Call For The World’s Best Pros And Interested Amateurs

Tomasz Pąchalski announced the BCT Gdynia Marathon 2013, set between August 23rd and 25th from Hel to Gdynia in northern Poland.

Last year, professional marathon swimmers Petar Stoychev of Bulgaria and Christine Jennings of the USA won the 2012 version and took home the US$10,000 cash prizes.

The August 2013 race will offer US$28,000 in cash prizes in total for a slightly longer 19.5 km course, that will attract swimmers from all over the international map.

The BCT Gdynia Marathon also offers an open amateur race of 2.95 km as well as a 4×200m relay race that will be held on August 25th. The 19.5 km race will be held sometime between August 23rd and 25th depending on the conditions.

BCT Gdynia Marathon recalls the tradition of open water swimming marathons that took place in the 1960’s and 1970’s in the Bay of Gdansk…and is taking the sport to a whole new level. Mikołaj Nałęcz- Nieniewski and Tomasz Pąchalski announced the 19.5 km BCT Gdynia Marathon explain about their event in Gdynia, “The contestants will swim 19.5 km from the Hel Peninsula to a beach of the City of Gdynia and compete for a total cash prize of US$ 28,000, including two checks for US$10,000 for the overall female and male winners.

BCT Gdynia Marathon brings back the history of open water swimming in Poland. The tradition of open water swimming marathons in Poland began in the 1960’s and early 1970’s in the waters of the Bay of Gdansk. In 2011, the inaugural edition was held with 50 swimmers competing in a 3.5 km course. In 2012, professional marathon swimmers Petar Stoychev and Christine Jennings won.”

This year will undoubtedly prove to be the largest event to date.

“Specifics of the basin and a distance of nearly 20 kilometres makes the competition one of the most difficult ones held in Europe. Consequently, we have only invited the best swimmers of the world to take part in it,” says Dagmara Łuczka, press spokesperson for BCT Gdynia Marathon.

“We are convinced that the third edition of BCT Gdynia Marathon will contribute to the promotion of the city and to the popularisation of long distance swimming in open waters. We do hope that during those three days we will succeed in getting all aquatic sports lovers focus on the host city of the event – Gdynia, and in involving city inhabitants and tourists in joint fun, says Krzysztof Szymborski, President of title sponsor Baltic Container Terminal.

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Copyright © 2013 by World Open Water Swimming Association