Open water swimming
Open water swimming is an activity in which people swim in outdoor bodies of water such as oceans, bays, lakes and rivers. In the first edition of the modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, the swimming competition was held in open water. The triathlon, which involves an open water swim segment of 1500 metres, made its Olympic debut at the Sydney Games in 2000, while the 10 kilometre marathon swim was held at the Olympic level for the first time at the Beijing Games in 2008. Open water races of 5, 10 and 25 kilometres are held in the annual General Fina World Championships. Major open water events that attract international competitors include the Fort Lauderdale Rough Water Swim, Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, Rottnest Channel Swim, and Around the Island Marathon Swim in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Five time gold medalist, Aaron Peirsol, holds an event for his charity every year Race for the Oceans in Ft. Myers, Florida.
