ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö
ÖTILLÖ Utö 18 & 19 of May - The next stop in the 2019 ÖTILLÖ Swimrun world series
Press Release / 14.05.2019
The race
Utö, the birthplace of Swimrun sets the stage for the next stop of the 2019 ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series. The stunning island of Utö and its archipelago is where the original bet was made that set the seed to the original ÖTILLÖ race which later set the seed to the sport of Swimrun. ÖTILLÖ and swimrun has become one of the fastest growing endurance sports in the world. Utö in the Stockholm archipelago is also called the island of love. It will host the second race of the 2019 ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series with close to 200 teams from 25 nations on the start line. Sunday, May 19th is race day. Some of the best teams in the world will chase the coveted GOLDEN BIB and take on the challenge of winning six ÖTILLÖ races in a row and the prize purse of 33 000€ per category. Others are on-site to try to get one of the eight qualification spots to the holy grail of Swimrun, ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship. These teams together with an additional nearly two hundred teams will be challenged by this stunning course where the pairs will run along beautiful trails and do many intense and sometimes cold swims.
The location
The island of Utö, just shy of two hours from the Swedish capital, Stockholm is an incredible swimrun location. The origin of the sport is here, the four persons that made the original bet are involved in the race, the course is like a fantastic sauce of the World Championship course and it is one of the biggest swimrun gatherings in Sweden. Spring in the outer archipelago is fantastic, the water is chilly with temperatures between 8 and 11 degrees C. The air is fresh and everything is coming alive. The 40 km World Series course is intense and challenging, with 18 different swim sections, lots of tricky trails, some rocks and some incredible views. Add on the beautiful pre-summer light, the remote parts of the course, blooming wild flowers and wonderful people.
Mats Skott, Race Director of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series and one of the Founders of the sport says: Finally we are back in the Stockholm Archipelago and the island of Utö. This is where it all started for us, 13 years ago and it feels like coming home. We cannot wait to share this location and race course as it is why swimrun has become the way it is. Some of swimrun’s top teams will be taking on the challenge at Utö. Swimrun world champions and winners of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series will be on the start line, as well as athletes from all over the world, some are veterans of swimrun and some are totally new to the sport, but eager to find out why so many people are so hooked to the unique experience of racing in swimrun.
New Formats
On Saturday, May 18th we will host several shorter races to make the sport accessible to more people and to let newcomers experience the beauty of swimrun. All under the best organisation in the business.
The EXPERIENCE distance is 7 km with 4 swim sections totalling 950 metres. This race distance you can either do in teams of two or solo.
The SPRINT eludes to the distance and not to the speed. It is a total of 13,3 km with 7 swim sections totalling 2050 metres. This race distance you can either do in teams of two or solo.
We have more than 200 persons signed up for these beautiful tastes of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun.
2019 ÖTILLÖ Swimrun world series
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö is part of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series and a qualifier to the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship in the Swedish archipelago.
The ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series is in its 4th season with a minimum of six qualifier races for the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship.
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series 2019 (Confirmed races)
Six qualifying races to ÖTILLÖ:
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Hvar, Croatia, 7 April -19
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö, Sweden, 19 May -19
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly, UK, 19 June -19
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Engadin, Switzerland, 7 July -19
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun 1000 Lakes, Germany, 22 Sept -19 (qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2020)
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Cannes, France, 20 October - 19 (qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2020)
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