Lake Tahoe Marathon Swimming

Professional Pilots on Lake Tahoe

Course Information

Where can I swim in Lake Tahoe?

Aside from the three marathon swim courses we pilot, there are many great spots on Lake Tahoe to swim.

We're happy to help answer questions and point you to some great swim areas on the lake.  Please contact us for more information.

Lake Tahoe has a great deal of boat and jet ski traffic and sadly, most boaters simply aren't watching for swimmers in the water. If you aren't swimming in a protected area, please consider having a kayak or boat guide.

Where do the swims take place?

Depending on the course you are swimming will determine where you meet the boat for your swim. We will provide you with logistics information prior to your swim regarding parking, swim start, and swim finish.

Length and Vikingsholm Swims
Length and Vikingsholm swims meet and return to Camp Richardson in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

True Width Swims
Swimmers will meet the boat and be returned to Homewood, CA on the west shore of Lake Tahoe.

Please view the course description page for each swim which includes helpful information such as distance, estimated duration (time) of the swim, location start and finish, and course notes.

If you have any other questions about swimming in Lake Tahoe (marathon or just for fun), please feel free to contact us.

What’s the distance of each Lake Tahoe swim?

There are three officially recognized coursed on Lake Tahoe for marathon swimming. The course description page for each swim includes helpful information such as distance, estimated duration (time) of the swim, location start and finish, and course notes.

If you have any other questions about swimming in Lake Tahoe (marathon or just for fun), please feel free to contact us.

Can I swim the course in the opposite direction?

Yes, if you like. Please discuss with us as we can tell you the pros and cons of swimming a specific course in the opposite direction.

How long will my swim take?

It depends! What is your pool pace? How has your training been? What is your experience (training, past swims) in similar water temperatures and conditions? How are your feeds? Have you acclimated to altitude? Feeling off the day of your swim or ready to go? All of these factor into the day of your swim. While we can give some rough guidance, each swimmer is different as you can see from the vast range of times on each course.

There are three officially recognized coursed on Lake Tahoe for marathon swimming. The course description page for each swim includes helpful information such as distance, estimated duration (time) of the swim, location start and finish, and course notes.

You can also view the results of past swims by course here.

If you have any other questions about swimming in Lake Tahoe, please feel free to contact us.

What if I want to swim a different route or course than listed?

We are happy to discuss piloting any swim course but defer to the Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association for recognizing marathon swims and courses on Lake Tahoe.

Can I do a low-key pleasure swim or training swim and not a marathon swim?

We tend to be fully booked with a waitlist each marathon swim season leaving us little time for non-marathon swims. You are welcome to contact us to see if we have some availability in our schedule.

What is the Trans Tahoe Relay?

The Trans Tahoe Relay is a relay race organized by the Olympic Club. Race information for 2024 can be found here.