Rules of Marathon Swimming are a set of standards and guidelines for undertaking a solo, unassisted open-water marathon swim in any body of water.

NZOWSA have adopted the rules as defined by the Marathon Swimming Federation. Please refer to this website for clarification on definitions.

Marathon Swim

A nonstop open-water swim, undertaken according to standardised rules and requiring at least several hours of sustained effort to complete. Ten kilometres without significant assistance from currents is the minimum distance considered to be a marathon swim.

Start and Finish

The swim begins when the swimmer enters the water from a natural shore. If geographic obstacles (e.g., cliffs) prevent the swimmer from clearing the water at the start then the swimmer may begin the swim by touching and releasing from part of the natural shore (e.g., cliff face).

The swim finishes when the swimmer clears the water on a natural shore beyond which there is no navigable water. If geographic obstacles prevent the swimmer from clearing the water at the finish then the swimmer may finish by touching part of the natural shore.

Physical Contact

The swimmer may not make intentional supportive contact with any vessel, object, or support personnel at any time during the swim.

Standard Equipment

The swimmer may wear a single textile swimsuit with standard coverage, one latex or silicone cap, goggles, ear plugs, nose clips, and may grease the body. The swimmer may not use any additional equipment that benefits speed, buoyancy, endurance, or heat retention.

Drafting

The swimmer may not intentionally draft behind any escort vessel or support swimmer. The swimmer may swim alongside an escort vessel, but may not intentionally position him or herself inside the vessel’s bow and displacement waves, except while feeding.

Support Swimmers

A support swimmer may accompany the solo swimmer for a limited duration. Multiple support swims are allowed but should not occur consecutively.

The swimmer may be accompanied by a support for a maximum of one hour at a time followed by a minimum of one hour unaccompanied by any support swimmer.

Any individual support swimmer is permitted to swim for no more than a total of three hours per swim attempt.

The support swimmer may not intentionally touch the solo swimmer and must position him or herself at least slightly behind the solo swimmer.

Authority on the Escort Vessel

The observer is responsible for documenting the facts of the swim, interpreting the swim rules, and keeping the official time.

The pilot of the escort vessel (or lead pilot, if there are multiple vessels) is the ultimate authority in all other matters. The pilot may cancel the swim at any time, for any reason, including but not limited to concerns for the safety of the swimmer or support personnel. The pilot is responsible for following all relevant local maritime regulations.

Responsible Environmental Stewardship

Everyone involved in the swim attempt - swimmer, observer, support personnel, and escort boat personnel must treat the environment respectfully and prevent avoidable harm to marine wildlife and ecosystems.

Continuance of the Spirit of Marathon Swimming

If any issue regarding swim conduct arises that the Swim Rules do not clearly address, the swimmer should act, and the observer should judge, in accordance with the spirit of unassisted marathon swimming.