Open Water Swimming Pace Calculator

Explore the pace you need to hit to reach your open water swimming goal finish time.

Pick your distance and goal time to see the pace per 100 you need to hold, with a full split breakdown. Open water adds current, chop, and sighting, so treat the even model as a starting point and tap any split to set your own pace where the conditions change.

Distance & Goals

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The same pace from start to finish.

Your pace

Pace / 100m
3:00
Pace / 100yd
2:45
Finish time
15:00
Distance
500 m

Splits

Tap a pace to set your own for that segment.
MarkSplitPace / 100mCumulative
100 m3:000:03:00
200 m3:000:06:00
300 m3:000:09:00
400 m3:000:12:00
500 m · finish3:000:15:00

From Endurance Grid

About This Sport

Endurance Grid is here to help you understand the sport, decide if it’s the right fit, and learn how to prepare. For course distances, logistics, and race-day specifics, always defer to the race organizer’s event page.

Swimming events drop you into something that demands navigation, feel, and focus all at once. It's a sport that rewards the quietly competitive — the ones who do the work in the water before anyone's watching.

Read the Guide

Open Water Swimming

Open water races take place in lakes, rivers, bays, and oceans. Distances can run anywhere from a short 500m swim to 10K marathon events. Just you and the water.

Race Near You

Find a Open Water Swimming race near you

Enter a city or ZIP to see the closest upcoming open water swimming races to line up for.

Upcoming Open Water Swimming races

Jul
7
Tue
Swimming
Goleta Beach Splash & Dash
5986 Sandspit Road, Goleta, CA
5K · 1000m · Other
Avg 71° / 56°·0 ft city elevation
Jul–Aug
7–18
Tue–Tue
Swimming
Open Water Swim CHICAGO
Ohio Street Beach, Chicago, IL
Avg 81° / 66°·594 ft city elevation
Jul
8
Wed
Swimming
RTC Open Water Primal Endurance Coached Swim - Wednesday, 7/8/26 - Members Only!
3800 James River Road, Midlothian, VA, VA
1500m
Avg 87° / 66°·288 ft city elevation
Jul
9
Thu
Swimming
Coveathlon #1
1131 Bay Back Drive, Newport Beach, CA
5K · 10K · 1000m
Avg 71° / 64°·0 ft city elevation
Jul
11
Sat
Swimming
Ann Arbor Tri, Du, & Aquabike
Halfmoon Lake Day Use Facility, Pinckney Recreation Area, Gregory, MI
Sprint · Olympic · 1500m
Avg 82° / 59°·939 ft city elevation
Jul
11
Sat
Swimming
1.2 Mile Bay Swim
20th Street and 5th Avenue (START at the Public Dock), Avalon, NJ
1 mi
Avg 88° / 66°·5 ft city elevation
Jul
11
Sat
Swimming
Pier to Pier Challenge Swim & 5k Run
Lincoln Ave, Wildwood, NJ
1 Mile · 5K · 500m · 1500m
Avg 86° / 68°·1 ft city elevation
Jul
11
Sat
Swimming
The Rye Beach Challenge
150 Dearborn Ave, Rye, NY
1000m · 1500m
Avg 83° / 65°·33 ft city elevation
Jul
11
Sat
Swimming
Beat the Heat 5K
1850 Pisacano Drive, Lexington, KY
5K · Other
Avg 87° / 67°·994 ft city elevation
Jul
12
Sun
Swimming
30th Annual Two Mile Manitou Monster Lake Swim
28561 WI 40, New Auburn, WI
2 mi
Avg 82° / 60°·1,071 ft city elevation

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I calculate my swim pace?+
Swim pace is measured per 100. Choose a distance and enter a goal time, and this calculator returns your pace per 100 meters and per 100 yards, along with a split for every 100m or 500m of the swim.
What is a good open water swim pace?+
It depends on the swimmer and the water — current, chop, and temperature all change open water pace, and it usually runs slower than the same distance in a pool. Any pace that gets you to the finish is a valid goal; use the calculator to work backward from your target finish time.
What distances does this open water swimming pace calculator handle?+
This open water swimming pace calculator can help you track pacing for any open water swimming distance. It will help you track your goal time, pace by split, and split time.