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Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association

Solo and Relay Marathon Swims

  • Courses
  • Live Tracks
  • Applications
    • Fees
    • Swim Application
    • Observer Signup
  • Results
    • Length
    • True Width
    • Vikingsholm
    • Lake Tahoe Triple Crown
    • Assisted Swims
  • Rules
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    • Contact Us
    • Board of Directors
    • Lightning Policy
    • Embracing the Youngest and Oldest to Take On Lake Tahoe

Main Content

SWIM TAHOE!

Our mission is to observe, ratify, and promote
open water marathon swims on Lake Tahoe,
the crown jewel of California's Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

LAKE TAHOE MARATHON SWIMS

TAHOE’S MARATHON SWIMS

Lake Tahoe is among the most beautiful of alpine lakes in the world and supports 3 world-class marathon swims.

Lake Tahoe Length
21.3 Miles (34.3 km)

The Length is the premier and most challenging course on Lake Tahoe. Typically swum South to North, the Length offers the advanced swimmer a jewel in the California Triple Crown of Marathon Swimming.

Lake Tahoe True Width
12 Mile (19.3km)

Defined by LTOWSA, the True Width has quickly become the most popular mid-length marathon swim and is an important accomplishment for those working closer to longer swims.

Lake Tahoe Vikingsholm
10.6 Miles (16.9km)

A staple for years for marathon swimmers, this beautiful diagonal shortcut across the southern part of the lake offers a stunning finish on the beach near Vikingsholm mansion in Emerald Bay.

Lake Tahoe Triple Crown

The three marathon swims on Lake Tahoe offers marathon swimmers the Lake Tahoe Triple Crown™, a distinction and award offered by the Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association for officially sanctioned swims.



Rules & Ratification

Swim Ratification

By providing un-biased, professional observers and careful swim record reviews, we can ensure that all swim attempts are completed within the Rules. Our highest priority is to coordinate, manage, document, and report all swims in a prompt and professional manner.


Our Beliefs

Our Beliefs

We believe in putting the swimmer first and supporting this amazing sport by promoting open water swimming as a self-less, non-profit organization with leadership provided by some of open water swimming's best.
OUR VALUES

Our Values

Quite simply, we value safety, un-biased leadership, professionalism, and transparency while fostering the spirit and integrity of marathon swimming.
Leadership

Northern California Open Water Association

The Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association is operated by the the Northern California Open Water Swimming Association based in San Francisco. Our board of directors are accomplished, long-time members of the open water swimming community, each with a decades of open water swimming experience, numerous successful channel crossings, and seemingly countless marathon swims. With this team's direction, we've been able to establish strong leadership, fair and reasonable guidelines, and world-class experiences for everyone involved in Open Water Swimming in Northern California.
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Copyright © 2025 Northern California Open Water Swimming Association, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization