Loveswim history 2016 by Dia Huizinga
In November 2015, we met to make new plans for LoveSwim 2016. LoveSwim would henceforth be one word. We also thought it would be a good idea to offer a Fun Triathlon, in collaboration with our sister athletics association, which was then known as DGLA.
Seven hundred and fifty meters of swimming, then twenty kilometers of cycling, after which the triathletes would join the Pride Run for the five kilometers.
The triathlon could also be divided, with one participant swimming and another cycling.
There were no requirements for the triathlon; we did want people to wear a helmet, but you could participate on a traditional bike.
The Fun Triathlon would become a regular and popular part of LoveSwim for several years, but the collaboration with DGLA was not continued. More on this later.
These were the distances. (We still swim these distances).
250 meters
For those who have never swum in open water before, want to swim all distances, or want to save their strength for the rest of Amsterdam Pride, we offer this distance. Just fun!
500 meters
Perhaps you’d like to do more than stand on the deck and cheer your friends; the 250 seems trivial? This is your distance.
750 meters
Halfway, that white protruding building in the water is a turning buoy, and you swim back to where you started. The fun triathlon athletes also swim this part.
Fun Triathlon
Yay, we also have a triathlon this year… First, a bit of swimming (750 meters), then get a breath of fresh air on the bike towards IJburg, and then work hard at the Priderun with our friends from DGLA.
Fun triathlon relay
Do you enjoy swimming but dislike cycling? Does your girlfriend enjoy running fast, and is your neighbor a Sunday cycling fanatic? Team up for the Triathlon relay. You swim, your neighbor is ready to go cycling, and your girlfriend is waiting for you at the start of the Pride Run. You can also divide the task into two parts, with your teammate handling one part while you handle the other. Alone and yet together.
1500 meters
Our most popular distance. The last one of the day. You go for the real performance. You will swim to the white building of the Royal Rowing Club De Hoop, tap the deck, and swim back—the best.
New in 2016 was the Catwalk, featuring a diverse mix of boys, girls, men, women, and transgender individuals, showcasing the latest styles in swimming trunks, swimsuits, underwear, and party outfits. To music and the choreography of a GSA swimmer, they paraded over the platform.
And of course, there were the men of Upstream again with the girls of the Dolphin with their Synchronous Act.