M Lifesaving Challenge 2026

What is Ocean M

Lifesaving sport is the discipline that combines swimming, strength and rescue. A mix of technical skills, endurance and team spirit, created to turn lifesaving into a sporting challenge.
The Ocean M race combines swim, board and surf ski in a single, spectacular course.

Swim

In the swim, everything starts with the dive: an explosion of power that breaks the silence of the water and marks the beginning of the challenge. Here, what counts are the start, the pace and the ability to read the lake like a moving map.

The body pushes, the mind sets the course: in this leg pure endurance is tested, the kind that comes from control and clarity. It is the first step towards conquering the Ocean M, where strength alone is not enough if it isn’t guided by balance.

Board

With the board, power meets precision. Here the athlete becomes part of the board, and the board becomes part of the water. It takes balance, strength and instinct to ride every ripple, hold the line and manage changes of direction around the buoys.

Every arm stroke on the edge of the board is a choice: push harder or save energy for the final part. In this leg, the water is not just an element to cross but an ally to follow — those who listen to it, fly.

SurfSki

Surfski is the phase of speed and total control. Sitting on the ski, the athlete must read every ripple and every current, anticipating the waves and using them to their advantage.

It’s a dance with the water: balance, explosive power and clarity blend into one fluid motion. One mistake costs time, a perfect line can be worth the victory. Here the Ocean M circle closes, where technique and instinct meet for the last, decisive challenge.

Course

The Ocean M course is not just a sequence of distances. It is a journey through three elements, three beats, three trials that test willpower even before breath.

Click here to download the course map

Swim – 300 m

The race opens in the silence of the lake. Two hundred metres that are never the same: the water changes, the wind changes, you change. This is where you truly enter the challenge: a suspended space where everything is reduced to breathing, direction and courage.

Board – 600 m

The board does not forgive. It is balance, rhythm, instinct. Four hundred metres in which you must become one with the board and let your arms do the talking. Either you find your wave… or it will find a way to leave you behind.

Surfski – 800 m

The longest, most technical and most relentless leg. Every paddle stroke asks you: “How much are you willing to give?” Here the lake becomes an intelligent opponent: if you listen to it, it carries you; if you defy it, it stops you.

Transitions – 150 m x 2

The runs between one leg and the next do not only connect water and shore. They connect who you were at the start… to who you’ll be when you clear the last buoy. These are passages of identity, not only of position.

The Format

Groups of 8, knockout rounds

A unique, spectacular knockout format.
Athletes compete in heats of eight: only the first four advance to the next round.

Round after round, the bracket tightens until only the absolute finalists remain. A final prize pool is reserved for the top 4 women and top 4 men.

Live streaming draw

The men’s and women’s brackets are defined by a public draw, broadcast live in the days leading up to the event.

A moment of pure tension and spectacle, where athletes’ paths cross and rivalries are born that will set the lake on fire.

Team standings

Where the individual race ends, the legend of the collective begins.

The M Lifesaving Challenge Club Trophy (Irene & Fabrizio Memorial) rewards those who turn every heat into points and every final into identity.

Whoever dominates the lake takes home the prize money reserved for the champion club.

Village & Stage

The heart of the M Lifesaving Challenge beats in the Village: between lake and stage, music, energy and smiles cross paths. Discover partners at their stands, test boards and surfski with instructors, taste street food and relax in the chill-out areas. The youngest guests find games and safety in the Family & Kids area. A big screen shows the live feed, real-time results and highlights. Water refill points and reusable materials: here the race becomes a community, and every finish is a celebration.
And at sunset, everyone in front of the stage: Sunset DJ Set, the final party that lights up the lake.