Arla Great North Swim Run Event Guide

Guide for participants in the Arla Great North Swim Run.

EVENT GUIDE 2025 SATURDAY 14 JUNE

INTRODUCTION TO SWIMRUN

Based on teamwork, passion, and closeness to nature, this outdoor running and swimming challenge is a benchmark in adventure races. Not just for endurance athletes, the most important things you need are a sense of adventure, some determination, and a lot of fun! SwimRun is about enjoying the landscape we are lucky enough to inhabit. The rules are about being courteous and respecting the environment, and in this case, the race comes second. Many landowners have kindly given permission for this event, and we want to repay their faith. We take on the challenge as it is presented to us, and we leave no trace. This guide includes important event day information, so please ensure you read through it to make sure you are well prepared. BEST OF LUCK AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU SOON!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION All SwimRun participants across the across both distances (Short SwimRun and SwimRun) must go to the main Great North Swim event site at Brockhole where you will need to check in and start the event. Short distance participants cannot arrive at Wray Castle.

CONTENTS

COURSES

TIMETABLE

MAPS

6 - 7

TIMINGS/HOUSEKEEPING

INFORMATION POINT AND PACK PICK UP

EVENT SITE

TRACK YOUR SWIM

WHAT’S INSIDE YOUR PACK

13 - 14

GEAR GUIDE

CHECK IN

16 - 17

RUN SECTIONS

SWIM SECTIONS

19 - 20

KEY INFORMATION

WATER QUALITY

FUNDRAISING

22 - 23 24

MEDICAL

ACTIVITIES WITH ARLA

COURSES

There are two different routes: Short and Swimrun.

• Short - This is approximately 12.5km with 3 runs and 3 swims. • SwimRun - This is approximately 24km with 4 runs and 5 swims.

All share common sections, be courteous to each other. At the start of every Swim or Run section there will be a sign telling you the distance ahead for that section to help you pace yourself. You may also wish to write these distances on the back of your hand.

TIMETABLE

08:00 START FOR SWIMRUN PARTICIPANTS

SWIMRUN SHORT - WAVE 1 08:45 Ferry takes Short - WAVE 1 participants from Brockhole to start line at Wray Castle boathouse

09:00 START - SHORT - WAVE 1

SWIMRUN SHORT - WAVE 2 09:15 Ferry takes Short - WAVE 2 participants from Brockhole to start line at Wray Castle boathouse

09:30 START FOR SHORT - WAVE 2

SWIMRUN SHORT - WAVE 3 09:45 Ferry takes Short - WAVE 3 participants from Brockhole to start line at Wray Castle boathouse

10:00 EVENT START FOR SHORT - WAVE 3

SWIMRUN SHORT COURSE MAP PROVISIONAL ROUTE  SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL DAY OF THE EVENT

AMBLESIDE

WATERHEAD

BROCKHOLE

FINISH

ECCLERIGG

TROUTBECK BRIDGE

WINDERMERE TRAIN STATION

HREE DUBS TARN

BOWNESSONWINDERMERE

GRASMERE

SWIMRUN COURSE MAP PROVISIONAL ROUTE  SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL DAY OF THE EVENT

RYDAL WATER SWIMRUN COURSE MAP PROVISIONAL ROUTE  SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL DAY OF THE EVENT

AMBLESIDE

LOUGHRIGG FELL

WATERHEAD

20 km

BROCKHOLE

FINISH

START

ECCLERIGG

LOW WRAY

START

ECCLERIGG

BLELHAM TARN

15 km

KEY

TROUTBECK BRIDGE

10 km

HIGH WRAY

SWIM 1

OUTGATE

RUN 1

SWIM 2

WINDERMERE TRAIN STATION

RUN 2

COLTHOUSE

SWIM 3

WISE EEN TARN

5 km

RUN 3

THREE DUBS TARN

HREE DUBS TARN

SWIM 4

MOSS ECCLES TARN

BOWNESSONWINDERMERE

RUN 4

SWIM 5

NEAR SAWREY

TOTAL SWIM TOTAL RUN

3590M 20.2KM 23.94KM

FAR SAWREY

TOTAL DISTANCE

START

FINISH

TIMINGS/HOUSEKEEPING

PRE-RACE BRIEFING A pre-race briefing will be shared by email in advance of the event, with some last minute advice and top tips for the day.

There will be a safety briefing for all participants on Saturday 14th June, before your wave is due to start.

Please ensure you attend for all the vital information you need for your day .

RACE DAY ARRIVAL Please arrive on site early to be checked in, in plenty of time. The site opens at 07:00, changing, baggage and toilets will all be available, as will customer services should you have any issues. Please check your kit the night before the event. GETTING TO SITE No parking will be available at Brockhole unless this has been pre- booked. You can find information on travel options here , including a new Park and Ride system.

