Over 150 Brave the Thames for Inaugural Swim London Event
Race founded by former Olympian marks new era for the river
The 10km swimmers entering the water at Ferry Quays in Brentford. Picture: Swim London
September 11, 2026
More than 150 swimmers took to the River Thames on Sunday (5 September) for the inaugural Swim London, a landmark event that brought organised long-distance swimming back to a river long associated with pollution and off-limits to the public. The 5km and 10km point-to-point swims formed part of this year’s Totally Thames Festival, offering a striking demonstration of how Londoners might one day reclaim the Thames as a place to experience rather than simply observe.
Starting upstream and following the tide, swimmers travelled through west London past Kew, Chiswick, Hammersmith and Craven Cottage before emerging from the river at Putney Embankment. The sight of participants moving with the tide through one of the capital’s most recognisable stretches of river marked a symbolic shift in how London might relate to the Thames in the future.
The event was founded by Paris 2024 Olympian and former Team GB marathon swimmer Toby Robinson, whose ambition is to reconnect Londoners with their river through sport and establish Swim London as a major annual fixture. Robinson said seeing swimmers arrive at Putney “with huge smiles on their faces” captured the spirit of what the event aims to achieve.
He argues that Londoners should be able to look at the Thames and see a river that belongs to them andemphasised that organised swimming is already happening safely when supported by water-quality monitoring, river management and professional safety operations. “This was year one,” he said. “The response from swimmers has been fantastic and now the ambition is to make Swim London bigger and better every year.”
The tidal assistance produced fast racing across both distances. Cayden Guyett-Smith won the 10km in 1:27:42, with Elizabeth Tarr the first woman home in 1:33:33. In the 5km event, Matthew Banks won in 48:38, while Hannah Monaghan was the first woman and second overall in 49:18.
The race in progress. Picture: Swim London
Participants praised the organisation and atmosphere, with one 10km swimmer describing Swim London as “the best organised swim event I have taken part in”, highlighting the communication, registration, safety operation and finish-line experience. Swimmers were supported by a comprehensive on-water safety team, while the river was managed specifically for the event in coordination with the Port of London Authority. Water quality was monitored in the lead-up to race day as part of the organisers’ go/no-go process.
The organisers stress that Swim London does not imply the Thames’ pollution problems have been solved. Sewage, runoff and water-quality challenges remain significant. Instead, the event aims to show what carefully managed access can look like today while adding another voice to the movement calling for a cleaner, healthier river that more Londoners can safely enjoy in the future.
Swimming on the Thames has a long history, with organised races dating back well over a century. But as London grew, the river became infamous for pollution, and recreational swimming faded from public life. By bringing long-distance swimming back to the Thames, Swim London reconnects modern London with a lost part of its river culture and makes a simple argument: the Thames should not only be crossed, walked beside or admired — it should be a river Londoners can engage with.
Robinson hopes Swim London will eventually sit alongside the London Marathon and RideLondon as one of the capital’s iconic mass-participation sporting events. “There is something completely different about experiencing the city from the water,” he said. “You’re not swimming around buoys in a lake — you’re travelling through London with the tide. That’s what makes Swim London special.”
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