On March 28, 2026, I took part in the Setúbal Open Water Race as part of the Swim4fun team. There were many of us spread across all categories, and that alone was a pleasure. I registered for the 1500 meters and only then learned that the rule was to finish within one hour, swimming at the beautiful Creiro beach. “Oops, I probably won’t make it,” I thought. My pool pace would mean about 45 minutes, but in the sea there are many uncertainties (currents, water getting into the goggles, losing sight of the buoys…). There were 316 athletes in the 1500-meter event. I was the last one to enter the water. Calmly, I thought, “whatever happens, happens.” I started swimming at my own pace and managed to keep it steady throughout the race, never stopping. The rhythm of my strokes and breathing was synchronized, in tune with the sea and its waves—perfect harmony with that universe. I was loving every moment of swimming in that cold sea, and the buoys came one by one, without much drifting off course.
I reached the finish line second to last, in 46 minutes, with an average pace of 3.05 minutes. I was as happy as if I had won. By the end of the day, I was still in a state of grace. 314 people swam faster (the champion finished in 20 minutes). I just hope they were as happy as I was. Everything is always so relative, and that’s such a great lesson.
Sofia Guedes