SMASH THE SWIM

One of the things we hear consistently here at 220 is that the open-water swim is the element of triathlon most triathletes find challenging. Whether it's down to poor swim technique that hasn't been improved upon since your school days (you're not alone!) or the variety of challenges that lakes and ocean can throw at you, there's no wonder it can prove anxiety-inducing.

What might surprise you is just how many tactics professional open-water swimmers bring into play come race day, though. While you may not see much from above the water, each part of the swim is carefully managed, from navigating currents, drafting off other swimmers and making the final move to win.

To find out more, we turned to British pro Hector Pardoe who you may remember from last year's Olympic Games in Paris, where he took on those brutally technical conditions in the River Seine, facing strong currents that would see most swimmers going backwards, let alone racing!

Pardoe is the 2024 bronze medallist in the World Aquatics Championships 10 km open water race. He also is also the current record holder for England's largest lake, Lake Windermere, finishing the 16.8km swim in 03:40:28. Over to Pardoe for his top tips for facing difficult swims...

1. HOW TO MANAGE STRONG CURRENTS

In Paris we learnt a lot about the conditions from watching the women's race the day before and seeing where they got stuck in the current and the best lines they were taking. Plus if you can, get in and practise before your race!

I found [in these conditions] you'll want to go much easier with the current pushing you from behind, because the stroke rates went down massively. There was gaps visually opening up, but as soon as we went back into the current they closed and that's where you want to put the hammer down!