Balaton Cross Swimming

I have finished Balaton Lake Cross Swim a few time since then. I was always fascinated by the number of participants, at around 7-10 thousand, and the perfect swim organisation.
The marathon does not take place from a “sharp start”. A swimmer registers and obtains an electronic chip that is activated when the swimmer crosses the starting line at any time between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm on one side and after crossing the finishing line on the other shore of the lake, the time of the Balaton swim is recorded. No individual assistance is allowed beyond the 100m anchored boats on the long run of the race, which can be reached in the event a swimmer has problems, plus the additional assurance of several patrol boats makes the event even more exciting. According to statistics, this is the largest swimming marathon in Europe.