Swim the Night 2026
Swim the Night - A TCI event - had an unusual format. It was not meant to be a race; neither was it about the distance covered. It was suppose to be a test of repeatability and endurance. Solo swimmers were required to do a 2k swim every hour - no more, no less. If one finishes the 2k in less than an hour, we rest. The next 2k swim starts at the start of the next hour.
The format seems simple, except that if we did not finish a 2k in any of the hours, we would be sent off.
I finish an easy 2k in 48 mins. If I push, I can swim it in 44-45 mins. So the challenge was not the first few 2ks, but I was worried about finishing the 5th and the 6th 2k in time. The challenge was to maintain the time when exhausted, physically and mentally.
My Kochi 10k in April was the reason for my worry. My initial speed was fine, but I slow down considerably in the last 2-3 kms. Yes, there were genuine reasons for that - it was getting hotter with the day, currents picked up, fuel and hydration were not particularly great. But it took an hour longer than what I had expected to be the worst-case scenario, and I was mad at my performance.
And hence the doubt lingered. I was really unsure if the 5th and 6th 2k at Swim the Night would be fine.
So I prepared. My fueling strategy was to have liquid carbs every 30 mins (a mix of maltodextrin, fructose and electrolyte), and top it up with small balls made up of mashed rice, potato and some salt during the break. The rice-potato balls were meant to be a relief from the sweetness of the liquid carbs, and to get a feeling of eating some real food. The strategy was largely successful. Thanks to Durgesh, who kindly offered me potato chips, I also got some crunch and flavour on top of my planned nutrition and hydration.
I had also anticipated a migraine, which I get if my food schedule is off just by a little bit. And the migraine was there right on the clock at about 8pm. Thankfully I was prepared with a tablet, which worked like a charm.
I could largely stick to the 30 mins liquid carb schedule. It was not perfect, but a reasonable success given that it was the first time. Weeks of research on the right maltodextrin-fructose ratio, the dose, etc paid off!
The swim itself was not as hard as I was expecting it to be. Unlike Kochi, it was getting cooler with the night. I was getting 8-12 mins of rest after each swim, which helped with recovery.
This was my first swim where my expectations met reality. In all my previous swims, the actual swim time was never as per my expectation. That could be attributed a bit to my delusion, but not completely. Pool times hardly translate to the unpredictability of the open water. For instance, Bhopal was too choppy, Jamshedpur was too cold, Kochi was hot and had currents, and it was hard to get adequate fuel and hydration. Conditions, along with my limited ability to deal with them, meant I was way slower than my expectations in all previous races. Not this time! This was my first swim event where I did not come out grumpy over my performance.
Long swims give a lot of time to think. I remember thinking about my fellow swimmers, hypothesizing about what the relay guys sitting next to the pool are chatting about, admiring some long-distance swimmers, and thinking about ways to improve my technique.
While I was more or less satisfied with my swim, a very strong swimmer in my lane, who was finishing his 2ks in 35 mins, kept me really grounded.
I really wanted to finish my swim with a 200m IM (all four strokes). But could do a little bit of back stroke and butterfly in the final lap. I will have to prepare more for a cool finish!
Thanks a lot to the organizers, the people who counted my laps and offered words of encouragement while telling the distance covered.
I hope next Swim the Night will be 12 hours. That would be something!
