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Three of University of Cumbria’s Senior Lecturers, Dr Mark Christie, Dr Sue Wilbraham and Dr Dave Elliot, have documented their research into women’s perspectives of participation in open water swimming in an article published in the interdisciplinary journal Sport in Society.
The authors identify various individual and social benefits to open water swimmers, such as psychological wellbeing, personal agency and social rewards. The article explores how these are variously developed through the experiences of engagement, supportive community, sense of purpose, nature immersion and achievement. Opportunities for self-expression are found to be particularly valued by participants, these included experiences of freedom, playfulness and reduced self-consciousness.
Dr Sue Wilbraham describes potential applications of this research: “In Cumbria and the Lake District National Park we see open water swimming growing in popularity, including organised group activities and mass-participation events. This research offers information to practitioners seeking to better understand and support women’s participation in open water swimming. In evidencing benefits of participation and some systemic barriers, we hope the work can support inclusivity and enable more women to enjoy these benefits.”
Discover more in the full article:
Christie, M., Elliott, D., & Wilbraham, S. (2025). Freedom, fun, friendship and freezing! Women’s perspectives of participation in open water swimming. Sport in Society, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2025.2470158
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