RESULTS PRESS RELEASE
THE FIRST-EVER ÖTILLÖ WORLD SERIES RACE IN AMERICA TOOK THE AMERICAN SWIMRUN SCENE TO THE NEXT LEVEL!
The first ÖTILLÖ Catalina Swimrun World Series and the first race of the 2020 season saw hard racing, with some winds, currents and stiff competition.
Catalina was the perfect stage for this race with its imposing hills, incredible views and fantastic swims. The wind and the strength of the racing field added to the mix.
The very strong Nicolas Remires (FRA) & Francesc De Lanuza Gimeno (ESP) – Team Envol pulled out the stops and won ahead of top-ranked former World Champion Fredrik Axegård (SWE) racing with Oscar Olsson (SWE) TEAM ARK SWIMRUN, Winning this first ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series in 4:38:41. a little over five minutes ahead of Team ARK. The first American team Gregory Harper & Prashanth Chandrashekar Ganesh (Team Temple of Mount Diablo) finished third in 4:53:12.
In the womens category the Womens World Champions from Sweden, Fanny Kuhn & Desirée Andersson, Team WILD Envol showed from the beginning why they are the world champions. In second the top ranked Team ARK Souls/Addnature – Helena Wikmar & Isabella Hedberg (SWE) were 32 minutes after the winners and took second, 20 seconds ahead of Kelsie Person & Caroline Wolek in Team Lyle Fitness Ladies. The winning time was 5: 05: 34.
In mixed the competition was a stiff chase with many of the top racers going for it. The winners Alexis Charrier (FRA) & Sabina Rapelli (ITA) – Team Envol Switzerland/ Vigor showed why they came second in the total 2019 World Series standings, winning 1, 5 minutes ahead of the Swedish Team ARK – Hanna Skårbratt & Johan Skårbratt. Almost 2 minutes ahead of the the top ranked American team – Boston Wet Sox Gregory Dierksen & Bronwen Dierksen. The winning time was 5:10:37.
The sport of Swimrun is about five years ahead in Europe and this race will make the American racers catch up quickly.
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina 2020 has had a total of 530 registered racers over the weekend from a total of 18 nations.
News cuts for TV: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4f5xnuw8umj5c21/AABPH1FuMbSAhzi9lR3qdlIka?dl=0
High resolution photos free of right for press only: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9cynfborgvcsyma/AAAzyqeXzj2uc-P10MRT3iYUa?dl=0
Please credit the photographer: name/ÖTILLÖ Catalina (indicated in the photo)
More information about ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina: https://www.otilloswimrun.com/races/catalina
THE RACE IN DETAIL
The inaugural ÖTILLÖ Catalina with 108 starting teams of two started their Sunday morning by running hard out of Two Harbors, towards Cat Harbor before they did the first hard uphill loop which gave all the teams spectacular views of the course. The downhill took them back to Two Harbors again from where they swam all the way to USC Wrigley where they experienced the wind swell for the first time. Before continuing running and swimming almost around the West end of Catalina. By the time they finished in Two Harbors they did a massive course with grueling uphills, hard downhills and with spectacular swims. The fast pace sightseeing took its toll.
In total, they covered almost 31 km on foot and 8 km swimming making a course distance just less than 39 km with 7 swims in total.
The water temperature was around 16 degrees C/ 61 degrees Fahrenheit.
The 25 knot wind from the Northwest built a big swell at the furthest swim by Parson’s landing.
Several teams had to struggle to make it in time for the three cut offs. Some had to abandon along the way. Around 90% of the teams managed to finish the race.
At all ÖTILLÖ swimrun World Series events teams race in pairs. Using each other’s strengths will push boundaries. The team experience is incomparable and is part of why swimrun is growing so fast in popularity.
108 teams of two from 16 different nations travelled to Catalina to compete in the first- ever ÖTILLÖ World Series race in America, the fourth qualifier for ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship 2020 in the Swedish archipelago.
The day prior to the race two shorter, more accessible races were organised, the ÖTILLÖ Sprint and ÖTILLÖ Experience, offering the same flavours as the longer, more challenging race but in a smaller format.
Eight top teams at ÖTILLÖ Catalina qualify to ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship 2020 on August 31st, 2020 in the Stockholm Archipelago; top 3 men, top 3 mixed, top 2 women.
