Congratulations to Jennifer Davis and Dan Jones who won the 2018 women’s and men’s race respectively, the former following up on her victory last year. The Red Bull Neptune Steps will be back in 2019 and in the meantime there’s plenty more swimming action to look forward to in 2018. For all the latest spectator news subscribe now to our free weekly newsletter!
The world’s toughest adventure swimming race returns to Glasgow as Maryhill Locks hosts the 2018 Red Bull Neptune Steps with a record entry of 600 swimmers set to take on the challenge. Racing starts at 9am and admission is free for all spectators.
The Red Bull Neptune Steps is an elite swimming endurance race through Maryhill Locks which pits the very best open-water swimmers, multi-sport athletes and adventure racers against each other. The gruelling event incorporating a 420-metre sprint swim, alongside eight climbs over each canal gate that the competitors encounter along the way. Each canal gate features a different obstacle, which the swimmers use to climb up – including cargo net, ropes, wood ladder, rope ladders and a climbing wall – pushing participants to their limits in a true test of speed, strength, and resolve.
In 2017 among those who competed in the adventure race like no other were Olympians, members of Team Scotland and European champions from as far afield as the US, Canada, Lebanon and France to take on the unique challenge of swimming uphill as they aimed to conquer the Red Bull Neptune Steps 2018.
Check out this clip from the 2015 race for a flavour of what to expect!
[mediatank id=”2342″ alignment=”center”/]Last year’s men’s race saw hometown boy Mark Deans from Glasgow defend his Red Bull Neptune Steps title for the third year running in the face of stiff opposition including Olympian Gordon Benson (pictured above left) and former ETU Triathlon European Cup champion Mark Buckingham and Team Scotland Commonwealth Games triathlete Marc Austin.Meanwhile in the female competition it was Jennifer Davis who was triumphant as she overcame a field of 75 participants including former Commonwealth Games triathlete Natalie Milne band defending champion Shannon Botham.
The event will start with 600 competitors who swim in rounds starting at 10am (see schedule below). The top swimmers from each round in the women’s and men’s events move onto the semi-finals and eventually the finals.
Schedule of action for the Red Bull Neptune Steps (for full listings see left) as follows:-
9am: Men’s heats start ~ 1.30pm: Women’s heats start ~ 3.10pm: Semi-finals start
3.50pm: Finals start ~ 4.30pm: Prizegiving.
First race at 9am. Admission is free for all spectators!