Reflections Interview – Benjamin Maclean, The philosophy of swimming

Interview by Ben Lane

Dutch swimmer Benjamin Maclean came to UltraEbre the way many people do today: a mix of curiosity, “desk research,” and the quiet belief that with enough training, the impossible becomes doable. But Benjamin’s relationship with swimming runs far deeper than one race. For him, the water has been community, mindfulness, survival, and, more recently, a bridge between generations.

From teenage pool sessions to Ironman preparation, from winter lake dips with a “365-days-a-year” group to a six-hour UltraEbre finish, Benjamin’s story is about how swimming can shape a life, and steady it, through every chapter.

Watch the whole interview in that VIDEO.

Where It Started: Joy, Community, and Energy

Ben Lane: Benjamin, let’s start with the basics. Why do you swim? What’s the history there for you?

Benjamin Maclean: I’ve been a swimmer since I was a teenager. I always liked it and when I was young, I was also very good at it. It gave me a lot of joy.

Ben: What was the joy? What did it give you?

Benjamin: When you’re younger, it’s not only about being alone in the water. It’s the community. You train with people, go to races, have fun together. I was a very energetic kid, and swimming was the best way to channel that energy.

And it’s funny now seeing that in my own children. My son joined me in some open-water practices last year. He asked, “Can I join you?” and I said yes. Then in September he started swimming too when he was ten.

He’s a rugby player. He can play rugby for ten hours… but if he swims for one or two hours, he comes home completely exhausted. And I recognised that immediately—that was me.

Swimming as Mindfulness—and as an Outlet

Ben: You also said something I really relate to that swimming is mindful.

Benjamin: Very. You’re in the water, you’re focused, you’re breathing, you find rhythm.

And when I was a teenager, I went through a rough period at home. But I came out of that time as a happy teenager, and swimming was a big part of that. It was an outlet. I swam every day. It was an escape for that period.

Ben: That’s powerful because as teens we don’t always have the language for what sport is doing for us. But it’s doing something.

Benjamin: Exactly. And if I zoom out even more, there’s also the influence of parents.

A Generational Habit: “Everywhere We Go, We Jump In”

Ben: Tell me about that.

Benjamin: My father loved swimming. He swam in school, he was good at it, and I looked up to him. He enabled it in me. He’d take me into the deep part even when I wasn’t allowed, and he’d argue with the lifeguard “I’m with him, it’s okay.”

So, swimming became connected to positive emotions.

And I’ve translated that into my own children. I’ve taken them swimming since they were babies. Kids learn from how you react. If they swallow water and you panic, they become afraid. But if you keep it positive “That’s fine, here we go”—they learn confidence.

My father jumped into the sea everywhere we went. So everywhere I go, I jump in. Now my son does the same. It becomes a family vibe.

Leaving Sport, Coming Back to It

Ben: Like many people, you drifted away for a while.

Benjamin: Yes. I went studying, had too much fun in the evenings, stopped being sporty. Then I moved into rugby and loved it.

But in my thirties, a colleague said, “I’m training for a triathlon, do you want to join?” I said, “Yeah, why not?” I started swimming again and realised I could still swim better than the average person.

In triathlon, you tend to like the discipline where you’re stronger. For me, cycling is not my favourite. I have an above-average BMI, so cycling is not helping.

Then I moved to a new area in the Netherlands, Amersfoort, basically the geographical middle of the country. And do you know what’s interesting? One of the best indicators of whether people are obese or healthy is the postcode they live in. The habits around you affect you.

Here, I see people running every day. It’s a healthy area. So, I joined a triathlon club, trained Monday, and Friday mornings 6–7am, which worked perfectly for family life. I became a better swimmer again.

The Ironman Lesson: The Impossible Becomes Normal

Ben: And then you went big and did a full Ironman.

Benjamin: Yes. I trained 18 months and completed a full Ironman in Eastbourne, south of London.

And what I loved was the psychology: you set a goal that feels impossible at the start. You think, “How could I ever do this?” Then 18 months later you stand on the line and think, “Of course I can do this. I’m prepared.”

A week later someone messaged me from the event and said, “You were the fastest swimmer of the whole field.” I didn’t even know.

That made me think: if swimming is what I love most, and it’s what I’m best at… why am I doing something that makes me suffer so much? Why not do a long-distance swim?

Finding UltraEbre: From Desk Research to the River

Ben: So that’s where UltraEbre comes in?

Benjamin: Exactly. Every 31st of December, my club does a 100 x 100 swim, so 10 km. I’d done that twice. So, I knew I could manage distance, and I thought: the next step has to be longer.

So, I started looking for long-distance swims and stumbled upon UltraEbre. I thought I can’t do that today, but I can do it if I train.

Also, I wanted something abroad, something exotic. In the Netherlands, lots of people do the lake crossing of around 22 km. Everyone does it. I wanted a bigger challenge, and I wanted it to feel like an adventure.

At the same time, I was part of a group called “365 days a year swimming.” Every Sunday morning, we swim in a lake nearby even when it’s half frozen. If the water is 3°C, you don’t stay long, but you still go. It’s part of the identity.

UltraEbre Reality: Better Than the Laptop Version

Ben: You swam UltraEbre in 2025. What was it like compared to the version you imagined at your desk?

Benjamin: Totally different. On the laptop, it’s just “31 kilometres” and a nine-hour cut-off. I was mentally prepared to swim for 8.5 hours.

But I wasn’t prepared for the positive current. That makes the first part easier.

And I arrived early, stayed with a friend in the village which made the whole thing even nicer.

One surprise: I didn’t realise there would be a river swim the day before. I thought maybe training would be in a pool. But that river session was the perfect preparation because I’d never swum in that current before.

From the side, the river looked insane. You think, “Am I really going to swim in this?” But because it’s organised, canoes, boats, other swimmers, you trust it’s safe.

That trial swim made me calm for race day. I’d trained enough. I knew I would finish. It was just a question of time.

Ben: And you finished in?

Benjamin: Six hours nine minutes, something like that.

The Two Hard Parts: Counter-Current and the Bridge Illusion

Ben: What were the toughest moments?

Benjamin: Two things.

First: the counter-current section, where you have to swim bridge to bridge. The bridge never seems to come closer. That was tough.

Second: it became a mental race because I didn’t know how long I still had to swim. My kayaker didn’t know either. So, I kept asking, “How far is it?” and the answer was basically… nobody knows.

When she finally said, “I think it’s over there,” I suddenly swam twice as fast because in my head it could’ve been another hour, or it could’ve been fifteen minutes. That uncertainty was hard.

If I did it again, it would be easier because you know the route. You know where you are.

How He Focuses: “Enjoy the Swim and Stop Thinking”

Ben: How do you keep your mind steady in something that long?

Benjamin: Training is the big part. I did long-distance sessions: five-hour swims, and a 12 x 2k training.

And what I learned is: don’t think about how long you still have to go. Just lie in the water and enjoy the rhythm. Enjoy the breathing. Be happy in the process.

Stop thinking. That’s the focus.

And what kept me going was simple: I trained hard, and I wanted to complete it. I had one thing in mind, to finish.

What’s Next: Recovery and a New Kind of Fun

Ben: And next challenge?

Benjamin: After UltraEbre I said, “I’m done swimming for a while.” Then I went back to rugby, got a shoulder injury and a wrist injury, and couldn’t swim.

Two months ago, I started again, so I was in recovery mode.

Next swim challenge will be in June: a swim/run in Luxembourg, 28 km total. Swimrun is fun because you run, you get warm, then you hit cold water and it feels amazing. The swims are short, 200–300 metres, and you can swim hard because you know you’ll be running again soon.