A stunning day with dramatic race action at ÖTILLÖ Engadin
Perfect weather and a very intense Elite battle.
The fourth stop of this year’s ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series brought together 522 athletes from 34 nations for a weekend of racing in the world renowned Engadin valley. The event, that was the first Swimrun event outside Sweden in its first year in 2014, has become a fixture in the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series.
The very demanding World Series course started in the host town Silvaplana and took the racers on a journey through the Upper Engadin valley, covering a total race distance of 42.7 km. The racers had to master 36.9 km of partly very technical trail running and 5.8 km of swimming across 9 swim sections in Lake Silvaplana, Lake Champfèr and Lake Sils. The Engadin valley presented itself at its best with warm, sunny and calm conditions and temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius. The water temperature in the lakes of the Engadin valley was unusually warm this year with around 15 degrees Celsius on average.
Particularly exciting was this year’s women’s race, where no less than ten teams with leading international athletes were on the start line. And the race delivered what the start list had promised: a very fast paced race that was close between the leading teams until the end. Reigning World Champion Hanna Skårbratt, racing with Helen Wikmar (both SWE) raced head to head with the Swedish-French duo of Kristin Larsson and Lydie Waucquier, changing positions multiple times as the two teams had different strengths in running and swimming. Kristin Larsson and Lydie Waucquier were particularly fast on the flatter running sections but Hanna Skårbatt and Helen Wikmar were faster on the more technical running sections of the course. Kristin Larsson and Lydie Waucquier managed to enter the last swim with a lead of just under one minute, but Hanna Skårbratt and Helen Wikmar managed to overtake them on the long swim and exit the water a mere 15 seconds before Larsson/Waucquier. The relentless final run decided the race in favor of Hanna Skårbratt and Helen Wikmar. Terese Østeraas (NOR) and Klara Kjellgren (SWE) finished in third place.
Watch the post race interview with Hanna Skårbatt and Helen Wikmar.
In the men’s category, a group of Elite athlete separated themselves from the field after the first three swims and then the race turned into a battle between three French teams: Rémi Andrade & Tom Ralite, Alexis Charrier & Thomas Guerry, and Emeryc Gennesson & Rémi Menut. For the longest part of the race, the gaps between first and third were not more than 6 minutes and kept changing with their different strengths. The strong runners Rémi Andrade and Tom Ralite gained on the technical running sections. The strong swimmers in the other two teams managed to narrow the gaps in the swims. Rémi Andrade also twisted his ankle on the first technical downhill section which added to the drama of the race. In the end Rémi Andrade & Tom Ralite won in a very impressive overall time of 4:44:56, four minutes ahead of Alexis Charrier & Thomas Guerry and Emeryc Gennesson & Rémi Menut.
Watch the post race interview with Rémi Andrade and Tom Ralite.
In the mixed category, Pierre de Lustrac and Mélisande Muller (both FRA) quickly evolved as the strongest team. They managed to stay with the Elite Men for the first part of the race and managed to develop a comfortable lead of more than 8 minutes over the second placed team of Arnaud Winkelmann & Laura Miclo (both FRA). The German-Swiss duo of Jonathan Thiesmeyer and Xenia Braun finished in third place. Notably, Pierre the Lustrac and Mélisande Muller finished fourth overall, just behind the three best men’s teams.
We spoke to the first and second placed teams after the race. Watch the video on Youtube.
The solo race was dominated by Florian Schäfer from France in the mens category, who raced with the leading mens teams all the way and finished the race in an the best overall time of 4:43:55.
In the women’s solo category, Niam Murphy from Ireland once again showed here strength and lead from start to finish. She wins the womens solo category with an overall time of 5:39:38 ahead of Francesca Capitoli from Italy.
Race results
World Series Podiums by Category:
WOMEN
🥇Hanna Skårbratt 🇸🇪 & Helen Wikmar 🇸🇪 – 5:23:30
🥈Kristin Larsson 🇸🇪 & Lydie Waucquier 🇫🇷 – 5:24:25
🥉Klara Kjellgren 🇸🇪 & Terese Østeraas 🇳🇴 – 5:48:08
MEN
🥇Rémi Andrade 🇫🇷 & Tom Ralite 🇫🇷 – 4:44:55
🥈Thomas Guerry 🇫🇷 & Alexis Charrier 🇫🇷 – 4:48:11
🥉Emeryc Gennesson 🇫🇷 & Rémi Menut 🇫🇷 – 4:53:20
MIXED
🥇Pierre de Lustrac 🇫🇷 & Mélisande Muller 🇫🇷 – 5:13:07
🥈Arnaud Winkelmann 🇫🇷 & Laura Miclo 🇫🇷 – 5:18:12
🥉Jonathan Thiesmeyer 🇩🇪 & Xenia Braun 🇨🇭- 5:31:27
SOLO WOMEN
🥇Niamh Murphy 🇮🇪- 5:39:32
🥈Francesca Capitoli 🇮🇹 – 6:01:01
🥉Eva Rongård 🇸🇪 – 6:21:23
🥉Anna Larsson 🇸🇪 – 6:21:23
SOLO MEN
🥇Florian Schäfer 🇫🇷 – 4:43:53
🥈Jean-Baptiste Mitjaville 🇫🇷 – 5:08:26
🥉Vincent Olid 🇫🇷 – 5:13:39
Elite Ranking
The ÖTILLÖ Elite Ranking tracks athletes throughout the World Series season. Each competitor’s three best race results, plus the Season Finale in Cannes, count towards the overall standings. With the completion of the Engadin race, the latest ranking update reveals an exciting shift in the standings for both the men’s and women’s competitions.
Men: Alexander Berggren retains the overall lead, but Thomas Guerry (2nd) and Emeryc Gennesson (3rd) continue to close the gap. The biggest move of the weekend came from Rémi Andrade, who claimed victory alongside Tom Ralite and climbed six places to 7th overall. Pierre de Lustrac and Tom Ralite also moved into the overall top five.
Women: Hanna Skårbratt strengthened her overall lead with another victory in Engadin, finishing ahead of Kristin Larsson and Lydie Waucquier. The biggest ranking gains came from Klara Kjellgren and Terese Østeraas, who surged 11 places to 6th overall after their podium finish. Mélisande Muller also climbed into the overall top five.
Curious to see where everyone stands?
Check out the full Elite Ranking by clicking the link below.
Results
You can find the full results of the World Series, as well as those of the 334 athletes competing in the shorter-distance ÖTILLÖ Sprint and ÖTILLÖ Experience races, below.
Image Gallery:
