Courtesy of Brian Suddeth, an open water butterflyer.

Butterfly can be brutal, especially in the open water.

Butterfly takes a lot more strength, from the shoulders to the abs, than freestyle. Butterfly takes a lot of power and energy to do in the open water, especially when lifting your head and shoulders out of the water.

Brian Suddeth, an open water butterflyer, calculated the speed of his fellow butterflyers. “At the bottom line, while the FINA official distance for a marathon swim is 10 km, it seems to me that when doing butterfly in the open water, the target distance for a marathon class butterfly swim is more like 5 km by speed and effort based on the performances of the very best.”

The average speed for these butterflyers (listed by the fastest kph) across these 62 events in lakes, rivers, oceans and bays is 1.74 mph (2.79 kph).

1. Charles Chapman, Jr. in 1988 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (river) in 4.87 kph over 45.8 km in 9 hours 25 minutes
2. Julie Bradshaw in 2011 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (river) in 4.85 kph over 45.8 km in 9 hours 28 minutes

3. Dan Projansky in 2014 END-WET (river) in 4.81 kph over 57.9 km in 12 hours 2 minutes

4. Kathryn Mason in 2014 Rose Pitonof Swim (river) in 4.81 kph over 27.3 km in 5 hours 41 minutes

5. James di Donato and Jonathon di Donato in 1983 Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (river) in 4.72 kph over 45.8 km in 9 hours 43 minutes

6. Héctor Ramírez Ballesteros in 2012 Descenso a Nado de la Ria de Navia (river) in 4.29 kph over 5 km in 1 hour 10 minutes
7. Natalie Lambert in 1993 Lake Erie swim (lake) in 4.14 kph over 32.1 km in 7 hours 47 minutes
8. Dan Projansky in 2013 END-WET (river) in 3.95 kph over 43 km in 14 hours 30 minutes

9. Sylvain Estadieu in 2013 Lee Swim Cork (river) in 3.72 kph over 2 km in 32:28 minutes
10. Gianni Golini in 1977 Strait of Messina (sea) in 3.71 kph over 3.2 km in 51:49 minutes
11. Brenton Williams & Kyle Harris in 2014 Pulse Swim (bay) in 3.66 kph over 5 km in 1 hour 22 minutes

12. James di Donato and Jonathon di Donato in 1985 Bahamas to Florida attempt (ocean) in 3.25 kph over 65.3 km in 20 hours 6 minutes
13. Brenton Williams in 2011 Steers Marina Mile (marina) in 3.17 kph over 25 km in 7 hours 53 minutes
14. Sylvain Estadieu in 2010 Baltic Sea in 3.13 kph over 6 km in 1 hour 55 minutes

15. Sylvain Estadieu in 2012 Lake Delsjön in 3.12 kph over 5 km in 1 hour 36 minutes
16. Gianni Golini in 1976 Strait of Messina (sea) in 3.11 kph in 6.5 km in 2 hours 23 minutes

17. Dan Projansky in 2012 END-WET (river) in 3.00 kph over 43 km in 14 hours 30 minutes

18. Sylvain Estadieu in 2013 Sandycove Island (sea) in 2.99 kph over 22.4 km in 7 hours 30 minutes
19. Julie Bradshaw in 2006 Lough Erne in 2.97 kph over 16.89 km in 5 hours 41 minutes

20. Héctor Ramírez Ballesteros in 2012 Ruidera in 2.94 kph over 9.3 km in 3 hours 1 minute
21. Graham Barratt in 1992 Lake Bala in 2.93 kph over 5.23 km in 1 hours 47 minutes

22. Brenton Williams in 2012 Nelson Bay Bell Buoy Challenge in 2.89 kph over 8 km in 2 hours 46 minutes

23. Charles Tupitza 2013 Jim Mcdonnell Lake Swim in 2.84 kph over 1.6 km in 34:03 minutes
24. Francesca Mazari in 1992 Strait of Messina (sea) in 2.79 kph over 6.5 km in 2 hours 36 minutes

25. Héctor Ramírez Ballesteros in 2012 Iruelas Valley in 2.77 kph over 9.0 km in 3 hours 15 minutes
26. Kathryn Mason in 2009 Lough Erne Irish Championships in 2.76 kph over 17 km in 6 hours 9 minutes