All participants must come to the event site at Brockhole to check on to our safety systems, please do not head direct to Wray Castle.

INFORMATION POINT AND PACK PICK-UP

Dive into the Arla Great North SwimRun experience with our new and improved pack pick-up process!

In our bid to leave a lighter footprint on our environment, we will no longer be sending out swimmers’ packs through the post. Not only will this mean that we are reducing our emissions from not transporting thousands of swim packs around the country, but it will also mean that no swim packs go missing, which leads to less printing of spare items.

Please take the time to read through the following information about when and where to collect your packs from throughout the weekend:

Location Pack pick-up is located at the Information Point in the main event village, see event site map All Distances Pack pick-up will be at the Information Point on Saturday 14TH June from 7am. Packs cannot be collected on Friday 13th, as your GPS tracker wont be allocated until the morning of the event.

EVENT SITE

START

FINISH

WARM UP AREA

SPECTATING AREA

SWIMMER & SPECTATOR VIEWING ACCESS

MERCH

FERRY

SPLASHED IT GANTRY

KEY

EXHIBITORS Zone 3 Solgar Andrea Hall Barracuda Bay CANS Swimbler Dip & Dales Co Warmcor Wild Moose Voom Nutrition Lake District Foundation RLSS Peter Bland Sports

INFORMATION POINT & PACK PICK UP

WETLAND AREA

TOILETS

FOOD & DRINK

BIG SCREEN LIVE COVERAGE

BEER TENT

CHANGING AREA

The quiet tent is a tent located in a quieter area - ideal for anyone needing a moment of peace, some space for baby changing, or a bit of personal space. QUIET TENT

BAGGAGE DROP AREA

Head to the Arla Protein power ground to play to your strengths.

CHECK IN

MEDAL & FINISHER TEE COLLECTION

Grab wonderful moments of delight with Arla skyr.

WATER REFILL POINT

CARPARK & BUS STOP *PARK & RIDE*

Visit Arla Cravendale for family fun with a personalised craft station

FINISH

WINDERMERE MARATHON FINISH LINE SUNDAY ONLY

FINISH

Step inside the Arla LactoFREE relaxation area and share your gratitude on our Thankful Tree.

SWIM FEST STAGE

TRACK YOUR SWIMRUN

Open Tracking trackers are provided for all our SwimRunners as part of your entry fee.

The tracker allows your loved ones (wherever they are in the world) to monitor your progress throughout your Great North SwimRun event. They’ll be able to see when you start, when you finish, and where you are at all times on an online map as you make your way around the course. You will also be able to check your timings after you finish your SwimRun, as well as seeing the timings of other participants. We will share the link via email a few days pre-event.

There will also be a large TV screen at the Open Tracking tent for all spectators to come take a look and see where their friends and family are.

All this information will be displayed at all times on a single tracking page through Open Tracking, accessible on mobiles and desktops. These GPS trackers will be available to collect when you pick up your pack.

Don’t forget to hand your tracker back when you finish your race!

WHAT’S INSIDE YOUR PACK

SWIM CAP & VEST

Your swim cap & vest are essential piece of kit. Each distance has a different colour, and the cap & vest not only help to retain body heat, but they also make you really visible to our water safety teams. Please keep your caps & vests on at all times in the water

BAGGAGE LABEL

If needed, use this label to ensure your belongings stay safe whilst you are in the water, and are easily identifiable when you collect them.

WRISTBAND

Along with your baggage label, swim cap, and vest you will also receive a wristband which will match your swim number on your GPS tracker, to be collected alongside your pack. Please ensure you’re wearing your wristband before getting to the check-in area.

If you opted out of a getting a finishers’ tee your wristband will be green, otherwise it will be white.

GEAR GUIDE

WETSUIT We are delighted to be working with Zone3, our official wetsuit partner. Wetsuit use is optional at the Great North SwimRun in water temperatures of 15˚C or above, however if the water temperature drops below 15˚C on the day of your swim a wetsuit will be mandatory, so we recommend bringing one to the event just in case. A wetsuit will give you extra buoyancy and warmth, but please make sure it fits properly as ill-fitting wetsuits are not allowed for safety reasons. Wetsuits can be one or 2 part (i.e made up of neoprene shorts and neoprene vest, as long as the torso is covered) and provides suitable insulation. Please note: Swimmers aged under 16 will be required to wear a wetsuit regardless of the water temperature. TOW FLOATS In the event of water temperature above 15˚C swimmers choosing not to wear a wetsuit MUST use an approved high visibility tow float. Tow floats will be available to purchase throughout the weekend at the Merchandise stand. SWIMCAP Swimcaps must be worn during all swim legs of SwimRun for visibility. GOGGLES Make sure they’re tried and tested and fit well. TOW ROPE A tow rope or tether helps to keep you and your partner together on the swim sections and can be used to regulate and optimise your speed. HAND PADDLES Paddles can help you swim faster, meaning you can save some energy in your legs for the run.

