Is Distance Swimming Dying? Top Coaches Discuss Future of the Events
Katie Ledecky’s gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle at the 2012 Olympic Games in London is a moment that will last a lifetime.
A rising star at the time, Ledecky stunned the world, cutting through the water with a ferocious ease. Her stamina was never-ending, as she outlasted her competitors, including reigning champion Rebecca Adlington of Great Britain. Behind it all was a captivating story, a 15-year-old shining on the biggest stage.
Ledecky’s race captured the nation. And yet, in the eyes of some of the country’s best coaches, it may become a relic of its time.
“Distance swimming in America has been on the decline for a while,” Indiana coach Ray Looze recently said.
A conversation with the coach about the upcoming College Swim League prompted a discussion of the precarious position distance swimming currently finds itself in. The league’s event schedule includes just one “distance” event: the 500 freestyle.
“It’s just hard to market the sport to linear TV,” Looze said. “As swimming tries to grow our audience, we need to position ourselves to where networks won’t lose money on us.”
Looze certainly isn’t the only one who feels this way. Across the country, coaches and swimmers are seeing a greater focus on sprint events, due to economic and competitive factors. Because of this approach, will swimming’s most grueling events continue to take a back seat? Can the sport balance marketing itself, and doing right by its athletes? Some of swimming’s top coaches weighed in on the topic.
Can Distance Swimming Provide Good Television?
Looze’s biggest concern surrounding distance swimming is something we’ve certainly seen reflected in decision making around the sport of late. The NCAA’s removal of B-finals at the 2026 championships stemmed from a desire to increase the audience for the championship meet, but instead led to massive controversy.
Any decision to place less focus on distance swimming would likely result in a similar debate. But to Looze, it’s something that is needed, to keep the sport alive.
“Softball, wrestling, volleyball – all these sports have championships in formats designed to be done quickly,” Looze said. He explained that in conversations with networks, it had been stressed that the ideal swimming program would fit a two-hour window, with 80 minutes of competition.
“It’s a tough tightrope to walk,” he said. “But we have to ensure we’re providing something the general consumer will digest.”
Not every coach feels that distance swimming is uninteresting to the consumer. Ron Aitken, an Olympic open water head coach and the head coach of the Sandpipers of Nevada, pointed to distance events’ lengths as marketing strengths. He compared the races to legendary fighter Mike Tyson, who was infamous for quick knockouts.
“Back when Tyson was fighting, people became disinterested because he was knocking people quickly every time,” he said. “With a distance race, you get to see them battle for eight to 15 minutes. It’s a distinct advantage.”
Chuck Batchelor, coach at Carolina club swimming powerhouse SwimMAC, agreed with Aitken. He pointed to the strategy that goes into distant races, as a distinct advantage over sprints.
“These are events where leads are constantly shifting and changing, especially the 400 I.M.,” he said. “It can be a real treat to watch.”
The key is finding a way to present and market the events, whether through statistical graphics or, more appealing, storytelling that dives into the backgrounds, accomplishments and personalities of the athletes.
Looze acknowledged these viewpoints, and expressed an enjoyment of distance swimming. Still, the coach pointed back to conversations with representatives from linear TV organizations.
“At least at the collegiate level, they’re not interested in the 1650, or diving,” he said. “It’s a tough problem.”
Colleges Turn Away From Distance Swimming
Television isn’t the only reason that college swimming specifically seems to have somewhat turned away from distance swimming.
All three coaches interviewed acknowledged that the point system in college discourages the recruitment of distance swimmers. A lack of ability to impact relays was the reason they cited for a perceived decrease in the amount these athletes are recruited.
“These kids only have a two-event (500/1650) value sometimes,” Batchelor said. “Given all of the value (in the sport) is placed in the amount that kids score, it’s become a real thing (for them to be recruited less).”
Looze pointed out recent examples of schools winning NCAAs, despite less focus on the events.
“Virginia puts very little into distance swimming, and is still able to win NCAAs,” Looze said of the Cavaliers’ women’s program. “This isn’t something new.”
The easiest solution, per Aitken, would be to add the 1000 free to the event schedule for NCAAs.
“By giving these kids a three-event value, we’re giving them more value in allowing them to score more points,” Aitken said.
It’s an option that Batchelor, and even Looze, agreed would help. However, questions emerge as to where the event would fit, especially among the aforementioned demands of network television.
Looze proposed an alternative where the distance events would take place on a separate day, not televised.
“They would be stashed on a day where they wouldn’t be a part of linear TV, but they could still be a part of college swimming’s structure,” he said. “You could even add the 1000, and incentivize (competing).”
Batchelor suggested that a move to long course swimming could even the playing field for the sport.
“Sometimes I wonder, if you’re taking one to two strokes per lap, can that even be swimming?” he said. “It’s certainly an avenue that would make things easier for the distance athletes.”
No matter the solution, they agreed that even if they weren’t spotlighted, longer competitions deserved their place in the sport.
“It would be a real shame to take success away from these athletes,” he said. “We get in trouble when people not competing make decisions for the sport.”
Stroke 50s Add a New Element
As distance swimming, especially at the collegiate level, faces challenges in the present, new obstacles await. At the next Olympics in Los Angeles, the 50s of stroke will be contested. Per Looze, their addition could create even less distance interest over time.
“The advent of the 50s has contributed to the decline of distance swimming,” Looze said. He pointed to the events as simply adding another option, one which swimmers and fans could see as more enticing than the long, grueling yardage of a distance race.
Aitken, interestingly, stressed the opposite.
“The interest from the media and the talk around the 50s, hasn’t been as much as you would think it would be,” he said. “Maybe a year from now, as fans see them at big meets, interest will rise, but it hasn’t yet.”
Whether their popularity has reached the mainstream or not, the events will likely be a part of the future. Batchelor explained he believes longer races will still have a place, though, due to their ability to prepare swimmers for sprints.
“The 200 helps prepare for the 100, the 100 helps prepare for the 50, and so on,” Batchelor said. “More swimming, when efficient, generally makes you a better swimmer, so why wouldn’t we keep (these races) around?”