27. Julie Bradshaw in 1991 Lake Windermere in 2.76 kph over 16.9 km in 6 hours 7 minutes

28. Larry Paulson in 2013 Jim Mcdonnell Lake Swim in 2.74 kph over 1.6 km in 35:12 minutes

29. Julie Bradshaw in 1995 Coniston in 2.71 kph over 8.44 km in 3 hours 7 minutes

30. Sylvain Estadieu in 2013 Lake Delsjön in 2.69 kph over 21.5 km in 8 hours 0 minutes

31. Brenton Williams in 2012 Marina Martinique in Jeffreys Bay in 2.69 kph over 17 km in 6 hours 20 minutes

32. Vicki Keith in Sydney Harbour in 2.68 kph over 36.21 km in 13 hours 30 minutes
33. Brenton Williams in 2012 Jeffreys Bay Swim Challenge in 2.61 kph over 4 km in 1 hours 32 minutes

34. Julie Bradshaw in 1996 Ullswater in 2.60 kph over 11.66 km in 4 hours 29 minutes

35. Héctor Ramírez Ballesteros in Cullera (sea) in 2.59 kph over 10 km in 3 hours 52 minutes

36. Kathryn Mason in 2012 Lough Erne in 2.56 kph over 25 km in 9 hours 45 minutes

37. Robin Lajoie in 2014 Welland, Ontario in 2.49 kph over 10 km in 4 hours 0 minutes
38. Eli Ball 2015 Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim in 2.45 kph over 9 km in 3 hours 39 minutes
39. Brenton Williams in 2012 Shell Festival Sea Swim in 2.43 kph over 2.5 km in 1 hour 1 minute
40. Julie Bradshaw in 2002 English Channel in 2.37 kph in 34 km in 14 hours 18 minutes

41. Ross Bogue in 2014 Big Shoulders (lake) in 2.37 kph over 5 km in 2 hours 6 minutes

42. Robin Lajoie in 2012 Welland, Ontario (canal) in 2.32 kph over 10 km in 4 hours 18 minutes
43. Vicki Keith in Lake Winnipeg in 2.30 kph over 28.9 km in 13 hours 0 minutes

44. Kathryn Mason in 2014 S.C.A.R. (lake) in 2.29 kph over 15.2 km in 6 hours 3 minutes

45. Vicki Keith in Strait of Juan de Fuca in 2.29 kph over 32 km in 14 hours 0 minutes

46. Brian Suddeth in 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim in 2.26 kph over 1.6 km in 42:46 minutes
47. Brian Suddeth in 2011 Great Chesapeake Bay Swim in 2.25 kph over 1.6 km in 43:00 minutes
48. Vicki Keith in 1989 Catalina Channel in 2.21 kph over 32.5 km in 14 hours 43 minutes

49. Brenton Williams in 2012 Deep Blue Invitational Swim in 2.17 kph over 8 km in 3 hours 41 minutes

50. Brian Suddeth in 2015 Oxford-Bellevue Sharkfest in 2.13 kph over 1.5 km in 42:33 minutes
51. Sylvain Estadieu in 2012 Lake Vidöstern attempt in 2.08 kph over 13.5 km in 6 hours 30 minutes

52. Julie Bradshaw in 2000 Coniston 2-Way in 2.03 kph over 17.7 km in 8 hours 42 minutes

53. Sylvain Estadieu in 2013 English Channel in 2.03 kph over 34 km in 16 hours 41 minutes
54. Philip Martin in 2001 Rottnest Channel in 2.02 kph over 19.7 km in 9 hours 45 minutes

55. Kathryn Mason in 2014 S.C.A.R. Swim Challenge (lake) in 1.99 kph over 10 km in 4 hours 51 minutes

56. Julie Bradshaw in 2006 Lake Bala in 1.96 kph over 10.46 km in 5 hours 2 minutes
57. Dan Projansky in 2014 S.C.A.R. Swim Challenge (lake) 1.86 kph over 15.2 km in 8 hours 8 minutes

58. James di Donato and Jonathon di Donato in 1982 Fort Lauderdale to Florida (ocean) in 1.79 kph over 26.55 km in 14 hours 50 minutes
59. Héctor Ramírez Ballesteros in Strait of Gibraltar in 1.79 kph over 14 km in 7 hours 5 minutes

60. Vicki Keith in Lake Ontario in 1.66 kph over 51.5 km over 31 hours 0 minutes

61. Vicki Keith in English Channel in 1.54 kph over 36.21 km over 23 hours 33 minutes
62. Vicki Keith in Lake Ontario in 1.26 kph over 80.2 km in 63 hours 40 minutes

Copyright © 2015 by World Open Water Swimming Association