Just the most beautiful swim, the distance an inspiring challenge, through a constantly changing panorama of the loveliest countryside, a privileged view of fabulous grand and private houses and gardens, glittering sunshine, water, woods, boats, birds and shoreside ramblers, with a convivial crowd of swimmers united in their enjoyment of a great day out on a great waterway, all superbly organised by a host of cheerful volunbteers. Not to be missed by anyone who loves the pleasures of open water swimming in all their fulfilling splendour.

This was my first Henley half-marathon swim and my first long river swim. I loved it. It was an amazing experience and I want to do it again! The pre-event communication was detailed and helpful, and on the day the crew were professional and friendly. I felt reassured by the number of people on the water guiding us and keeping us safe. At no point did I feel uneasy. The feeding stations were lovely - such a nice atmosphere. It's amazing how far one can go when powered by Haribo sweets! I appreciated the range of options available at the feeding stations. Someone cut a lot of bananas in half! Thank you to the people who were in action at registration, the start, the two locks and the finish. It was the nicest openwater swim I have ever done. Oh and the weather on the day was just perfect. That added to it being a great day in the water. Lastly, I like the medal. I swam just shy of 6km and feel really proud of myself, because I did not train as much as I should have and would have if possible. Because of that I was a bit concerned beforehand but it worked out fine - I finished! Thank you, everyone.

Brilliantly organised with good communication before the event to make you feel at ease to what you had signed up for. The bus drop off worked well to the start, and man we love jelly babies. Always felt safe in the water as could always see a kayaker they seemed to be every 200M so also great to sight. The only negative comment would be not enough exit points at Hurley Lock, I probably waited at least 5 minuets being a gent to try to get to the steps, but this is only slight detail.

The swim was well organised, the volunteers were helpful and friendly. We had amazing weather and the atmosphere was welcoming for all abilities, it was an incredibly friendly event, whilst still having a very strong group of the swimmers at the top end. The stops were smooth with lots of sweets and drinks in a well prepared way so those who wanted to pass through quickly could, whilst taking them on board. All round a very fun event with fantastic staff/ volunteers making it happen.

Mijn eerste deelname aan de Henley Marathon is zeer geslaagd! Vanaf de registratie op zaterdagmiddag waar je werd ontvangen door vriendelijke en enthousiaste vrijwilligers tot en met de finish in Marlow ... het was in één woord geweldig! Op zondag met de bus naar Henley en daar van start na een korte duidelijke briefing. Less is more! Onderweg waren de aanwijzingen van de kanovaarders duidelijk en vooral gericht op ieders veiligheid. De verzorgingsposten bij de locks waren goed voorzien en ook hier enthousiaste en behulpzame vrijwilligers. De laatste meters met zicht op de oranje finishboog waren heerlijk en deden mij beseffen dat alle trainingskilometers vooraf het meer dan waard zijn geweest. Ik heb genoten van de marathon en wil alle enthousiaste vrijwilligers enorm bedanken. Thanks!

Second time completing the marathon. Everything was very well run from the lovely coach drivers, competitor packs, communication, kayakers, volunteers etc I would wholeheartedly recommend the swim. The staff were friendly, encouraging and supportive. As a solo swimmer I felt very looked after. Fellow swimmers were in the main very friendly and it was nice to see people returning from last year who I recognised and chatted to. Regarding water quality its now Wednesday following the event and did ingest a large amount of water enroute, however personally I have had no issues with my health at all. Did do the 'have a coke' afterwards thing be it a myth or not I have had no problems. What could be improved? I am not a fan of the fastest setting off last. I can understand why this is done due to save time for the support teams however was swum over a few times during the event. It is mentioned in the info pack not to swim over people. I understand that during these events (note event - not race) that accidental contact can happen however usually at first contact you back off and apologise not keep ploughing on over the person?! Next the same swimmer who tried to swim through me cut directly in front of me so had a mans feet kicking wildly in my face, he not really making much progress. Its not to my knowledge a triathlon/ race... ? So either a bit of 'overtaking etiquette' or 'rules as to faster in the middle of the river?' or just back off once you have contact please! I encourage anyone taking part to work on their sighting skills, not only will you make your race shorter but can avoid many unnecessary collisions. The worst collision was within the first 4K stretch when maybe the 'excitement' of the event took over the man's senses? Ironically the man had real sighting issues and zig zagged wildly cutting in front and over the top of many people. He was fast but completely wild, it actually made me burst out laughing after seeing him career again at a crazy angle across the course/ path of another swimmer. I do not condone men as the only ones who do not have any swim etiquette or sighting skills, its just that as a small woman to have repeated physical contact then a large mans feet in your face is not pleasant. We actually finished at the same time with my plodding swim... Don't let this put you off however, most people are considerate , genuinely remorseful on contact and back off immediately! If you are after 'best time' good for you but be mindful not everyone in the event is experienced, competitive, is in robust health (and therefore does not need physical contact) or expects to be swum over. Give people space. Rant over. Healthier food stands at the end please with more vegetarian and some vegan options? There are no showers at the end however I discovered a 'solar shower' used for camping. Place it full of water in the back of your car, it heats up and you can have a wash at the end. I will continue to do this event as the good far far outweighs the negative. The route is very scenic, well supported and the sense of achievement is enormous. If you can look up occasionally and take in the gardens and backs of some amazing homes, see flocks of geese in flying formations overhead and catch the sunlight through the trees, its just glorious. The route being broken up with land stops makes it very 'do-able' with some training. Go for it in 2025, you wont regret it!

Loved it! Went for the full marathon distance which was overwhelming. But thanks to the different segments it was doable. It’s still a massive distance, but just finding your own pace you swim along following the beautiful river and watch the stunning scene go by. The support volunteers were great, both on land and in the water. Massive shout out to them to say thanks. The food and drinks at the feeding stations were well filled and the volunteers there were very supportive. Is there nothing to improve? Sure, but they’re minor if you look at the total scale of the event and the amount of participants. Getting down to the nitty-gritty there are some minor things that could be looked into: - for the first km’s a dinghy support boat with outboard engine was just ahead left of me and I was on the receiving end of the petroleum fumes; - we were told to stay on the shore side of the kayaks. This was mostly true, but on a couple of occasions you had to pass them on the river side. A timely heads up on that would have stopped me from having to swim that bit extra. The kayaker nodding off in the morning sun may have contributed to that; - a map showing the swimming route may also been useful to have in the goody bag to study in advance; - lack of toilets at the start in Henley has been mentioned before and surprised me at such a large event. With all the pre-start jibbers it would have been a relaxing thought. But don’t let any of the above shine a negative light on the event. By far one of the best long distance swims I’ve ever done.

This was my first 13km swim and it was absolutely fantastic. The level of organisation was phenomenal and the support crew on the day were so encouraging. The levels of staff on the river through the course were brilliant too. As a stage 4 cancer patient I really loved the support and encouragement and I would thoroughly recommend the event to everyone.