New Ultramarathon Swim Series – The Best of Professional & Amateur Ultra Swims Around the World

We are very excited to officially announce the new Ultramarathon Swim Series!

Since the 1950’s races such as the Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli (1954), Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean (1955), and the Atlantic City Around The Island Swim (1953) have been part of the Ultramarathon series.

But even as the sport of marathon swimming continues to grow significantly around the world, FINA recently decided to stop its FINA UltraMarathon Swim Series.

Some of the world’s greatest marathon swimmers have competed in these races – and we want the Ultramarathon series to continue to grow and prosper long into the future.  

The new series promotes the world’s coldest, hardest, longest, toughest, most extreme open water swims around the world. It is a series by, for, and about ultramarathon and extreme open water swimmers. 

Below are the current events participating in Ultramarathon. We expect to add many more over the course of the year. 

July: 36 km Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli in Italy – July 8

Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli is one of the longest-running professional marathon swimming competitions in the world which began in 1954 and starts on the island of Capri and finishes 36 km (22 miles) later on Marina Grande Beach in Napoli on the mainland of Italy.

July: 20 km Baltic Amber Race – July 13-15

The course marks the border between the Bay of Gdańsk and the expanse of the Baltic Sea. The first person to accomplish the swim was Gertruda Skowrońska on July 15, 1928. 

July: Trans Tahoe in the USA – July 16

The Trans Tahoe Relay started in 1976 and has become an annual reunion of the global open water swimming community. Traditionally done as a relay, WOWSA has partnered with the Olympic Club to offer Trans Tahoe Solo (15.5k) as part of the Ultramarathon Swim Series.

July: 32 km Traversee international du Lac St-Jean in Canada – July 17-25 

Each summer since 1955, the Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean attracts the world’s elite professional open water swimmers to Roberval. One of the world’s most prestigious professional races with a long and rich history. Thousands line the banks to greet the swimmers at the finish. Water temperature and winds can vary, but water temperature under 20°C (68°F) is expected.

October: 20k and 30k La Isla Open Water in Mexico- October 29-30 

La Isla Open Water is the only one 20k and 30k competition in Presa Zimapán, Cadereyta de Montes, Querétaro, Mexico held at the end of October. It is one of Mexico’s Top 50 Open Water Swims. The race attracts about 30 swimmers in the 20k and 30k distances and 300 swimmers in the other distances.

If you are a race director or swimmer interested in applying to be part of the Ultramarathon Series click the race director and swimmer applications below