From January 31 to February 1, the Crazy Challenge team organized a 24-hour swimming event in Kyiv, where athletes continuously took turns in the pool, testing their endurance in both relay and solo formats.
Rubryka writes that 46 swimmers took part in the competition, referring to the organizers.
Six athletes performed in a solo format, and the rest covered the distance in relay teams of two to eight people. Participants from Cherkasy, Khmelnytskyi, and Lviv joined the event. Four veterans competed as part of the Lviv team.
Yurii Brel, a member of the “Zhabkolapky” team, a veteran, says that these competitions have become a new challenge for him:
“I was interested in trying a new relay swimming format, which was a first for me. Everything went very well, and the team and I are satisfied with the result. I hope we’ll meet again at competitions this summer, and in open water, we’ll take on new challenges, achieve new results, and reach new milestones. I also hope other veterans will join us,” one participant said.
Photo courtesy of the organizers
Photo courtesy of the organizers
According to the results of the daily swim, the following results were recorded among the teams: LevelUp 89,600 meters, COUGARS 85,600, Yobnuti and Shan 77,400, SLOW’MO gang 76,100, Zhabkolapky 62,200, PASYA MEN`S TEAM 59,300, InFlow Team 55,700, CrazyLadies 54,900 and Fintastic duo 49 400.
The national record of Ukraine “The longest distance of a relay swim in a pool” was set by the LevelUp team, who swam almost 90 kilometers in the pool in a day.
Photo courtesy of the organizers
LevelUp team member Andrii Kushnerov shares his impressions:
“I didn’t even think about the record before the start, because that wasn’t my goal,” one participant shared. “My expectations for the competition were mixed, especially since swimming at night was challenging and I was afraid I might fall asleep. I’m grateful to all the team members for supporting each other, bringing positive energy, and striving for both personal and team improvement. Each of us gave our all, both physically and mentally. I’m happy I could contribute to the team’s overall achievement. Thanks also to our opponents from the COUGARS team, who kept us on our toes and helped us maintain our pace and focus. From here, it’s only upwards.”
The official recording of the results was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the national register of records of Ukraine.
“The recording of the national record during the Crazy Challenge 24-hour swim took place in accordance with the regulations. For 24 hours, we kept continuous timekeeping, monitored the composition of the relay participants, compliance with the rules and the correctness of the distance calculation. Such formats are important not only from the point of view of the sporting result. They demonstrate endurance, team discipline and the ability to work over a long distance. The 24-hour swim is about consistency and trust in the team, because a record is not set by one person, it is created by joint work.
For Ukraine, such initiatives have symbolic and practical significance. At a time when the country lives in conditions of constant stress, such events form a culture of endurance and mutual support. They show that we are able to unite around complex goals and bring them to fruition. This is important both for internal motivation and for Ukraine’s reputation as a country where sports culture is developing and unique event formats are being born,” notes Lana Vietrova, a representative of the Ukrainian Records Registry.
Photo courtesy of the organizers
Among the women, only one swimmer joined the competition in the solo format and finished with a result of 40,400 meters. Anna Panfilova says about participating in the swim:
“Twenty-four hours felt like a natural next step for me after completing a 12-hour swim,” one swimmer reflected. “It came down to trust in my coach, many long training sessions, and dedication to improving my technique. Of course, there’s fatigue, but that will soon fade and be forgotten. What remains is immense gratitude, satisfaction, and pride in the journey. Even though it’s a solo distance, it would have been absolutely impossible without support. Everything came together here, the coach, support team, judge, and swim partner in the lane, it was a perfect match. At a certain point, I was swimming not just for myself, but because I couldn’t let this team down.”
Photo courtesy of the organizers
For each participant, this day was an opportunity to test and push their own limits, demonstrating that even in challenging circumstances, it is important to find what brings strength and hope for a better future.
Background
Crazy Challenge is a series of amateur ultra-swimming events that focus on daily-distance formats. The initiative was launched in the fall of 2024 by Kyiv Pasya Team coaches Serhii Pasichnyk and Oleksandr Diachenko, specifically for amateur athletes who systematically train for long-distance and open water swims.
The first 24-hour pool event, held in February 2025, resulted in three national records being set. That summer, organizers hosted a daily distance swim in open water, where three additional records were achieved. Throughout the year, the team also organizes the Sunrise Swim and Sunset Swim events to mark the opening and closing of the open water season.
Currently, Ukraine has virtually no regular amateur swimming events in a 24-hour endurance pool format. Crazy Challenge is filling this gap by establishing a specialized focus on endurance swimming and providing a platform for athletes who are ready to take on long distances beyond the traditional competitive calendar.
The veteran team “Iron Will” from the Defense Forces of Ukraine successfully completed the 2-kilometer open water distance at the international OCEANMAN DUBAI swim, which took place in the Arabian Gulf.
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