Pool-goers often enquire; how many swim laps is a mile? Swimming guides and experts state it depends on the size of the pool you are swimming in. Here, the size matters! As simple as the answer sounds, it is actually just as confusing. Swimming a MILE is in itself an achievement. More or less, all swimmers in the world aim to achieve this milestone.
However, it is much more challenging to achieve this milestone than running or cycling a mile. The reason is that the distance of swimming a mile is different from running or cycling a mile. This leaves pool-goers confused as to how many laps they actually have to swim in a mile.
Well, there are different views on its calculation. To know more about this, you must first have a clear understanding of a few things. After knowing everything, this article will give you a specific answer to your query. Let’s get started
What Does “A Mile” Mean in Swimming?
A mile distance is different inside the water than outside the water. Outside the water, wherever you go, a mile is 1609 meters, 1760 yards, or 5280 feet. It is constant. But the same is not true inside the water, especially in the pool. Swimmers have to swim 1640 yards or 1500 meters to complete a mile.
A distance of 1500 meters is also called a “metric mile .”The metric measurement was first included in the Olympics in 1908. In the imperial measurement, a mile refers to a distance of 1609 meters. This distance is used in the United States. If you compete in water racing events in the United States, you’ll need to train for this mile length.
What Does “Lap” Mean in Swimming?
A lap or length is basically the same thing. However, in the world of swimming, the term lap is used instead of length. So here, lap refers to one length of the pool. Swimming a lap denotes swim from one end to the other end of the pool and back. One length of the pool means swimming from one end to the other.
A swimming lap is assumed to be two times the pool’s length. So, swimming a lap refers to swimming two times the length of the pool. A standard pool measures 25 yards in length. However, the pools used in the Olympics measure 50 meters. The rest pools used for training or competition measure 25 meters.
How Many Laps in the Swimming Pool is a Mile?
Thus far, you have learned about what is a mile, and a lap means in swimming. It will be easier for you to find out how many swim laps are a mile. As mentioned, it is related to the size of the pool. The larger the pool length, the fewer laps it will take to complete a mile.
Equally, the shorter the pool length, the more laps it’ll take to complete a mile. Nevertheless, you can find out how many laps you’ll need to swim in the following way.
Imperial Measurement
The number of laps in a true mile is measured in the United States with the following formula.
Here 2 denotes a lap that is two times the length of the pool.
A true mile in yards = 1760 yards
- If you are swimming in a 25-yard pool, then the number of laps:
- If you are swimming in a 50-meter or 54-yard Olympic pool, the number of laps:
- If you are swimming in a 25-meter or 27-yard short-course pool, the number of laps:
Metric Measurement
The metric measurement is used in international swimming events except in the U.S. If you are swimming the pool outside the U.S., you can find the number of laps in the following way.
A metric mile in yards= 1640 yards
- If you are swimming in a 25-yard pool, then the number of laps:
- If you are swimming in a 50-meter or 54-yard Olympic pool, the number of laps:
- If you are swimming in a 25-meter or 27-yard short-course pool, the number of laps:
How Long Will It Take You to Swim a Mile?
Well, it largely depends on your swimming skill, gender and age, duration of your training, and overall condition.
- Novice swimmers will take an average of 40 to 50 minutes to swim a mile.
- Intermediate swimmers will take 30 to 35 minutes to swim a mile.
- Professional swimmers will take 25 minutes or less to swim a mile.
Most competitive swimmers worldwide take less than 20 minutes to swim a mile. Similarly, a beginner can take an hour to complete a mile. It entirely depends on how you push yourself inside the water.
To be an expert and swim faster, you need to boost your long-distance swimming practice. Also, focus on building good fitness and staying calm in the water.
The End!
Swimming a mile can be an exhausting task for some. At the same time, it is a five-finger exercise for others. However, I believe swimming a mile is not a tough job. It is doable as you know how many swim laps are a mile. All it takes is good fitness and condition, swimming experience, and advanced technique. Initially, it can seem somewhat challenging. You can m