Prestigious ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Qualifier at Isles of Scilly on 18 June

Press Release / 15.06.2016

­Swimrun - the new, rapidly growing sport of alternating trail running and open water swimming

The first edition of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly will kick off on Saturday 18 June. The maximum number of 120 teams of two was quickly sold out and athletes from 15 different nations from all over the world will be seen on the starting line. The ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly is a grueling endurance race of 37,5 km with nine open water swim sections alternating with 30 km of trail running, across all the stunning islands of the Scilly; St. Mary’s, Tresco, St. Martin’s and Bryher. There is no time to lose - you run in your wetsuits and swim in your shoes! The teams will battle for the eight much desired qualifying spots for the ÖTILLÖ, the World Championship in Swimrun in the Stockholm archipelago on 5 September.

Follow the race live on race day: www.otilloswimrun.com/live

The 240 competitors will tackle strong currents and difficult tidal waters as well as stunning scenery and beautiful but varied running trails on the spectacular Isles of Scilly, off the coast of southwest England. Some of the best swimrunners in the world will be on site for the race, among them the current women's ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Champion Annika Ericsson from Sweden.

The Isles of Scilly is the perfect location for a swimrun race as the organizers and founders of the sport Michael Lemmel and Mats Skott are seeking for unique places in wild, varied nature mixing land and water for their races.

The sport of swimrun has grown hugely popular amongst endurance sports athletes, triathletes, trail runners, swimmers and nature lovers. It has drawn the attention to celebrities like Pippa Middleton who competed successfully in the ÖTILLÖ World Championship 2015. ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly is part of the ÖTILLÖ World Series, culminating in the Swimrun World Championship on 5 September.

Event website: http://otilloswimrun.com/races/isles-of-scilly/

About Swimrun and ÖTILLÖ – The Swimrun World Championship
Swimrun is the fast growing sport where you in teams of two alternate trail running and open water swimming on a marked course. There is no time to lose – you run in your wetsuit and swim in your shoes! It is a unique sport and experience as you always race with a partner and the race course is out in wild nature. ÖTILLÖ, in the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden, is the original and the world’s longest swimrun race, renowned as one of the toughest one-day races in the world. You run 65 km on island trails, slippery rocks, unbeaten terrain and you swim a total of 10 km in the cold water of the Baltic Sea. The water is cold, you fight against currents and the course is long. To make it to the finish line before the cut-offs and darkness you can never stop. ÖTILLÖ is celebrating its 11th edition on 5 September 2016. 120 teams participate and 700 teams are on the waiting list.