Swim Vilnius Marathon Draws Hundreds to Balsys Lake

Balsys Lake in Vilnius hosted the annual "Swim Vilnius" marathon on Saturday, an event that has grown to become Lithuania's largest open water swimming gathering. This year's edition saw hundreds of participants take to the water, with distances ranging from a free 100-meter introductory swim to a challenging 10-kilometer race.

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When some years we organize even 5-6 events. This year – 3, in different water bodies of Vilnius city. Not only in lakes, we have also organized in the river. And the final, crowning main event is always near the Green Lakes, in Balsys Lake, where we put all the accent, a lot of sound and lights.

Mantas Marcinkevičius, the event's organizer, shared that the idea for "Swim Vilnius" was born seven years ago while he was studying in Australia. Inspired by the "Cole Classic" in Sydney, he aimed to bring a similar large-scale open water event to Lithuania. Despite facing challenges, including initial pandemic restrictions, Marcinkevičius successfully launched the event, which now consistently attracts between 700 and 800 swimmers.

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The plane flight was long, and I thought, why don't we have this here. I knew that several small events were taking place, which continue to take place, are charming in their own way, but there wasn't a big one. And in fact, I think I managed to implement it. Now we gather those 700-800 participants every year, regardless of the fact that the summers are not perfect. And we couldn't accept more than 1000, because the size of the lake is limited, so that we fit in time and organize everything safely and with quality. So we are not far from that limit.

Marcinkevičius explained that the event's capacity is limited by the lake's size to ensure safety and quality organization, keeping the number of participants close to 1,000. He noted that while several smaller swimming events exist in Lithuania, "Swim Vilnius" stands out as the premier open water marathon, often held at different water bodies in Vilnius, with the final event traditionally concluding at Balsys Lake.

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There was also a limit on the number of participants, and checks, and masks, and distances. When I flew back after my studies, I saw people in hazmat suits at Vilnius airport, but I just decided that it's better to start small and with challenges than to start sometime later, or it would most likely mean not starting at all. We didn't know how long this whole COVID would last, so I'm glad we started. After the difficult first years, you could say, it's easier now.

The marathon caters to a wide range of swimmers, from seasoned professionals to beginners trying open water swimming for the first time. The inclusion of a free 200-meter "Delfi" swimming course this year aimed to further encourage participation. All finishers receive identical medals, emphasizing the event's focus on participation and shared experience over competition.

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There are many different distances from which participants can choose. The longest is 10 kilometers, which is the official open water swimming marathon distance, 5 km, 3 km, one and a half kilometers, and then smaller ones – 200, 400, 800 meters. And one distance is 100 meters, the time for which is not measured, it is completely free for participants, and they all receive the same medals after finishing.