GEAR GUIDE

SHOES You want these to drain and dry quickly. Try trail shoes or go DIY and drill holes into the base of old trainers. COMPRESSION SOCKS Go for quick-drying socks that will also help keep your legs warm, whilst wearing your wetsuit. PULLBUOY A great piece of kit to help you in the water, especially as you’ll be wearing shoes in both the swim and run. Think about how you’ll attach it when running – we recommend a bungee cord. SWIMRUN RACE BIB You’ll be provided with this, so think about how it might affect your kit.

CHECK IN

We will ‘check you in’ to our safety system at the start at Brockhole. We will then check you out at the end of the event at the finish line. It is crucial that should you retire at any point on the route you notify us, so we can check you out and we are not looking for you at the end of the day. If retiring, please ensure you remove your GPS tracker and return it to a member of the team before leaving site. Short Distance competitors you will be checked in before you board the ferry. Race times for all distances will start when the gun goes off and your progress will be monitored by GPS trackers that you will collect with your packs. SWIMRUN Check in will open from 07:30 for an 08:00 start from the main Great North Swim start line at Brockhole. SWIMRUN SHORT

WAVE 1: Check in is at 08:15, start time is 09:00. WAVE 2: Check in is at 08:45, start time is 09:30. WAVE 3: Check in is at 09:15, start time is 10:00.

The ferry leaves from Brockhole and takes you to the start line at Wray Castle Boathouse.

Please don’t be late as we cannot delay the launches. You cannot come straight to Wray Castle as you won’t be able to check in.

On the day briefings: There will be a short supplementary safety briefing before you start / get on the ferry. You will also be given the details of each swim as you arrive, please listen to the briefing as there will be some key points for each one.

RUN SECTIONS

The route will be clearly marked in two ways. At any junction there will be a small arrow. On all other sections, there will be marking flags. These will correspond to the colour of your event:

(Orange = SwimRun / Green = SwimRun Short).

If you see these in the ground or similar, you know you are going the right way. They will be placed every few hundred metres so if you have run for 500m or more and not seen any, you should retrace your steps as you may have gone off course.

If a marshal asks you to stop, please listen, this could be for any reason but the two main ones are:

i. So we can capture your number, enabling us to safely track you around the course. ii. There is a road crossing ahead. Please be aware that there are some crossings of roads on all courses. Please respect the roads as you would on any other day. There will be traffic that you must give way to. KEEP TO THE LEFT AT ALL TIMES when on road sections.

LITTER Anyone dropping litter on the course will be asked to leave the race. We need to respect the environment we are privileged to be in. If you take anything from a feed station please keep the litter with you until the next point, or hand it to a marshal. GIVING WAY We are sharing all trails with the general public, and we want to be a courteous event. Please step aside and let others pass if required, anyone seen to be disrupting other trail users will be disqualified.

SWIM SECTIONS

All swims have clearly marked entry and exit points, with a bright orange flying banner. There will also be a marshal at the entry and exit.

Swim caps and goggles can be stashed in your wetsuit, or anywhere else you like, for the run sections. However, you will not be allowed entry into any swim section until you are clearly wearing your swim hat. You are welcome to wear your own hat for warmth.

Pull buoys and hand paddles are permitted but SwimRun competitors please do be careful during the mass start.

In Case of Difficulties: i.

The majority of Swims track shorelines, so please only go as deep as required to swim comfortably. This means that if you are in difficulty, you will only need to come in a short distance to a depth where you can stand up. This of course isn’t possible on all swims. ii. There will be safety cover on all the swim sections. If you get into difficulty roll on your back and raise one hand and they will come to your assistance.

KEY INFORMATION

FEED STATIONS There are three feed stations providing VOOM energy bars, water and other food items. The stations are located at Wray Castle (SwimRun only), the Southernmost turn around point (SwimRun only), and at Brathay Hall (everyone). DECISION POINTS There is a key decision point on course where you must make sure you take the correct turn according to your distance. This will be clearly signposted and is just beyond Wray Castle. Please note: You can decide to cut your distance short, please just notify a marshal. You cannot decide to take the longer route. CUT OFF TIMES There is no cut off times for the event, however we reserve the right to ask participants to withdraw from the event on health grounds, if our medics suspect you are becoming too cold or exhausted.

