Skip to main content
Come Fan with UsSaturday, June 20, 2026

Marathon Swimmers, The Otters Of The Olympics

On Thursday and Friday, the women’s and men’s 10km marathon swim events were held. Athletes swam laps in the Serpentine in Hyde Park, for 6.2 miles. Almost two hours of physical activity is exhausting and depleting, and they can’t exactly hop out of the water for some Gatorade, so how do they get their in-race nutrition? With the help of a long pole, and acting like an otter.

First, they find their country’s flag, which designates their water bottle and are positioned on the end of a long pole being held by their coach ...

150039588_medium

150039800_medium

... grab their drink ...

.150039640_medium

... and then do their best otter impressions, rolling on their backs to drink from the bottle.

150039650_medium

150039639_medium

The Olympics, you guys!

(Photos by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

See More:

More in General

GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
An SB Nation New Yorker needs our helpAn SB Nation New Yorker needs our help
GeneralFromPosting and Toasting
General
Sabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world recordSabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world record
General

The mythical two-hour mark was broken at the London Marathon.

By Bernd Buchmasser
A Huge Dog
THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1THE HISTORY OF CHARGING THE MOUND, EPISODE 1
Play
General
Super Bowl 60 coin toss resultsSuper Bowl 60 coin toss results
General

The Seahawks and Patriots will open the Super Bowl with the coin toss to determine who starts with the ball. We have the full coin toss results for Super Bowl 60.

By David Fucillo
General
Marc Marquez completes a comeback for the agesMarc Marquez completes a comeback for the ages
General

MotoGP’s Marc Marquez completed a comeback for the ages with his 2025 title

By Mark Schofield
General
How to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search resultsHow to make sure SBNation.com appears in your Google search results