Welcome to ÖTILLÖ Experience Malta
The perfect location to start the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun season
April 17th, 2021
The Experience course will take you around a small swimrun paradise. To start the season on the beach is special.
Race description
The ÖTILLÖ Experience Malta course starts and finishes in Golden Sands, with a beach start and with a beach finish. It has some great short runs and beautiful swims. The views are spectacular. This course is a beautiful introduction to swimrun.
The Experience race is exactly what the name implies, a swimrun experience for those completely new to the sport or for those not ready to compete over bigger distances.
Race alone or come as a team and enjoy the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun experience in Malta.
Short facts
Date: 2021-04-17
Country: Malta
Total race distance: 6 900 m
Trail-running: 5 850 m
Run sections: 4
Swimming: 1 050 m
Swim sections: 3
Longest swim: 500 m
Longest run: 3 400 m
Total elevation: 153 m
Registration
We will open registration for ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Malta 2021 when the Covid-19 situation is more clear.
About ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Malta
Malta is a melting pot of many cultures. From the Saracen to the Knights templar, with amazing cultural buildings and heritage. Malta is in the Southern Mediterranean with flight connections all over Europe. In April the water is warming up, and the air temperature is perfect for Swimrun. The island is dry, with a coast line full of coves and inlets. The trail- running is fast and the swims are spectacular with extremely clear water.
The area around the finish line is a small swimrun heaven with lots of trails and great swims. If we have rain the mud sections will be a special treat.
This is a perfect trip to start the season, to visit historical sights and to enjoy some sun and warm water after the European winter.
Schedule for the weekend - this is the 2020 schedule for reference
Thursday, April 15th, 2021
23:59 | (Local time) Last day to enter and make changes for the ÖTILLÖ World Series, Sprint and Experience races. Changes must be sent to support@race.se. |
Saturday, April 17th, 2021
08:45-10:15 | Registration ÖTILLÖ Sprint & Experience |
11:00 | Start ÖTILLÖ Sprint & Experience, Team & Solo |
11:50 | First Experience Team/Solo across the finish line |
12:45 | First Sprint Team/Solo across the finish line |
14:45 | Last team across finish line |
15:00 | Prize giving ÖTILLÖ Sprint |
15:30-17:00 | Registration ÖTILLÖ World Series |
Sunday, April 18th, 2021
06:30 | Buses leave from Golden Sands to Valletta |
07:10 | Buses arrive Valletta |
08:00 | Start ÖTILLÖ World Series Malta, Valletta |
12:35 | First team across the finish line |
16:30 | Last team across the finish line |
15:00-18:00 | Pasta buffet & drinks |
17:00 | Prize giving ÖTILLÖ World Series |
Race information
Here you will find everything you need to know as a racer at ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Malta. Please read this thoroughly as the information is important for your experience before and during the race. Good luck and have fun!
Malta race specific information
Malta is reached by air from all major European airports. If you are on Sicily you can take the ferry.
For Saturday Sprint and Experience races you can stay anywhere on Malta as the race area is within a 1-hour drive from almost anywhere on the island.
For the Sunday World Series race you need to be at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Golden Sands no later than 17:00 on Saturday for registration, the welcome drink and the MANDATORY race briefing. You should plan Saturday and Sunday evening either at the hotel or nearby. We will transport all racers to Valletta from the Radisson Blu Hotel for the Sunday morning start.
Malta has lots of options. However, we strongly recommend staying at the Radisson Golden Sands – an excellent 5 star property situated right on the beach at the Finish Line, where ÖTILLÖ has negotiated an exceptional rate of EUR 145 Euros per room (2 pax sharing) for all race participants, inclusive of breakfast and free cancellation up until April 15th, available for booking here.
We will have energy and liquid stations along the course as marked in the course map.
- We will serve fruits and snacks at the energy stations.
- We will have water and electrolytes by Precision Hydration at all stations.
- Please do not take more than you need as there are others behind you.
