Newly Engaged and Into Adventure

Morgane and Allen’s Swimrun Story

From Oysters to a Chance Encounter

Allen and I got engaged in the French Alps on June 22nd, 2025. We were training together for our first triathlon, the Chicago Triathlon on August 23rd, when we did our yearly weekend at Peaks Island, Maine. On our arrival on Peaks Island, we went directly to Peaks Island Oysters, our favorite oyster spot. We were sitting and enjoying our oysters when we heard a couple talking about the Swimrun race happening that Sunday.

We started asking them questions and were told that it was a running and swimming race, but the signup was closed and besides, the water was too cold anyways. We had our Triathlon training gear in the car, minus a wetsuit for me, and we couldn’t get the idea of Swimrun out of our heads. After spending the whole evening googling the sport of Swimrun, we decided we would take our bikes back across the bay to Portland and go check out the beginner’s workshop happening on Saturday.

“Here, Take My Wetsuit”

We were a bit intimidated by everyone in their gear, ready to compete, but we looked around to see if there was anyone we could talk to when Trista ran up to us asking if we had any questions. We expressed interest in the race and we were actively training open-water swimming for a triathlon.

Trista looked at me and immediately ran off. She returned seconds later with a Swimrun wetsuit in hand and said: “Here! This is my baby! Bike over to the Hilton, where they will reopen the signup, and go sign up for the race! Find me tomorrow to return the wetsuit!” and she was off again to help the newcomers. We were so amazed! We had only just met Trista and she immediately handed me her prized possession, her Swimrun wetsuit! Allen and I knew we now had to go sign up!

All In, All at Once

We rushed off to the hotel, where the ÖTILLÖ team reopened the signup for us, lent a wetsuit to Allen so he could have a more appropriate wetsuit, and was so enthusiastic about our spontaneous joining of the event. After talking to so many friendly race participants, we learned more about the gear we had to acquire!

We rushed off to the nearest outdoor store before it closed to gather trail running shoes and socks, a tether, a whistle, and some gels. We made it back to our home base on Peaks Island just in time to talk to Jeanne, who was headed to the race in the morning and whose husband was going to boat her over to the start on the island next door. As we weren’t staying in Portland, we couldn’t take the race ferry over to the start. Jeanne’s husband told us to be at 7 am sharp on the dock.

Tethered from the Start

On race morning, we gathered all of our things, attached ourselves to our tether, and headed out! We were told by fellow participants that we didn’t have to do the whole race tethered, but Allen turned to me and said, “We just got engaged, we have to do this race tethered!” And off we ran with everyone else around the islands and across to the other ones. We had an incredible time, so much fun, and completed the race hand in hand!

If it wasn’t for people like Trista and Jeanne, we never would have jumped into this incredible sport! After the race, our medals on our necks, we ran into the same couple who had told us about the race two nights before, and they exclaimed: “What!? You managed to do the race??” We did, and it was one of the most fun spontaneous adventures we have done together!

From Maine to Switzerland

This summer, we will be spending our honeymoon hiking and mountain biking in Switzerland! After Casco Bay Swimrun, we loved it so much that we started looking up other races and found out there was a race happening in Engadin, Switzerland, in July. We timed our honeymoon so that we could start the honeymoon racing together, tethered, in the Engadin Swimrun race!

We really look forward to other Swimrun adventures! Our new team name, Legs Miserables, will be at Swimrun Engadin in July!