2026 Christmas letter
Another year has gone by in what feels like just a few months. Time to look back and reflect on the past season, its highs and lows (mostly highs), and give credit to those who deserve it.
early season highlights
The North American season kicked off in late April on Catalina Island, marking ÖTILLÖ’s return to California. The early morning ferry ride to get to Two Harbors was well worth the effort for the 250-plus athletes who experienced the unique yin and yang ÖTILLÖ courses offer – stunning natural beauty coupled with unforgiving terrain. It was Swimrun newbie, 31-year-old Cory Mayfield, who used his strong triathlon background, to blitz through the tough Catalina course with a nearly one hour winning margin over more experienced athletes like runner-up Adrian Cameron (Mayfield would go on to win top age-group titles at Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Worlds this season). Jason Smith and Kyle Visin took top honors in the men’s category just ahead of the winning mixed duo, Kelsie Pearson and Phillip Saenkov.
The European season started on Utö with a bang: 500 people, more than we had seen in years. 22 World Championship titles on the start line. Beautiful weather with a breeze that turned into a storm with some big waves early afternoon, making it fun and challenging. Sabina Rapelli & Desirée Andersson showed they had lost no speed over the winter, neither had Adriel Young & Hugo Tormento or Anna Hellström & Victor Dahl, each winning in their respective categories. The favourites won but those behind were chasing them hard, and they are getting younger, like Linn Bengtsson, whose winning time raised some eyebrows on the finish line…watch out people, here comes the next generation!
In Engadin the water was warmer than ever this year. An incredibly exciting race unfolded in the men’s category, with four teams battling for the podium, amply covered by Alexis Charrier running along the entire course live on Facebook, an athletic feat in itself! Jerome Gueguen & Arnaud de Lustrac, better-known as Team Kebap League, took the win with a bold plan of an early attack on the very first swim. Hugo Tormento racing solo passing the entire field was a show of his incredible talent and strength. Florian Schäfer and Lydie Waucquier showing they were a force to be reckoned with this year and Sabina Rapelli and Ulrika Eriksson adding yet another win to their long list of victories.
high season: from Gothenburg to casco Bay to Åland
Gothenburg treated us well this year again. Calm conditions, hot weather, lots of participants, and the elite showing us they are getting in top shape for the World Championship: Johan and Hanna Skårbratt showing their speed on the rocks, Viktor Törneke & Alex Berggren with the overall win, and Sabina Rapelli and Anna Hellström super strong in the women’s category.
America’s longest standing event, Casco Bay Islands in Portland, Maine, featured the closest race in the World Series in nine editions, with Bronwen and Greg Dierksen crossing the line mere seconds ahead of Jacob Gilden and Justin Daerr. In the World Series Solo category, Brian Tsau broke the tape just ahead of perennial podium getter Adrian Cameron, who ended the ÖTILLÖ season as the top ranked athlete in the world. ÖTILLÖ’s very own social media manager, Hannah Calton, showed incredible versatility taking top honors in the women’s category, using her strong swimming background, all while compiling and later sharing a first-hand video of the action.
Åland was new to all of us, except our sports director Staffan Björklund, who convinced us all this was the place to go. And boy did we have fun. A landscape so magnificent you have to look and look and look again to comprehend it. A race so hard it challenged even the best, but what a wonderful experience it was, and it left long lasting memories for all those who came. Alexis Charrier and Victor Dahl showed their muscle before the World Championship. Sabina and David Pesquet showing up in second overall was a stunner on the finish line. The excitement for the World Championship was starting to build.
ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship
At the World Championship we spent days worrying and making alternative plans because of the fog that was forecast and, in the end – luckily – never showed up. Instead, we were given the calmest conditions we have ever seen, a pig swim flat as a swimming pool, no breeze, dry rocks, hard racing.
Kebap League’s Jérome Gueguen and Arnaud de Lustrac came to the World Championship as the favorites for many, but there were questions on how they would fare on a course new to them against the experience and prowess of Hugo Tormento & Adriel Young, Alexis Charrier & Viktor Dahl, Alex Berggren& Viktor Törneke or a Tom Ralite & Remi Andrade. On race day they showed up in road running shoes! Tactically clever but near physical breakdown on Ornö, they did prevail in the end in a race that was very competitive all the way to the end for the podium.
Sabina Rapelli and Anna Hellström had one goal in mind: break the record, and they did, by more than 10 minutes, reaching Utö in an overall time of 8:24:01 – remember this time! An exceptional performance by two exceptional athletes that will remain in the history books for a long time. Behind them no less than seven teams were battling fiercely for positions for the entire race, all arriving at the finish line within just 30 minutes!
