Swimrun Coniston

Updated December 2024

The Swimrun Coniston event was previously run by Breca, which has, unfortunately, gone broke. However, in 2023 the event was taken over by Gritty Rascals Events, run by Gary Pavitt. Gary has extensive experience in the Adventure Racing world, and brings a new and exciting version of Coniston swimrun to the swimrun world.

In 2025 the race is scheduled for Sunday 21st September.

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Swimrun Coniston

Two swimrunners in yellow caps running through golden ferns at the coniston swimrun event.

The Coniston swimrun event takes place in the stunning Lake District National Park in the U.K.. It takes in 4 lakes - Coniston Water, Windermere, Rydal Water and Grasmere. There are 3 distances; Full (47 km) and Gritty (21 km), and a Sprint at 12.7km, and you can do all events as a team of 2 or as a solo competitor.

The entry fee includes the following:

Swim cap
Finisher’s t-shirt *
Finisher’s medal
Prizes
Race timing
Race nutrition and hydration
Free event photography
Coaches to the start

The organisers, Gritty Rascals Events, have tried to stick to the original Braca route as far as possible, but have changed a few swim entry and exit points to improve accessibility and safety. The biggest change with the new race is that all 3 distances race at the same time, so that they all finish about the samr time. This means that the finish cut-offs for the shorter races are very generous!

Two competitors wearing wetsuits at the Coniston swimrun in 2023

The Full Distance race covers 47 km, with 7km of swimming and 39km of running. The swim distance is divided over 9 sections, and the running distance is over 10 sections. That makes for a swim to run ratio of approximately 1:7, which is about average for many swimrun races. The vertical gain over the course is just over 1,000 metres - over 3,000 feet - so you had better be good a trail running ascents!

Full distance course

Swimrun Coniston

The Gritty Distance is shorter, at 21 km. The swimming distance is 3 km split over 5 sections, and the running distance is 18 km split over 6 sections, giving a swim to run ratio of approximately 1:7, the same as the Full Distance race. The vertical gain of the Sprint course is 500 metres - around 1,500 feet in imperial measure.