According to a recent Facebook post from Marathon Swimmers Federation:
At 10km, the average professional (FINA) marathon swimmer swims 4.9 kph, while the average amateur swims 3.2 kph. At 25km, the pros are swimming 4.6 kph and the amateurs 2.9 kph.
Both pros and amateurs swim 2% slower for every additional km of total distance.
Footnotes: these data are limited to swims between 2000 and 2019 in current-neutral water (generally, lakes and loop courses), with at least 10 swims per given route. Next, we'll look at sex differences in average swim speed. Stay tuned!
Now I finally get some concrete evidence that my swimming really sucks at my speed at the same distance is only about 2.6 kph, much slower than the average, despite a year of training, and looking at the gap between amateur and FINA level, I am completely hopeless to get to that competitive level. I think I will find another sport to do after completing my swimming plan next year.
Quote:
How fast are marathon swimmers? The 57,000 results in the LongSwims database provide some insight. At 10km, the average professional (FINA) marathon swimmer swims 4.9 kph, while the average amateur swims 3.2 kph. At 25km, the pros are swimming 4.6 kph and the amateurs 2.9 kph.
Both pros and amateurs swim 2% slower for every additional km of total distance.
Footnotes: these data are limited to swims between 2000 and 2019 in current-neutral water (generally, lakes and loop courses), with at least 10 swims per given route. Next, we'll look at sex differences in average swim speed. Stay tuned!
Now I finally get some concrete evidence that my swimming really sucks at my speed at the same distance is only about 2.6 kph, much slower than the average, despite a year of training, and looking at the gap between amateur and FINA level, I am completely hopeless to get to that competitive level. I think I will find another sport to do after completing my swimming plan next year.