SAFETY Assisting Others: Whilst this is a race, your first priority should be your own safety, and secondly the safety of your fellow competitors. If you come across a participant who is having an issue, please make completing the event your secondary focus, after helping them. This may mean running ahead (or backward) to the nearest marshal point to raise the alarm.

Compulsory Equipment We will conduct spot checks on the compulsory items as per the OTILLO rules.

These include:

i. Wetsuit ii. Swim cap

iii. Running shoes iv. SwimRun bib

We encourage:

i. Dressing bandage ii. Compass or watch compass iii. Whistle iv. Suncream

WATER QUALITY

Our teams have been working hard behind the scenes to prepare for this year’s event, and that includes conducting water quality tests.

With recent concerns around water quality in Windermere we have increased the number of tests, meaning it’s our most rigorous testing process to date.

The water quality is tested independently, with multiple samples taken from 8 different locations in Windermere, as well as Rydal and Grasmere.

We can confirm that recent results all received an ‘excellent’ rating against the EC Inland Bathing Water standards.

We will continue to assess and test the water and will be conducting another 2 rounds of independent water testing throughout May and June.

FUNDRAISING

If you haven’t already, make sure you set up your official fundraising page on Enthuse, our official fundraising platform. Personalise your page with an image, your story and share to friends and family who can donate to your chosen charity. Now is the perfect time to get started on your fundraising journey or have a last push to raise some money for your chosen cause ahead of the big day.

Click here to start fundraising

MEDICAL

MEDICAL COVER ON THE ROUTE There are plenty of first aiders on the route, as well as paramedics and doctors. If you have any issues, however small, please just ask the nearest marshal. The best place for minor ailments to be looked at is at the feed stations. MANAGING YOUR TEMPERATURE The Lake District in June could provide a wide range of weather conditions. If it is hot, you may need to strip your wetsuit down to the waist, and remove your hat for the run sections, but on a cool day cold could be the enemy. Hypothermia can occur in relatively warm water, particularly for swimmers with a smaller build. Frequent transitions from swimming to running over fells in possible inclement weather, then further swimming will hasten this process. Swim sections later in the course may feel colder than initial ones due to the depletion of carbohydrate stores. Make sure you adhere to adequate, frequent fuelling whilst observing yourself for signs of hypothermia (confusion, slurred speech, co-ordination problems, excessive irritability). MINOR ISSUES Make sure minor issues are addressed as soon as reasonably practicable. What may seem like a trivial blister/sprain/strain initially will likely develop into an issue which could affect you as the race progresses. Cover all cuts and abrasions, however minor, with sticking plasters. You should consider not swimming if you have deep cuts.

KNOWING WHEN TO STOP It is important you know your limits and know when it’s wise to stop. Consider your environment and the possible need for rescue if you get into difficulties in a remote location. Utilise the feed stations as a checkpoint to assess your current condition and ability to continue. SUNCREAM Please make sure you are wearing water-resistant sun cream with enough for re-application depending on weather forecast. Put some in a clear sealable bag and carry it in your wetsuit. RACE DOCTOR, PARAMEDICS AND THE RIGHT TO PREVENT PARTICIPANTS FROM CONTINUING Although you may feel ok to proceed, the Race Doctor and Paramedics have the final say on your condition and your ability to continue. We have your well-being at the centre of our decisions.

It’s almost time for the Arla Great North Swim and we will be with you every stroke of the way!

Whether you want to test your skills with Arla Protein, chillout with Arla Lactofree, get creative with Arla Cravendale or win with Arla Skyr. There’s something for everyone down at the Arla Event Village.

Across the event, join us where there will be 4 zones for you to enjoy:

Arla Protein - Visit the Protein Zone to play to your strengths in the power ground

Arla Cravendale - Head into the tipi to try some family fun crafts

Arla Skyr - Grab a wonderful Arla Skyr Whipped treat

Arla LactoFREE - Step inside our relaxation area and enjoy some gratitude journaling

Join us to sample delicious dairy and try the exciting activities we’ll have available throughout the weekend including: Active Zone // Creativity Station // Chill out Zone Spin-to-Win Competitions // Lawn Games //

We’ve all heard about rainy days, but are you saving for your sunny ones too? Just like building stamina for your next big swim, regularly setting money aside will help you enjoy more of the moments that make life truly memorable. Swim freestyle, save savvy

Save for your sunny days with Coventry Building Society

thecoventry.co.uk

Coventry Building Society. Principal Office: Coventry House, Harry Weston Road, Binley, Coventry, West Midlands CV3 2TQ.

GOOD LUCK & ENJOY YOUR DAY

FROM THE ARLA GREAT NORTH SWIM TEAM AND OUR PARTNERS

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