Swim Brulé 5 — Gozzano

Swim Brulé does not pretend the season is still open. It is swum at the Lido di Gozzano at the end of October, when Lake Orta has cooled to somewhere between 15 and 18 °C (59-64 °F), and the cold is the premise rather than the inconvenience: what waits on the shore is a cup of vin brulé. Four distances are on offer — 400, 1000, 2000 and 3000 metres — and the organisers keep the right to shorten them on the morning of the race, depending on what the thermometer says.

A race that takes its joke seriously

The turn buoy is an inflatable several metres tall, moulded in the shape of a wine flask, with Swim Brulé written across the label. Behind the podium hangs a skeleton in a red swim cap and goggles, under the line «chi non muore si rivede» — if it doesn't kill you, we'll see you next year. A second skeleton, also in goggles, spends the morning sitting up in a red-lined coffin beside the refreshment tent, holding a plastic cup. Andrea Vietti, who organises the event, meets the swimmers in a white robe and a red sash, standing in the shallows with his arms open. None of it is at the expense of the swimming. There is a chip, a numbered cap, heats staggered through the day and a podium with three steps. The festive half runs alongside the competitive one, and for a good number of swimmers it is the reason the trip is worth making.

Race day

Registration is open from 8:30 to 10:00 and the first 1000-metre heat starts at 11:00, with the 2000 and 3000 metres following. A safety buoy is compulsory and can be bought while entering; the fee runs between 30 and 45 €, and includes the timing chip, the cap and a meal voucher. A free shuttle links the Via Monte Rosa car park to the lido until 18:00. The last heat goes at 14:00, the prizes are given at 15:30, and then polenta and vin brulé are served to whoever is still there.

The water you are swimming in

The island in view from the course is San Giulio, where a church is said to have been founded in the fourth century by Saint Julius, who according to the story crossed the lake to reach it. The same island was fortified in 962 by Queen Willa and held out for two months against Otto II. Earlier in the season the same water hosts Grand Prix CusioCup, swum in June, when the lake is a different proposition entirely.