Gritty Rascals Events

Updated June 2024

Gritty Rascals Events was set up by experienced swimrunner Gary Pavitt, specifically to bring back 2 races that were held by the now-defunct Breca. These races had been held by Breca up to the Covid pandemic, which shut down nearly all events world-wide.

Gritty Rascals started in the Lake District, in the U.K., to revive the Coniston Water event for 2023. Coniston is the third largest lake in the Lake District by volume, after Windermere and Ullswater, and the fifth-largest by area.

Gritty Rascals concentrated on Coniston first because Gary has several friends who were involved in running the original races, and he knows the Lake District himself. He feels that the atmosphere and the location make the setting unique and challenging.

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Two people in wetsuits and colored tops swimming in a lake at a Gritty Rascals swimrun event

Image: Gritty Rascals Events

Gritty Rascals Events

Swimrun Coniston

So, is the new Coniston swimrun course the same as the former Breca event, or have there been changes?

According to Gary, they have tried to keep all the best bits, and only make changes where something could be improved. They have kept the routes broadly the same as before, and only changed a few water entry and exit points to improve accessibility and safety.

The biggest change is that now the three distances are run simultaneously, aiming to finish at around the same time. This has the effect of making the cut-off times for the Gritty course and Sprint course races very generous. Basically, if you can swim at all you are very likely to finish inside the cut-offs for these races!

Gritty Rascals aim to re-establish the Coniston Full-distance race as a 'must-do' event, while making the Sprint and Gritty races accessible to as many people as possible in a fun and safe environment.

What's involved in the new Coniston race?

There are 3 distances; The Full distance at 45km, the Gritty at 21.2km, and the Sprint at 12.7km. All races are open to teams AND solo athletes.

You can read more about the Coniston event at our Swimrun Coniston page.

Gritty Rascals

Swimrun Gower

A view of three beaches on the Gower peninsula in Wales.

Gower peninsula. Image: Gritty Rascals

What about the Gower event? This was also held in the past by Breca, and Gritty Rascals have brought it back to life in 2024.

Again, they have tried to keep the best bits from the original Breca event, and have only changed a few entry and exit points for safety. For 2024 there are just 2 race distances, the 'Gritty' at 20.1km and the Sprint at 11.5km. As with Coniston, entries are open to both teams and solo competitors.

The Gower peninsula is a truly stunning setting for a swimrun race. The race headquarters are in Underhill Park, in the Mumbles, south-west Wales, U.K..

For more detailed information and links to Gritty Rascals, visit our dedicated Swimrun Gower page.