The island of Hvar is the gem of Croatia’s 1,800 kilometres pristine coastline; many call it the St Tropez of the Adriatic.
We were lucky to find this destination and owe it all to Ivan Verunica, CEO of INCroatia, an incoming travel agent specialising in sports and education tourism.
In the fall of 2015, Ivan contacted us about the possibility of an ÖTILLÖ event in Croatia. We’d been looking for sometime for a Mediterranean location and Ivan suggested a few places for us to choose from. We fell in love with Hvar from the outset and decided to go for it.
This led to a meeting in March 2016 with the Director of Tourism and the marketing star of the Suncani Hvar Hotels. Mats and Michael took the opportunity to explore the island and its surroundings. What a glorious place!
The island of Hvar, accessible off the Croatian coast from Split, is an incredible swimrun location. The sea is crystal clear, the water temperature around 16°C-17°C and, on a sunny day, air temperatures will reach about 20°C.
The course is challenging with long swims and with some good vertical up and down. Throw in some Roman ruins, beautiful architecture, blooming wild flowers, the smell of rosemary, and wonderful people, and this course makes for a perfect setting.
The Sprint in Hvar is awesome, too, and you’ll get a big taste in a micro format. Bring your friends and family and be part of the weekend.
Hvar is easy to get to: fly into Split, a hassle-free bus transfer to the harbour (about 35 minutes) and then a 65-minute ferry ride to the town of Hvar. In April (off-season), the Split-Hvar ferry leaves at 2 pm and at 4 pm – check the ferry timetable found via the link on our website: www.otilloswimrun.com/races/hvar
If you get stranded in Split, don’t worry, the old town is fascinating with Roman ruins and lots of terrific little restaurants and cafes everywhere.
On the island of Hvar, we’ve organised a fantastic deal with Hotel Amfora, where most of us will be staying. All functions will be in the same place and it’s a 5-minute walk to the start and finish lines. If you want more than the superb hotel breakfast, you won’t be disappointed with the dinner (€12/person).
We hope to see you in Croatia to kick off the 2017 swimrun season together with a good race and a great party.
Article first published in Swimrun Life Magazine Issue # 1 (Feb/Mar 2017)
