling like one of the best Dart10ks ever – thank you to the volunteers and lifeguards who didn’t quit, all the swimmers, supporters, and local businesses, councils and clubs which support it, and to everyone who has emailed and Facebooked their thanks since. Swimmers raised over £60,000 so far for Level Water, £3k for Bone Cancer Research Trust, £5k for Frank Water and thousands for other charities.
Photographers Graham Wynne and Vivienne Rickman-Poole joined The Outdoor Swimming Society for the Dart 10k 2017. Feel free to download and use any of the gallery photos but please be sure to credit the photographer (in file name) and The Outdoor Swimming Society.
Graham Wynne
Graham Wynne
Graham Wynne
Graham Wynne
Graham Wynne
Graham Wynne
Graham Wynne
Vivienne Rickman Poole
Vivienne Rickman Poole
Vivienne Rickman Poole
Vivienne Rickman Poole
Vivienne Rickman Poole
Vivienne Rickman Poole
Vivienne Rickman Poole
Results are listed alphabetically. Not all swimmers have an age category, as we don’t force you to provide this at the time of purchasing your place. You can download the results using the “Downward arrow” icon in the top right hand corner of the page, allowing you to sort the results by any criteria you like, like skins, age or gender.
Congratulations again to all those who swum, and thanks to all those who supported the event this year – it was a fantastic year from start to finish! Please join us for 2018 – see the event page to keep up to date on ticket release and the event date.
Vivienne Rickman Poole
“On Sunday I swam the whole 10km side by side, stroke by stroke, with this lovely woman. We carried on through the chop and we pulled each other along and I couldn’t have done it without her.
We may never meet again but for 3 hours she was my closest friend. And that’s why I love swimming.”
There are many ways the OSS shares the swim love – some actual, some virtual. The two worlds met over on instagram, where Katherine Anteney reposted Viv Rickman Poole’s picture with this comment.
“On Sunday I swam the whole 10km side by side, stroke by stroke, with this lovely woman. I’d never met her before and we didn’t speak to each other until the 4km feed stop. We carried on through the chop to 8km and then the final 2km push… which was hard work. We pulled each other along and I couldn’t have done it without her.
“We may never meet again but for 3 hours she was my closest friend.
“And that’s why I love swimming.”
Us too, @katherineanteney, us too! (And you can find us on insta at @theoutdoorswimmingsociety, or share your images with us via #outdoorswimmingsociety, #dart10k, #sharetheswimlove).