MK1K – FAQ’s

There will be 3 x 1km races held across the morning.

Swimmers may choose to do 1 swim, 2 swims or 3 swims.

1 x Race: £25.00 + booking fee

2 x Races: £40.00 + booking fee

3 x races: £50.00 + booking fee

* entry fee does not include NOWCA membership which must be purchased separately

ENTRIES CLOSE SUNDAY 4TH JUNE (OR EARLIER IF ENTRIES ARE SOLD OUT)

Fee includes race entry, swim cap, race timing & safety, hydration supplied by our partner Precision Hydration, swimmer snacks and a finishers medal

Entries will close on Wednesday 15th September

Love Open Water London Milton Keynes

Willen Lake Watersports Centre

V10 Brickhill Street, Milton Keynes MK15 0DS

0745am – 0815am (3 race & 2 race swimmers)
0945am – 1015am (1 race swimmers)

Race 1: 0845am

Race 2: 0945am

Race 3: 1045am

Your race number will be sent out in the week leading up to the event.

All Love Open Water venues run under NOWCA safety systems and guidelines and therefore participants in the MK1K must be NOWCA members on the day of the event.

If you are already a NOWCA member, you should check your membership is valid for the event (have an expiry date beyond the 3rd October, 2021).

If you are not currently a NOWCA member, you will need to register for membership and pay the annual fee by creating an account HERE.  Upon registering, you will be asked to select a NOWCA venue to collect your band.  If you wish to collect on the day, please choose Milton Keynes as your location.  You may also choose to collect your band from any NOWCA affiliated venue near you, prior to race day, and start using it to swim at any of the partner venues around the UK.

If you have held a NOWCA membership in the past but have let it lapse, please login to your account and make payment of the yearly fee to re-instate your membership. You will already have a NOWCA wristband which you will need to wear at the event.  If you have lost your band, you can collect a new one at any NOWCA affiliated venue for a nominal fee.

** Please ensure you use the same email address to purchase your NOWCA band as you do to enter the MK1K.  This will make collection much simpler on the day of the event 

You may complete your race entry prior to becoming a NOWCA member but membership must be completed no later than 1 week prior to the event

Pop down to your local NOWCA venue and they can replace or provide you with a new band for a nominal cost.

You will also be able to collect a new band on race morning but will need to notify us beforehand to make these arrangements.

All swimmers will need a valid NOWCA safety wristband.

Swimmers under the age of 16 must use a tow float

Wetsuits are not compulsory for this event.

There are no separate category prizes for wetsuit / skins.  It is swimmers choice.

Each race will have an approximate cut-off time of 50 minutes.

Prizes will be awarded to the fastest in each gender completing the 3 race option.

Yes, you can swap your swim distance but only if there is space in the event you wish to switch to.  We do not offer refunds for the difference in entry price if you wish to switch to a shorter distance.

Should you no longer be able to attend, you can transfer your entry to another person.  This is done directly via the race registration system. Please note that there is no fee for transferring an entry to another person however it is up to the person making the transfer to arrange any handover of money for the entry fee.

Transfers must be completed no later than Friday 2nd October.

The recipient of the transfer must be a NOWCA member.  NOWCA memberships are not transferrable between people.

Refunds are not offered for the MK1K.  Transfers are allowed.  Please see question on transfers for further information.

Swimmers must be over the age of 12 on the day of the event.

Swimmers aged between 12-16 must have experience swimming in open water. They must also wear a tow float during the event.

An event information pack will be emailed to you 2 weeks prior to the event.

Collection of your race kit will happen on event morning within your registration window.

This event briefing will also be published on the website under Swimmer Briefing

We welcome new swimmers to our event. It is suitable for experienced swimmers wishing to ‘race’ or those swimmers wishing to enjoy a more relaxed swim.

All Love Open Water venues are tested regularly to ensure the quality is suitable for swimming and other water sports.

Personal audio devices are not permitted during the swim to enable our water safety team to communicate with you easily.

You may swim front crawl & breaststroke & butterfly but NOT backstroke

Yes, there are a number of options close to the event area.  Check the Willen Lake website for details.

It is likely that showers will be available at this event.  We will provide portable camp showers for swimmers to rinse off following their swim.

Toilets will be available for swimmers in the event area.

There is ample paid parking available at Willen Lake as well as a number of public transport options.

See the Willen Lake website for details.

The MK1K ran under strict Covid-Safe protocols in 2020.  Final protocols will be determined by government guidance in place at the time of the event.

Examples of Covid-Safe procedures in place for 2020

• Online safety briefing –  sent out to all swimmers prior to the event and you will be required to read/watch and acknowledge.  It is your responsibility to come to the event understanding the course, race check-in and safety procedures.
• One way system in the event area
• Rolling starts – there will be no mass in-water start.  Swimmers will enter the water in a rolling, distanced manner, allowing space between each swimmer.
• No touch race timing
• No drafting
• No ‘loose’ food.  We will utilise ‘natures wrappers’ and provide packaged snacks in swimmers’ race bags.
• No prize ceremonies (prizes will be posted out following the event)
• Sanitizer stations

Please email info@lovesportsevents.co.uk if you have a question that hasn’t been answered.