Complete results list here: https://otilloswimrun.com/races/catalina/results-2020/
Website here: https://otilloswimrun.com/races/Catalina
A video highlight for web use will be uploaded on Monday, March 9th here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/czfukek299scdry/AACJZ5FI_-H1-DQXRrFVM-7_a?dl=0
THE RACE WEEKEND
This first edition of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina weekend had a fantastic turn out with more than 520 persons from 18 nations coming to participate in the first races of the year. The first of eight World Series weekends.
Santa Catalina Island is a unique place just 40 km off the coast of Los Angeles in southern California. The conservancy-protected, geologic and environmental phenomenon Catalina hosted the races On February 29th and March 1st, 2020.
For this race weekend we saw some of the best teams in the world competing with some of the best US teams and many Swimrun enthusiasts from near and far. This is the most prestigeous swimrun race in North America.
Read the whole story about ÖTILLÖ and swimrun here: https://otilloswimrun.com/about-swimrun/
ABOUT SWIMRUN AND ÖTILLÖ
Swimrun is the new, up and coming endurance sport growing all over the world where you alternate trail running and open water swimming along a marked course.
ÖTILLÖ started in 2006, it is the leading brand and the origin of the sport. ÖTILLÖ is Swimrun.
ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship (ÖTILLÖ meaning island to island in Swedish) is the original swimrun race, renowned as one of the toughest one-day races in the world.
RACE FORMATS
On Saturday, February 29th we hosted several shorter races to make the sport accessible to more people and to let newcomers experience the beauty of swimrun.
The EXPERIENCE distance was 7,8 km with 3 swim sections totalling 1 600 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 was a total of 14,9 km with 4 swim sections totalling 3 100 metres. This race distance you can either do in teams of two or solo.
We had close to 270 persons signed up for these beautiful tastes of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun.
On Sunday, March 1st, we had the WORLD SERIES event which acts as a Qualifier to the World Championship and where teams can collect ranking points. It was the first race of the year. The race is a total of 39 km with 7 swim sections totalling 7 700 metres. This race you can only do in a team of two and it is the most prestigeous event in the Americas. It will had 130 registered teams of two, not all started.
ÖTILLÖ SWIMRUN WORLD SERIES
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina is part of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series and a qualifier to ÖTILLÖ, the Swimrun World Championship in the Swedish archipelago.
The ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series is in its fifth season with a minimum of eight qualifier races for ÖTILLÖ, the Swimrun World Championship.
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series 2020
Eight qualifying races to ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship:
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina, USA, March 1st (NEW)
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Hvar, Croatia, April 19th
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö, Sweden, May 24th
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly, UK, June 14th
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Engadin, Switzerland, July 5th
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun 1000 Lakes, Germany, September 20th (qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2021)
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Cannes, France, October 18th (qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2021)
ÖTILLÖ Malta, November 22nd (qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2021)
At each World Series event an EXPERIENCE & SPRINT race is organised the day before.
ÖTILLÖ, THE SWIMRUN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2020
15th edition on August 31st, 2020
160 teams from all over the world.
75 km over and between 24 islands in the Stockholm Archipelago.
Renowned as one of the toughest one-day races in the world (CNN 2012)
https://otilloswimrun.com/races/otillo/
PHOTOS AND VIDEO FREE TO USE FOR MEDIA
Images are found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9cynfborgvcsyma/AAAzyqeXzj2uc-P10MRT3iYUa?dl=0
(please credit photographer / ÖTILLÖ)
On March 9th you will find the Official Video here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/czfukek299scdry/AACJZ5FI_-H1-DQXRrFVM-7_a?dl=0
NEWS CUTS FOR TV
News cuts and a shot list is found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4f5xnuw8umj5c21/AABPH1FuMbSAhzi9lR3qdlIka?dl=0
MEDIA CONTACTS
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina
Michael Lemmel, michael@otilloswimrun.com, +46 735 25 97 02
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series
Lauritz Putze, media.requests@otilloswimrun.com, +49 157 768 05 234
ÖTILLÖ,The Swimrun World Championship
Josefine Ås, pr@otilloswimrun.com, +33 6 79 04 23 46
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