RACE DIRECTORS REPORT ÖTILLÖ SWIMRUN MALTA 2021
RACE DIRECTORS REPORT ÖTILLÖ SWIMRUN MALTA 2021
The past
In 2019 ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Malta was our race with the most amount of participants ever, outside of Sweden.
Who thought at that time that it would take us two years to come back and that we all would have gone through 18 months of purgatory?
The present
The joy and relief of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Malta 2021 was tangible. All of us; racers, staff, volunteers, media and sponsors could all feel it. We are heading in the right direction, towards freedom. Surely there will be some bumps along the way but we are going towards a time when we can all be part of races again.
For our 2021 edition of the World Series distance we incorporated parts of the excellent Sprint & Experience race course in a more rural setting. It seems as if it was well received.
Racers from 29 nations converged on Malta to celebrate swimrun and friendship.
Once again the Saturday racing was all smiles. We had young and old racing next to beginners and top racers. The mix of people and the more forgiving lengths of the race courses makes the Sprint & Experience atmosphere very warm and friendly. In total 186 persons were signed up for these races.
On Sunday for the World Series distance we had 184 persons signed up. A new and very challenging race course where the first part was the Experience course from the day before. Many racers were taken by surprise by the steep hills. Then the course took the racers for a loop along the West end of Malta. With lots of swims and tricky runs.
At the finish line everyone seemed very pleased with the race course. Most racers finished the grueling and beautiful race with constant demands on their skills.
Congratulations to all racers that races over the weekend.
Podiums and qualified teams here.
All results here.
The end of the season
This was a beautiful end to a whirlwind season that has continued to be in the grip of the Pandemic. We have not had as many racers as we have hoped for but we have been able to put on six great race weekends since the end of June. Each one with different demands from the authorities and we have all proven that we can continue with our sport even in the face of adversity!
Now we look forward to 2022 when we can start the season on Catalina and then host our races as planned. Hopefully you all feel confident that we will put on the races as scheduled or solve the problems on hand. So that we can gain momentum and continue to grow our sport together.
Thank you all for your trust.
Next race.
March 19 – 20,2022