Continuing in our series of blogs designed to aid in the process of choosing the best trip for you, in this post we’ll lay out the differences between our Channel and Long-Distance Training and 10km Training Camp. You may have some long-distance swim goals you’d like to achieve, but which camp will best help you get there? We’ve tailored slight variations on each trip to provide the best possible training camps for what our guests need. So whether your focus is on your time, distance, or mental preparation, read on to see which trip is best for you and your needs.
What you’ll get with both
Both our Channel and Long-Distance Training and 10km Training Camp provide the opportunity of swimming in cooler temperatures, often an essential part of training for long distance and sometimes a pre-requisite in that a qualifying time or swim distance may be required for an event. With water temperatures around 12-16°C, this provides the chance to mirror conditions of a prospective race or to meet the conditions of a swim environment needed to complete your qualifier. Both trips also provide the environment to train intensely for marathon distances, improve technique and endurance specifically over long distance and completing the distances by swimming in circuits. On our Channel and Long-Distance Training and 10km Training Camps, you will also benefit from the trip being led by three guides rather than our usual two. Both training camps offer seminars and the chance to pick our guides brains, as many of them have completed challenging long distance swims themselves.
The differences
The key differentiator between the two trips are the respective focuses on distances and swim times. The Channel and Long Distance Training Camp’s swims are focused around the time spent swimming, whereas the 10km Training Camp is geared towards reaching certain distances.
The Channel and Long Distance Training Camp is best suited for:
• Those training for a challenging, long distance swim. It is a particularly well-suited training camp for swimmers planning to undertake an English Channel solo crossing. The camp builds towards completing a 6-hour swim, a mandatory pre-qualifier for a Channel solo swim.
• Those looking to gain from a variety of seminar talks, as guides cover topics from Mental Preparation and Feeding and Hydration, to Stroke Technique and Analysis and Hypothermia & Fatigue.
The 10km Training Camp is best suited for:
• Those specifically looking to train towards completing distances, and is appropriate for those planning on taking part in a swim event of up to 15km, with the trip building up to a 10km swim.
• Those interested in long distance seminars, but not to the same depth as what is offered on the Channel Training Camp. A nutrition seminar features on the 10km camp as well as ongoing technique analysis • Swimmers looking to complete an English Channel relay swim. Relay swimmers don’t need to complete as long a qualifier time so these guest may benefit more from training towards distances rather than times
Our Channel and Long-Distance Training and 10km Training Camp trips are led by our incredibly skilled guiding staff. These guides have vast experience in coaching and completing incredible swims themselves, including Channel solo swims and relays as well as other marathon distance swims. They have first-hand knowledge of what you’ll be going through and are there to help you achieve your long distance goals. They are also here to support you in all aspects of your open water journey from the mental to the physical, whether that be through their constant presence at feeding stations, coaching your technique to be more efficient, or encouraging you to reach your goals with accounts of their own achievements, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve at the end of your trip with us.
And that’s our guide to choosing between the Channel and Long-Distance Training and the 10km Training Camp! For any additional questions on which trip would be the best for you, our Customer Team at SwimTrek HQ are happy to assist further. You can contact the team via info@swimtrek.com or by calling 01273 739713.
