The Patronato Deportivo Municipal de Gijón presented the 13th Gijón Open Water Swimming Circuit 2026 this Friday in the Town Hall’s Assembly Hall, an event which will be supported by Unicaja. This year’s major leap forward comes in the form of Oceanman Gijón, an international event to be held in September that will make the city the first venue in northern Spain and the Cantabrian Sea to host this prestigious global open-water circuit.
With three months to go before the September event, registrations, which have been open since November 2025, are already approaching 500 swimmers, with forecasts suggesting they will far exceed the initial targets. Gijón will welcome athletes from more than 27 countries, including Germany, the United States, Brazil, France, Colombia and Argentina, which, in the words of Jorge Pañeda, councillor for Sport and Education and president of the Patronato Deportivo Municipal de Gijón, “will cement a unique weekend for sport, tourism and the city’s international profile”.
During the event, the Asturian swimmer María González Vázquez, from the Las Anclas Swimming Club in Castrillón, was officially presented as the ambassador for Oceanman Gijón. The event was also attended by the deputy mayor and councillor for Economy, Employment, Tourism and Innovation, Ángela Pumariega, and, representing Unicaja, the head of Private Banking in Gijón, Enrique Álvarez.
The event will also serve as a prelude to the World Final Championship 2026, which will take place in the Dominican Republic from 9 to 15 November.
Despite its significant international expansion, the circuit retains its three longest-running events: San Pedro, Playas de Gijón and the classic Christmas Swim.
Furthermore, for the second consecutive year, the commitment to Finswimming is being strengthened in collaboration with the FASPA (Federación de Actividades Subacuáticas del Principado de Asturias). The Travesía de San Pedro will feature a fin-swimming version (limited to 30 places) 20 minutes before the classic event, and a second 1,500-metre race will be added in September under the Oceanfins category.
The three summer events (San Pedro, Playas and Oceanman) will count towards the prestigious FDNA Asturian Long-Distance Circuit. Following last year’s event, which attracted 562 participants in the water (won by Blanca Alonso Álvarez and Beltrán Ortiz de Urbina Álvarez), the organisers have set themselves the goal of breaking all records and exceeding 850 entrants in 2026.
Official Competition Calendar
- 27th Travesía de San Pedro (1,900 m): Sunday 29 June. Route: Santa Catalina Breakwater – San Lorenzo Beach, Escalerona. Fins start: 12:40 pm. Swimming: 1:00 pm. (Limit: 220 swimmers / 30 fins).
- Travesía Playas de Gijón (3,500 m): Sunday 19 July at 10.45 am. Route: Peñarrubia Beach – San Lorenzo Beach, Stairway 12. (Limit: 175 participants). Mandatory use of a safety buoy.
- Oceanman Gijón (International Weekend):
- Saturday 5 September (from 10.15 am): Poniente Beach. Oceanteams (3x500m relays), Sprint (1,500m), Oceanfins (1,500m with fins) and Oceankids (500m for children aged 7 to 14) events.
- Sunday 6 September (from 9.00 am): Main long-distance events: Oceanman 10K (San Lorenzo Beach – Poniente Beach) and Half-Oceanman 5K (counting towards the RFEN Spanish Cup). (Limit: 300 participants in the 5K). Requires a regulation safety buoy.
- Christmas Swim (220 m): Friday 25 December 2026 at 1.15 pm. Route: Gijón Marina. (Limit: 300 participants).
