The Long Tradition of Swimming in the Seine

The Long Tradition of Swimming in the Seine

by Philip Barker at Pont Alexandre III, Paris

Much to the relief of Paris 2024 organisers the triathlon events have been completed here in Paris. The marathon swimming event over a 10 km. course is still to come, with the women’s race on 7 August and the men’s on 8 August.

There have been very real concerns over the quality of water in the Seine and politicians have been queuing up to demonstrate their confidence in the cleanliness of the water.

Olympic Minister Amelie Oudea Castera was the first to don a wetsuit and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also took the plunge before the Games.

Promesse tenue ! 🏊

Avec @AHanquinquant, notre champion paralympique de triathlon, qui fêtait son rôle de porte-drapeau à Paris 2024 ! 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/SsJYaWwhSS

— Amélie Oudéa-Castéra (@AOC1978) July 13, 2024

Former ISOH President David Wallechinsky has chronicled the use of the Seine at the 1900 and 1924 Games in the most recent issue of the Journal of Olympic History.

It is perhaps less well known that there was also a “Marathon Swim” held in the waters of the Seine in 1924.although it was not part of the Olympic competition.

In fact the competition took place a few weeks later and was organised by L’Auto, the newspaper which had founded the Tour de France.

It had been billed as the “Marathon Nautique” and was held over a distance of around 40 kilometres between Corbeil and Paris.

12 swimmers entered the race, among them 34-year-old Albert Chrétien who had been born in the fourth arrondissement of Paris.

“Only the entries of tried swimmers are being accepted owing to the strict training and great endurance required for such a race.”

L’Auto reported that “Corbeil was en fete for the start of the race” and the area was festooned with decorations.

The start was close to the headquarters of the Cercle Nautique de Corbeil.

It was originally intended that the race begin in late evening but there came an announcement from Leon Manaud, a member of the organising group, that the race was to be postponed until one o’clock in the morning, a delay of some two hours because of the strength of the current.

Shortly after midnight La Lutetia, the yacht from which the starting signal was to be given, began moving into position accompanied by a flotilla of small craft. French Senator Paul Bluysen finally started the race at one o’clock in the morning.

Each swimmer was accompanied by their own support boat.

It was Chrétien who moved into the lead and eventually won in a time of 12 hours and three minutes.

“The course was well organised and quite pleasant but my eyes gave me a lot of suffering. I am very happy to have won the first marathon ‘nautique’ d’Auto,” Chrétien said.

The race was deemed to be a success so the idea was repeated in 1925.

This was a time when fewer than five percent of Olympic competitors were women. Sporting activist Alice Milliat was  trying to persuade the Olympic movement to admit women more widely in a number of sports.

Organisers announced that in 1925 the race would be open to women.

The American long distance swimmer Lillian Harrison was one of those who entered.

Organisers insisted “Miss Harrison will compete over the last ten kilometres of the course, the maximum distance open to women entrants.”

In fact, she completed the entire distance in a time of 14 hours 36 minutes.

The race was held one more time before fading into obscurity.

There had also been a triathlon in the Seine long before the Olympic plans were hatched.

That took place in 1988 and the men’s race was won by Karel Blondeel of Belgium.

Francoise Neff won the women’s race.