Tadd takes time out to give special mass Swimathon training session

By Sportsbeat staff

REIGNING British champion Stacey Tadd joined a host of locals at the Bath Sports and Leisure Centre on Thursday to mark the launch of the world's largest fundraising swim.

JOINING FORCES: Stacey Tadd with Kate Grey and Dave Hill at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre

Tadd, led swimmers, club members and schools alike in a special mass training session to encourage Bath residents to enter this year's Swimathon Weekend.

Now in its 25th year, Swimathon has joined forces with British Swimming's Big Splash, Marie Curie Cancer Care and Sport Relief to hold the world's biggest fundraising swim.

Participants can swim the Big Splash Mile for Sport Relief or the 2.5km, 5km or team 5km challenges for Marie Curie Cancer Care at 645 pools throughout the UK from April 27-29.

And Tadd, who sealed 100m and 200m breaststroke gold at the British Gas Swimming Championships in March and is from Bath, was delighted to endorse the mass participation event.

"Anything that encourages more people to get in the pool is a good thing I think," said Tadd - who was joined by two more of the University of Bath's London 2012 hopefuls Kate Grey and Dave Hill.

"Swimming is a sport that is good for the whole body and so the Swimathon is a great idea for people in Bath to get involved in.

"Just swimming for 30 minutes a week can do you a lot of good and the fact that it is raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and Sport Relief is great."

Swimmers can register to take part in a Swimathon Weekend challenge at swimathon.org. For more information visit - http://www.swimathon.org/

© Sportsbeat 2012