ÖTILLÖ - The Swimrun World Championship
The Final Countdown to Ötillö
Rosemary Byde / 01.09.2015
The 10th anniversary edition of the original and iconic swimrun event, Ötillö, is less than one week away. The ‘World Championship’ for swimrun, it’s the one everyone wants to do and the one I set my heart on at the end of last year. Deciding to do it might have been the easiest part; to get in to this over-subscribed race, you either have to qualify in a specified race, be selected on merit or take your chances with a ballot. I also needed to find a suitable teammate.
To my delight, my clubmate Izzy was up for the challenge, and just before the deadline we got our merit application in and crossed our fingers. It seems so long ago when we got confirmation we’d been selected – 7 months, in fact!
Since then we have been on a journey of discovery. Leaving things to chance or to the last minute for a race of this stature was not going to happen.
The course is based in the islands of the Stockholm archipelago and is a team event for pairs only. After being escorted to the start island by ferry on Sunday afternoon, athletes face a non-stop journey on Monday from north to south over 23 islands. We’ll be running across each island and then swimming to the next one. The sea could be choppy and cold, the currents may pull us this way and that. Some of the islands are uninhabited and trackless. We haven’t even worked out if we will have to face jellyfish on the way as well. Whether racing for the podium (fastest men’s time last year: 8:16) or to avoid the five cut-off times (slowest completer time last year: 14:05), everyone will be working hard.
Our preparations started in early May, with our first ever swimrun training session in a reservoir in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. It was tough, but we survived! We were lucky to be wearing specifically designed wetsuits from our sponsors Head, but weren’t yet brave enough to chop off the arms and legs. We were cold enough as it was!
From there it has been a journey of discovery working out what works for kit and what to expect in the race. It has become commonplace to be packing up a bag with wetsuit, shoes, socks, run kit, pull buoys, bungee cords, paddles, hats, goggles … I am not sure I’ve done many sessions yet where I haven’t forgotten something – though sometimes it’s just been a towel or shampoo, and who cares about those?!
We’ve spoken to previous competitors and done lots of practice. We also made the journey out to Sweden to compete in a very similar race, based around Öresjö, a lake in Borås, near Gothenburg. It was only half the distance we’ll be facing next week, but opened our eyes to the reality of how tough this event will be. It isn’t just the distances involved (a total of 10km swimming and 65km running), but how your body copes with the constant chilling and re-heating and how your mind deals with the logistics and inevitable emotions.
As well as the swimrun race in Borås, we’ve done a number of other events targeted to help us. These have included trail running races, swimming races and a triathlon with an exceptionally long swim (as far as triathlons go)! I also threw in an adventure race in Ireland (The Beast of Ballyhoura), being asked to join the team as a late replacement.
The sport of swimrun is new to the UK, but there have been a number of events appearing here this year. We’ve learnt so much and have been sharing our top tips with anyone who has a question or wants to listen! One thing we couldn’t emphasise enough is the importance of transition. When we got to our race in Borås, due to illness our plan to practice this properly had become very last minute. So we made the most of some free time the day before to do some dry land practice – much to the bemusement of our host, who found us running around his house in wetsuits, hat and goggles, joined by bungee cord! Preparation for the race hasn’t all been hard work, and making this video was pretty fun.
Like every other competitor, we will be travelling together at all times. Team work will come to the fore. We’ve been through a lot together this year both racing and training. I’m confident we have a common goal and will both give it our all to get to the finish line smiling.
The competition will be tough. For us, the women’s field has been getting stronger and stronger every year. As well as 1st and 2nd placed teams from last year, we will face the winners from Borås, podium teams from qualifier races and at least one pro triathlete. But we are delighted to be there representing GBR! You can track all teams on the live site. Race starts at approx. 6am CET / 5am BST on Monday 7th Sep. Look out for team 113, Team Head: Jellyfish Slayers!
Many thanks to our sponsors and supporters, Head, Gococo Socks, BeetIt and Chia Charge.
After months of shivering, wetsuit rashes, wet feet and bathrooms festooned with damp kit, we’re ready to go!
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