The motto "Swimming for clean oceans" was also the focus of the Lighthouse Swim 2025 and connects the twin cities of Kiel and San Francisco. Traditionally, swimmers from the American twin city also take part in the Open Water Swim in the Kiel Fjord. This time, co-initiator Dirk Lonnemann and TBA board member Axel Schulz welcomed Brent Butler from the South End Rowing Club. The Lighthouse Swim thus combines sport, environmental protection and international understanding in a special way.
This year, the weather and water conditions in the Kiel Fjord were particularly challenging. With wind force 8, strong currents and a cool 17 degree water temperature, the event demanded everything from the 225 swimmers and the organizing team. The organizers reacted prudently and moved the course to the more sheltered cliffs from Schilksee to Falckenstein at short notice to ensure the safety of the athletes.
198 participants opted for the four-kilometre course, while 27 tackled the challenging 14-kilometre long course, swimming back and forth three times between Schilksee and Falckenstein. Just 18-year-old Maximilian Klein from North Rhine-Westphalia completed the 14 kilometers in a remarkable 3 hours and 21 minutes. The fastest woman was Lia Schwarze from Kiel, who took just under 4 hours and 11 minutes to cover the same distance. A special highlight: the last swimmer crossed the finish line exhausted but happy after more than seven hours in the cold water.
A big thank you goes to Kiel Water Rescue, the DLRG, Kiel Marketing, especially Anjoscha Voigtsberger, Frank Hemker and Eva Zeiske, to the moderation team Bernd Lange and Philip Schüller and to the many volunteers on the water and on land who make this unique swimming event possible in the first place.
To the Kieler Nachrichten article (with costs)
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