Chilly Challenge 2023/24

Chilly Challenge Info

Part of our Winter Swim Challenge Series

Wetsuits permitted

An open ended challenge to complete a minimum 10 outdoor cold water swims between 1st November 2023 and 31st March 2024. The greater the distance you complete over your swims, the higher your position in the results table. Each swim must be a minimum distance of 50m to be submitted. You can swim in any outdoor or open water location, wetsuits or non-wetsuit - additional accessories such as gloves/boots etc are permitted. (we also have the Frosty challenge for non-wetsuit swims)

Awards

For successful completion of this Chilly swim challenge you will receive a woven swim badge and an A6 completion certificate card which will be sent to you by post (postage is free within the UK). You can chose to end your challenge any time before 31st March by clicking the Challenge Complete button on the submissions page. Your awards will only be sent when you click this button, or at the end of the challenge if you have completed the minimum 10 swims.

Awards will be sent out within 14 days of you completing your challenge and clicking 'Challenge Complete' after submitting your final results.

Please Note: Awards are not guaranteed - they are sent only on successful completion of the challenge and submission of your results by the deadline.

Rules

For the Chilly Challenge there are no restrictions on what you can wear to swim. Wetsuits, swimsuits, hats, boots, gloves etc are all permitted, however they do not have to be worn for every swim - you can include non-wetsuit swims if you wish. You can set your own level of challenge and we encourage you to swim within your limits. This challenges is perfect for those new to open water or cold water swimming and those who prefer swimming in a wetsuit. (if you want a fully non- wetsuit challenge please see our Frosty Challenge).

You can complete your swims in a lake, river, the sea or an unheated outdoor pool or lido. We ask that if your choice of venue has a current that you swim equally with and against the current for each swim.

If you join a challenge after the start date, you can submit swims that you completed before you entered if they were completed after the challenge start date and met the conditions/rules of the challenge.

Recording

You will need to record the date, swim time in minutes, swim distance and if you wore a wetsuit. You can also record and submit water temp in degrees c but this is optional.

To track your distance/time you can use a fitness watch or tracker such as a Garmin or on a fitness app or you may also record your swim details manually; at a swim venue they will likely provide you with information such as course distance or you can estimate it using google maps. These challenges rely on honesty and we expect all entrants to be honest with their own results.

We don’t require photographic evidence to be submitted however it is great to share a photograph of you before and after your swim/thermometer reading/sports watch in the Facebook group and this can help you make sure you keep track of your swims.

Submissions, Results and Receiving Awards.

You will use our online Chilly Challenge submissions form to inform us of your session details.  You will input the date of each swim, the distance swam, how long you swam for and if you wore a wetsuit. You can submit after each swim, or you can submit swim details in batches. Our system keeps a log of all your submissions and you will instantly see your total distance and current position in the results table. Our submissions system will also make it easy for you to submit your swim details to more than one challenge should you wish by using the COPY function.

Information about how to submit can be found on the submissions page and also will be sent to you via email when you sign up and in a reminder email. The deadline for your final submissions is 14th April 2024.

Submissions and deadlines are your responsibility. We suggest you add the deadlines for this challenge to your calendar.

The results table will be on the Chilly Challenge submissions page. The results position for the challenge is determined by distance. If you do not complete the number of swims for the challenge or don't submit your results before the deadline your results may be removed from the results table to allow positions to be shown accurately for completers.

Once you complete your 10 swims you can continue to submit more swims if you wish. Your award will not be sent until you click the Challenge Complete button on the submissions page or at the end of the challenge period if the minimum 10 swims have been submitted. You can click the Challenge Complete button at any time after submitting 10 swims but if you do you will not be able to submit any further swims.

When you complete your challenge and want your awards to be sent to you, your results will be checked and, if approved, your awards will be sent within 14 days. If there are any queries with your results eg duplications etc, we will email you to the email address registered on your account. 

Our challenges are honesty based and require you to accurately and honestly record and submit your own results.

Deadlines

All swimming for this Chilly swim challenge must be completed between 1st November 2021 and 31st March 2024 (inclusive). All results must be submitted online by 14th April 2022- results submitted after this date will not be included in the results table and cannot count towards your challenge total.

Other Challenges

If you enter other Challenge Co. swim challenges you are permitted to submit your swim details for more than one challenge (so long as the conditions for each of the challenges are met). You can enter as many of the Winter Swim Challenges as you like and you can chose to submit each swim you do for one or multiple challenges. Eg if you chose to do both the Chilly Challenge and the Festive Swim - you can chose whether to submit any swims for both challenges (using the copy function in the Submissions Log). If you want to complete a Frosty Challenge or the Ice Master please be aware that these are NON WETSUIT swims and the temperature is required for Ice Master, so please make sure you meet both sets of challenge conditions to submit swims for both.

If you join a challenge after the start date, you can submit swims that you completed before you entered if they were completed after the challenge start date and met the conditions/rules of the challenge.

#ChillySwimChallenge

IMPORTANT - this challenge should only be attempted by those completely confident that they are fit and well enough for the challenge requirements and have suitable equipment and support. We advise you get a medical check before starting the challenge. Please ensure that you are aware of the risks and challenges of swimming in your chosen format and location and take all necessary precautions to make sure you are safe whilst doing this activity. You must observe any local, national or venue specific rules and regulations during your activity. Please ensure that you follow safe swimming practices and have a plan in place for support and safety. All swimming for this challenge is at your own risk.

Please read our Swim Safety guide for tips of how to make sure you are safe whilst cycling.

Questions?

See our FAQs on the INFO page.