An event to motivate swimmers of all levels to swim and exercise regularly. Over the course of 8 weeks, we will swim our way “around the world”. All yardage is self-reported.
The Swim Challenge has ended for 2013. Check back in February of 2014 for another exciting challenge!
There are 3 challenge levels depending on your swim preference:
- Beginner pace
- Intermediate pace
- Advanced pace
Whether you water walk, aqua jog, or swim your way through the challenge, we want you to join us in this fun and engaging 8-week competition and
experience the many benefits of working out regularly!
- Opportunity to win weekly prizes
- Chance to win a grand prize $50 gift certificate to Sports Basement & 50 min massage
- Membership discount to join the Cal Aquatic Masters team
- Meet new people and enjoy FUN workouts with the Cal Aquatic Masters team!
- Weekly workout incentives to stay motivated in the pool
Join the Challenge
This chart breaks down the amount of yards you need to complete each week in order to swim “around the world”.
| Week | Location | Miles | Beginner Pace | Intermediate Pace | Advanced Pace |
|---|
| 1 | Escape from Alcatraz | 2.4 | 240 yds | 360 yds | 720 yds |
| 2 | Swim the Strait of Gibralter | 8 | 800 yds | 1200 yds | 2400 yds |
| 3 | Swim the Maui Channel | 9.6 | 960 yds | 1450 yds | 2900 yds |
| 4 | Swim across Lake Tahoe | 11.5 | 1150 yds | 1725 yds | 3450 yds |
| 5 | Swim the Cook Strait | 16 | 1600 yds | 2400 yds | 4800 yds |
| 6 | Swim the Catalina Channel | 21 | 2100 yds | 3150 yds | 6300 yds |
| 7 | Swim the English Channel | 22 | 2200 yds | 3300 yds | 6600 yds |
| 8 | Swim around Manhattan | 28.5 | 2850 yds | 4275 yds | 8550 yds |
- Week 1: 2/11 – 2/17
- Week 2: 2/18 – 2/24
- Week 3: 2/25 – 3/3
- Week 4: 3/4 – 3/10
- Week 5: 3/11 – 3/17
- Week 6: 3/18 – 3/24
- Week 7: 3/25 – 3/31
- Week 8: 4/1 – 4/7
To calculate each level, we used the following miles to yards conversion:
Beginner: 1.5 mi = 150 yrds
Intermediate: 1 mi = 150 yrds
Advanced: .5 mi = 15o yrds
Download the log
- Fill out the registration form
- Join the FitWell Swim Challenge Facebook event for swim updates & weekly prize winner announcements
- Download and print your tracking log to record your daily miles (yards)
- Start swimming at any of our 4 pools!
- Track your weekly yardage on the log sheet.
- To be eligible for weekly prizes: By the Monday following each week (i.e. By Monday,2/19 for Week 1), check-in with the lifeguard at any of our 4 pools to enter into the weekly prize giveaway.
- To be eligible for the grand prize: Turn in your complete tracking log to the lifeguard at any of our 4 pools no later than Monday,April 8th. Alternatively, you can drop-off your tracking log at the Aquatics Office on the 2nd floor of the RSF, or email an electronic version to treilee@berkeley.edu
- Participate in the weekly prize giveaway by completing your yards, and checking-in with the lifeguard at any of our 4 pools by Monday of the following week.
- Recruit a friend to join you as you swim “around the world”.
- Join our Cal Aquatic Masters team!
- Enjoy professional coaches
- Structured workouts
- Meet new & fun swim buddies who will help push you through your set!
Each week is broken into three levels, which you can select based on your comfort, skill level, or degree of challenge you are seeking for the week:
- Easy pace - For the beginner to intermediate swimmer, aqua jogger, or water walker
- Medium pace - For the intermediate to advance swimmer
- Hard pace - For the advanced or expert swimmer, or the intermediate swimmer seeking a bigger challenge
Each week you will swim to a different place around the world. The mileage has been converted to yards (see the weekly yardage chart above ), and broken down according to the three challenge levels. The weekly totals are also clearly listed on the tracking log.
No! Each day, you can select which level you want to swim. On day 1 of your participation in FitWell Swim Challenge, you could swim the easy pace, swim the intermediate pace on day 2, and the advanced pace on day 3, or any combination of the three. The challenge levels are designed to provide skill- and energy-appropriate workout goals for each participant. The point is for you to get in the water and challenge yourself weekly, to push the bounds of your physical fitness, and enjoy yourself in the process!
Absolutely! It’s never too late to join the challenge! FitWell Swim Challenge is for your health benefit and personal enjoyment, and we are simply providing one more tool, or motivational incentive to get you going! Even if you join the challenge in the last week, you would still be eligible to win the grand prize by logging some yards and then completing the exit survey.
For swimmers: At our
Spieker and
Golden Bear pools, 1 lap (across the pool) = 25 yards, or 2 laps (a round trip) = 50 yards. At
Hearst pool, 1 lap = 33 1/3 yards.
Alternatively, for Aqua joggers or water walkers: 10 minutes = 200 yards.
Danski Perez at danskiperez@berkeley.edu or reach us at (510) 643-4397.
