The RIVER WILD

IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET A DECENT TRAINING SWIM IN A 'WILD' SWIMMING SPOT - OR ARE THE TALES OF POLLUTION, DEBRIS AND OTHER HAZARDS TRUE ENOUGH TO MAKE IT TRICKY FOR TRIATHLETES? WE WENT FOR A SWIM TO FIND OUT...

- HELEN WEBSTER

The river is on fire. Flashes of orange, crimson, yellow and magenta ripple across the water, reflected from the midsummer sunset above. Along the line of the riverbank, one man rhythmically swims his way across, each arm darting into the water and extending gracefully in front of him, causing the colours to swirl and dip in his wake. This moment is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed in my fortysomething years on this planet.

I'm on the River Thames as part of the support crew assisting 220 columnist and leading sports scientist Professor Greg Whyte in his attempt to swim the 125 miles of the upper Thames in a world record time, while raising money and awareness for the RLSS and RNLI. I've been lucky enough to see the challenge unfold first-hand - and along with it, the changing scenery of the UK's largest river.

You may wonder why we're talking about rivers in a triathlon magazine. After all, don't we all train in venues set up for openwater swimming with nice, convenient buoy markers to sight off? Aren't rivers a bit hazardous and polluted for serious headdown training? In the lead-up to supporting Greg on his mega swim, we decided to find out...

SAFETY FIRST

NEVER SWIM ALONE Always have someone in the water or on the riverbank with you who can help if you get into difficulties, plus a mobile.

ESSENTIAL KIT Never swim in 'wild' swimming spots (sea, rivers, etc.) without a tow float and brightlycoloured swimming cap for visibility.

PLAN YOUR ENTRY & EXIT Rivers can flow deceptively quickly, so make sure you know where you'll be able to get in and out of the water safely.