STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, AUGUST 22, 2014
ÖTILLÖ is the origin of the fast growing endurance sport “Swimrun”. The race is ranked by CNN as one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world and is the Swimrun World Championship. On September 1, 120 teams of two from 22 nationalities will endure the ninth edition of the difficult race, with a total distance of 75 km trail running and open water swimming over and between 26 islands in the stunning Stockholm archipelago in Sweden. The time to beat is last year’s course record 8h35 by Bjorn Englund and Paul Krochak. Most teams finish hours later…
ÖTILLÖ is a gruelling challenge that is causing a huge buzz in the endurance sports’ world. A new sport “swimrun” is in the making, 550 teams are on the waiting list and since the last two years a wave of other smaller swimrun races have been created in Scandinavia and spreading internationally.
To get a spot in the ÖTILLÖ race has become hard fought and even more so to finish as the winning team. You run 65 km on island trails, slippery rocks, unbeaten terrain and you swim a total of 10 km in the cold water of the Baltic Sea. There is no time to lose – you run in your wetsuit and swim in your shoes! The water is cold, you fight against currents and the course is long. To make it to the finish line before the cut-offs and darkness you can never stop.
A great diversity of athletes have been preparing for months to take on the challenge. Last year’s winners Bjorn Englund and Paul Krochak (Team Head Swimming) have raced in several Swimrun competitions during the summer and are stronger than ever. Former Ultra Man World Champion Jonas Colting will race his ninth consecutive ÖTILLÖ race (incl. three wins) after an amazing achievement this summer, swimming 640 km through Sweden to raise over 100 000 USD for WaterAid. There are some new foreign teams to watch out for, including some really strong mixed and women teams. Sweden’s most famous rap artist Petter is seriously hooked on swimrun and will be pushing his limits at this year’s edition of ÖTILLÖ.
Watch ÖTILLÖ Live!
ÖTILLÖ has an extensive live production following the race with live video and commentary.
If you wish to embed the video stream on your website please use the following embedded code (Youtube playlist):
If you want to link to the live stream, please use the following link: http://otillo.se/live for a full experience with the live video accompanied by other social feeds and race information.
Media contact
Josefine Ås
[email protected]
+33 6 79 04 23 46
+46 70 788 31 76
International TV Distribution
EYESPRINT COMMUNICATION
Simone Felsberger
[email protected]
+49 151 419 176 72
www.eye-sprint.com
Photos for press use
Download photos from the 2013 edition free of right for press (Please credit photographers: Jakob Edholm or Nadja Odenhage):
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kh6iyk88mu95zro/AAC1G3hyj8ccPy62Z1QiGsZKa?dl=0 (Photo: Jakob Edholm/ÖTILLÖ 13)
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eiq6iv408olkjls/AACQ3wcFxv5eEL0-HOAcvNKRa?dl=0 (Photo: Nadja Odenhage/ÖTILLÖ 13)
Fast Facts ÖTILLÖ – The Swimrun World Championship
- 9th edition 2014
- 75 km running and swimming from dawn till dusk
- 65 km of trail running
- 10 km of open water swimming
- Water temperature between 10 – 15 degrees C
- 26 islands to cross
- 50 changes between running and swimming
- The swims are between 100 and 1 780 metres long
- The runs are between 70 and 19 700 metres long
- 120 teams – 80 men, 25 mixed, 15 women
- Teams of two, for safety reasons
- 22 Nationalities: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Australia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Portugal, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, UK, USA, S Africa, Romania, Belgium, France, Canada
- Course record: 8 hours 35 minutes (2013)
- Winners 2013: Björn Englund & Paul Krochak, Team Head Swimming
- Ranked by CNN as one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world.
- Featured in NYT, Outside Magazine, l’Equipe Magazine and many more
