In 2016, we started a Ranking System – www.swimrunranking.com – so that we could be as fair as possible when awarding spots to the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship. Before this method, we had to try to sift through hundreds of applications and go with our gut feeling.
Now we can finally see the system’s full effect.
The Ranking System awards points to all the first 100 teams overall in all the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series Races and in all the ÖTILLÖ Merit races. These points are split – 40 percent of the total amount is based on the team’s overall position and 60 percent is based on its time. This accounts for close finishes or big leads between teams. This is the most fair and is completely gender neutral.
As the points roll over a 24-month period, where they devalue after 12 months, we are now, for the first time, at the point when we can see which teams are at the top measured over two years.
To be at the top you need to be consistent: you need to race with the same partner and you need to participate in at least six races in a season.
We do not have individual rankings as we feel it’s impossible to compare one individual with another in a team sport where you are 100 percent dependent on your teammate. We can only see how well you have chosen your teammate. This then indicates how good you as an individual might be.
That is why every person with a swimrun-ID has indicator points, which are the sum of the racing and which take into account whether a competitor has raced in different teams. These indicator points are applied to the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship, so an individual competitor can apply with a new teammate in a new class if desired.
At the top of ÖTILLÖ’s 2017 Ranking (not to be confused with the World Series Standings, which is based on a calendar year) we find three teams – two are from the UK – that have really shown over the last two years that consistency counts.
Women: Team Sportextremeswimrun.com – Isobel Joiner and Rosemary Byde (UK)
Mixed: Team Precision Hydration UK- Ben and Rhian Martin (UK)
Men: Team Nynäshamn Ångbryggeri- Joakim Brunzell and Johan Carlsson (SWE)
Huge Congratulations to all of you!
Article first published in Swimrun Life Magazine Issue #5 (December 2017)
