This year's Brighton Pier to Pier race is taking place this coming Saturday 26th June.
The country's most historic open water swimming race will have over 250 participants with the distance set at 1km between the West Pier and the Palace Pier.
The contest is open to people of all ages including children in swimming clubs and adults. This year will be the 84th Pier to Pier race which is hosted by England's oldest swimming club, Brighton Swimming Club under the safety of Blue Response.
The History of the Race
In 1936 the Brighton Pier to Pier swimming race was open to swimmers from across the UK and was staged by the Brighton Swimming Club. It was that same year that the Brighton Municipal Council donated a trophy to the annual race.
Swimmers used to dive off the West Pier to start the race, however with the closure of the West Pier in 1971, swimmers start the race directly next to said Pier.
The race became a highlight of the seafront event calendar, with wartime interruptions and cancellations due to rough seas. The race began as a male-only event, however in the 1980s the race opened up to all sexes and prize categories were widened to include different age and team groups.
Past competitors have included Olympic gold medalists, channel swimmers and top national pool swimmers.
Aquapax
This year, Aquapax is sponsoring the event with a healthy and sustainable alternative to single-use plastic water bottles to avoid the further plastic polluting of the ocean.
Head down to Brighton beach on Saturday 26th June to watch the race!