In the mixed, Skårbratts were eager to fulfil their dream of winning ÖTILLÖ after a year of focused preparations. They started as the favourites but were behind in the early stages of the race. It was their race tactic, but it takes a lot of guts to pace yourself for such a long time only to attack on Ornö. A deserved win after all with an amazing performance.
Orcas ISLAND and new events in rügen and Colorado
Orcas Island saw the addition of the Charity Chaser format and featured professional triathlete Eric Lagerstrom. The popular YouTuber started 15-minutes behind the field and by the summit of Mt. Constitution, the highest point in the San Juan Islands with sweeping views of the island chain as well as nearby Canada, had caught and passed the entire field, including eventual runner-up Adrian Cameron. Lagerstrom would blitz through the lung-busting course to win by nearly an hour. His That Triathlon Life media team produced a spellbinding documentary, From Last Place to First, showcasing his first stab at swimrun. Could Lagerstrom form a super American team to give a podium run at ÖTILLÖ Worlds a crack?
Rügen was new to ÖTILLÖ and ÖTILLÖ was new to the people of Rügen. The locals were curious, coming out in large numbers to watch this new breed of „Swimrunners“,who went to swim and run along a path through nature nobody had ever considered. In the end they loved it, cheering all along the course, with a crowd on the finish line like we have never seen it. And with the elite mostly absent after the World Championship, some very happy new faces on the podium, from Germany and The Netherlands! Yoann Perignon’s performance stands, beating the entire field by more than 30 minutes.
Colorado became the world’s highest elevation ÖTILLÖ course (1800+ meters) with an epic route staged out of Lory State Park and Horsetooth Reservoir. This instant classic featured long swim legs between Horsetooth’s coves stitched together with quad-zapping trail runs up and down the switchbacks of the legendary Rocky Mountains. In the World Series Solo category, Adrian Cameron took the overall win over Bermuda’s two-time Olympic triathlete Tyler Butterfield. Colorado residents, Justin Daerr and Steven Zawaski, won the men’s category finishing ahead of the winning mixed team, Bronwen and Greg Dierksen, and the latest revelation to hit America’s circuit, Amanda Martin and Fiona Larsen of Wild VerMamas, capturing the women’s category in dominant fashion.
season finals in Europe and US
Cannes never disappoints as the European season finale: warm, sunny, beautiful, and for many the perfect extension of the summer. At their home event, the French Swimrun community showed their strength, taking the entire podium in the men and mixed categories. In the women’s, the serial winners Kristin Larsson and Helena Sivertsson were unbeatable yet again.
Austin once again marked the season finale in the US. This fast course through the stunning Texas Hill Country terrain of Pace Bend Park was an opportunity for experienced athletes, like overall winner Alexander Berggren, to show-off their top end speed while serving as a welcoming mat, bringing new athletes to the sport, like the Deep End Fitness community who whole-heartedly embraced the challenge of Swimrun.
thank you!
We are incredibly grateful for another good year, where we met a lot of new people who came out and enjoyed Swimrun for the first time.
Thanks to the ever-growing swimrun community. 5000+ participants in ÖTILLÖ races, 150’000 who follow us our newsletter and social media, +11 million plus on our social channels. You drive the spirit and the sport to new heights every year! Thanks to our more than 500+ volunteers, who bring so much joy and energy to the races. We could not do it without you.
Thanks to our incredible media team Martina, Jana, Aaron, Hannah, JR, Adam, Martin, Andreas, Madlaina and Lukas who produced 150 posts, countless stories and more than 10’000 images that we shared with you all for free.
Thanks to German TV NDR and Hendrik Maassen, who produced not one but two documentaries, which were seen by more than a million viewers in Germany.
Thanks to our sponsors and partners: ARK, who continue to develop the best Swimrun gear out there, Vivobarefoot, who inspire us to get into nature, REVVI, who help us care for our muscles. Dryrobe keeping us warm and dry and Umara giving you all the energy you need to get through the races.
Thank you all for a wonderful Swimrun season. We wish you a very Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays whichever you prefer. We are already looking forward to 2026, with the Anniversary World Championship and the Elite Program, among many things, we will continue to build Swimrun and ÖTILLÖ!
Your ÖTILLÖ Team
Christian, Dominik, Staffan, Lars, Aaron, Olaf, Patricia, Mauro, Fabienne, Matts, Toni, Josephine, JR, Fredrik, Markus, Erik & Gabbe
