Grand up for grabs in Challenge68 at National Winter Championships

Teams can make a splash for cash with a grand up for grabs in an exciting new event taking place at Swim England’s National Winter Championships.

Challenge68 is a relay race which gives entrants the chance to win a share of £1,000 on Sunday 16 December, the final day of the popular three-day championships held at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International Pool.

Mixed teams of four from the same club with a combined age of up to 68 years can take part in the races, with the overall winning team collecting £400.

The second-placed quartet will earn £320, third £280 while the heat winners will also collect £140.

Challenge68 will take place on the final day of the National Winter Championships and promises to be a thrilling end to the event – as it takes a stroke of luck to win.

Added level of excitement for teams

Each race will begin with backstroke but the order of the next three legs will be drawn after teams have confirmed their line-ups before the race start.

There is no limit to the amount of times each stroke could be drawn out, meaning there could, for example, be two legs of butterfly and one breaststroke.

Meet Director Neil Booth said: “The National Winter Championships is our biggest swimming meet of the winter months and we’re looking forward to an excellent few days of fast swimming.

“The introduction of Challenge68 gives the championships an added level of excitement – and the chance to win some cash just before Christmas is an added bonus.”

The cost to enter Challenge68 is £22, which will rise to £44 on Friday 23 November so teams are encouraged to submit entries sooner rather than later.