the henley mile

Calum and myself (jack) were invited along to the Henley Mile - a light-hearted family affair run by Henley Swim...

Equipped with the usual swim/filming kit (except my bloody goggles), we rushed downriver through the Henley Royal Regatta boomed course and swam a quick, sunlit mile in the non-competitive sporting category, followed by James Silson (our trusty teammate).

Afterwards, we did a brief interview for the Outdoor Swimmer Show and discussed, among other things, the age-old quandary of which brother is the fastest (me). While we failed to reach a conclusion on that (me), we did at least have a nigh-unbeatable swim in the London summer heat, flanked by the neat fields and forests of Henley-on-Thames. The atmosphere was incredible - very friendly and inviting. And there were lots of adventure stalls, an endless pool and trucks of warm post-swim food on offer.

We had a great time in the water, treading water, diving with the Go Pro and doing our best our best to capture the droves of swimmers as they came by. We saw more smiling faces than we could count and everyone made it across the finish line - so, all in all, our category was a huge success! 

If you're interested in taking part next year, you can find all the information you'll need here. We've found ourselves at a lot of UK swimming events over the years and this was definitely one of our favourites. Even if you don't want to get in the water, the stalls and countryside are worth the trip. You can hone your stroke technique in the endless pool, lounge on the grass and watch the swimmers roll in, or… snap on your cap and goggles and hurl yourself down the Thames. Whatever you decide to do, you definitely won't regret getting yourself to the Henley Mile next year. For further choice-assistance, check out the video we made below...

A huge thanks to Henley Swim for having us along!