Adele Benson | Ultra Marathon Swimmer

An updated 2018 ➡️ now. Every swim in this carousel built the one after it, including last year. 2025 was my first lower-volume year since 2019. Not because I stopped loving it, but because I can be prone to burnout and needed to indulge in fun swims I’d been eyeing up. Rest was the work. Now we’re back. Which swim are you dreaming about doing?!

It’s been a while, I’ve had a wonderful summer and many of you have come along for the journey ☺️✨

Next time I’ll take the ferry! I conquered the English Channel in 15 hours, 13 mins and 37 seconds. After the 15th or so jellyfish sting I was able to get over my fear of them! Otherwise it was generally warm with the wind pushing me in the right direction. Some thanks: @joshualukebevan Your unwavering support and belief in me has helped me in my darkest times in the run up to this swim. You are my rock. @specialkquartermain (@qswimadventure_ ) You’ve cracked the code for channel swim success! I was able to enter this swim so confidently because of the tools you’ve equipped me with in the plan. @louannepb You were such a beacon of positivity on the boat, you always knew when I needed a pick me up the most. I am blessed to call you my friend. Ben Taylor I’m incredibly grateful for your channel swimming wisdom both before and during the swim. It made all the difference to have you there! Now onto the next swim… 😜

I’m one of the slowest swimmers at @ultraswim333 But you know what? That’s okay! Because sport (especially open water swimming) doesn’t only belong to the fastest people. It belongs to people who keep showing up, the people who keep moving forward when they’re scared, and people who are still out there long after everyone else has finished breakfast. I could spend this week embarrassed that I’m slower than most people here… OR I could remember that a few years ago, this version of my life would have felt impossible. There will always be someone faster. But there are also thousands of people still sitting at home wondering if they’re capable of doing something like this at all. So if you need a sign to start before you feel “good enough”, I promise you this is it. Slow swimmers are still swimmers. And we still cover the same distance 🩵

We’ve arrived in Croatia for @ultraswim333 , after our long trip we’re tucking into some well deserved dinner and we’ve had our acclimatisation 1km swim! I don’t think I expected it to be so hot here, the water was gorgeous! The people are wonderful!! And, we’ve been warned about sea urchins and putting our feet down without having a look first. Excited to put training into practice tomorrow with two swims!

This will be me tomorrow morning, ready for my flight to Croatia to take part upon Ultraswim 33.3, where I’ll be swimming 33.3km over 4 days! I’m so excited, but I’ve definitely been holding some nerves since I DNF’d the 12 hour overnight swim. Time to shake that off and have a great time with @catch.swim

Trying to pack for @ultraswim333 without every item I own becoming ‘essential’ 😂 Off to Croatia 🇭🇷 on Thursday with @redequipment and @catch.swim Featuring: - an unreasonable amount of swim kit - enough carbs to fuel a small nation - spare goggles for your spare goggles (I’ve been burned before) - and all the cool bits from Red Equipment that will keep me warm, dry, and secure I’ll also be taking over the Red Equipment Instagram stories from tomorrow, sharing the chaos / swims / beauty of Croatia so you can come along for the ride 🌊 #ambassador

Balancing normal life and long distance swimming isn’t always easy, and it’s felt much less easy this year in the midst of wedding planning / celebrations Of course, these are all wonderful problems to have but you do become very aware that the clouds have gone when you think of the wedding photos you’ll get back looking like a zebra 😂 it’s usually bad enough seeing my watch tan line Anything I’ve missed?!

The north sea had other ideas... Turns out "sexy on the shoreline" is not really in our repertoire. Crying laughing while crawling across wet pebbles as the people of Sunderland watched on in silence? Now THAT we can do. Michael on the other hand, needed absolutely no direction. Not a single note. Cold water doesn't care if you look stupid. Neither should you. Get in anyway 🌊🙌 #drunkinlove #coldwaterswimming #beyoncechallenge #northsea #northeast

I was invited by @womenssportsstore_com to test two pairs of @zoggsuk goggles… and I took that responsibility very seriously First up: Predator Flex Polarised Ultra Second: Fusion Air with titanium lenses And let’s just say… they delivered two very different experiences One had me stopping mid-swim to adjust, reposition, and let the equivalent of Niagara Falls out (there is apparently a “perfect fit” but I did not find it) The other? Genuinely comfortable, super clear vision, amazing in bright conditions… but with a strap that refused to stay where it was put I’ve shared full, honest reviews over on the @womenssportsstore_com website, including all the pros, cons, and whether they’re actually worth your money 🎥 Or you can watch the full YouTube review if you want the unfiltered version (I was invited by @womenssportsstore_com to test two pairs of @zoggsuk goggles… and I took that responsibility very seriously First up: Predator Flex Polarised Ultra Second: Fusion Air with titanium lenses And let’s just say… they delivered two very different experiences One had me stopping mid-swim to adjust, reposition, and question my life choices (there is apparently a “perfect fit” but I did not find it) The other? Genuinely comfortable, super clear vision, amazing in bright conditions… but with a strap that refused to stay where it was put So basically: One = chaos One = almost elite I’ve shared full, honest reviews over on the @womenssportsstore_com website, including all the pros, cons, and whether they’re actually worth your money 🎥 Or you can watch the full YouTube review if you want the unfiltered version (link in my bio for my YouTube channel) If you’ve found a pair of goggles that don’t leak, don’t move, and let you see clearly… please send help

I’m turning 30 this year and suddenly my swimming hobby has turned into a stretching hobby with a bit of swimming… Stretching before a swim is dynamic and gets your muscles warmed up, leaving you feeling like a finely tuned athletic machine Stretching after a swim is more static and leaves me wondering how I got my body moving in the first place Anyway, if you see me doing extra stretches this year, remind me I’m investing in my future self (otherwise I’ll cut them short 😬)

10,000 people?! 🤯 it’s madness! I started posting at the beginning of 2025 with no real plan other than have fun, share my swims and find my people Along the way I got better at telling my story and have challenged my perfectionism massively 😂 I won’t pretend social media has always been positive, but for every negative comment there have been so many more people supporting and hyping me up If you’re new here, welcome. How you look is the least important thing about you, your body is an instrument not an ornament Stick around, it’s only gonna get worse (better)