- We will have paper cups at all energy stations but you are free to use your own collapsible cup as well.
- Please re-use your cup instead of taking multiple cups.
- If you need gels, bring your own and carry in your wetsuit. Do not throw the wrappers on the ground, leave it in the garbage cans at the energy stations.
All racers have to come to the registration to collect the Start pack. At the registration you will have to display your photo-ID. If you race in a team both team members need to come to the registration together. For a smoother process, please look up your start number before picking up your Start pack. If you plan to race with fins you need to bring these so that we can verify that they are in line with the rules.
The race briefing for the Sprint, Experience and World Series race will be put online under NEWS. These briefings will be available from 17:00 (local time) on the Friday before the races.
The race briefings are MANDATORY to watch as there will be lots of important information for you to hear.
he start for the Sprint and Experience is on the beach at Golden Sands. The start of the World Series race is in Valletta. We will transport the Sunday World Series racers to the start in Valletta by bus from Golden Sands. All finishes are in Golden Sands beach. For Saturday Sprint and Experience you will need to make your own way to the start. Make sure to be there on time.
- You have to be in the start box 10 minutes before start
- Toilets are available by the start line
- You can leave a small bag at the indicated place at the start. Bring a minimum of valuables.
The ÖTILLÖ World Series has three (3) cut-offs. These are for your safety:
- TIME 3 at 10:30
- TIME 5 at 13:20
- TIME 6 at 14:30
We have cut-offs in our events to make sure that we can have a safe race; these are put in place so that everyone has a possibility to finish before dark and without jeopardizing the safety of others by stretching the safety organization too much. Please respect this and the people enforcing them.
During each race we make a big media production for social media and traditional media. You will see photographers, reporters and film teams along the course. If you have any personal media contacts that would like to have material from us please email to media.requests@otilloswimrun.com.
We will cover the ÖTILLÖ World Series Malta LIVE on otilloswimrun.com/live, please spread the information to all your friends and family.
We will also use #otillomalta to tag our posts, please do so too. Our images that we post from the race are free to use for you as racers but not allowed for commercial use to promote other products or events.
In April the water is warming up, and the air temperature is perfect for Swimrun.
Like everywhere we can have wind, rain and un-seasonably cold weather, make sure you bring clothes to handle this.
The water in the Southern Mediterranean is salty, this has an advantage as you will have more flotation, and it also has a disadvantage and that is the possibility for chafing during the race. Make sure you prepare areas that rub so you enjoy both the beginning and the end of the race.
We welcome all spectators, friends and families to participate in our events. During the Covid-19 Pandemic you need to observe our ÖTILLÖ Covid-19 Safety Management Plan. We ask you to make sure you avoid creating a crowd and to keeping safe distance to others. In the event area at the finish line we will only allow racers.
We strongly suggest that you take the time to enjoy Malta. Bring your friends and family to enjoy a long weekend or the week with you. The hotel deal is of course for them as well.
As the Saturday races start and finish in Golden Sands and that the World Series finishes in Golden Sands you can enjoy a beautiful day at the beach and see some racing. If you have a car you can follow the whole race along the course on Sunday
NOTE: you may not assist any teams unless if it is a medical emergency. Any other assistance will result in disqualification of the team.
ÖtillÖ general race information
Each athlete participating in an ÖTILLÖ Swimrun (World Series, Sprint & Experience race) must know, understand and follow all the competition rules. Please read the ÖTILLÖ Standard Swimrun rules.
- Take care of each other; it is a long and tough course.
- We have safety boats and are trying to do our best to cover the course.
- All teams have to help another team in an emergency.
- We have medics on the course.
- Communicate with race officials when help needed.
- If you abandon the race you must communicate with race officials as soon as possible and return the timing chip at the finish area.
- You cannot wear a tow rope for the first run.
- We suggest that you do NOT use a tow rope when running in difficult terrain.
As stated in the ÖTILLÖ COVID- 19 SAFETY MANAGEMENT PLAN 2020 we will now have disposable paper cups at all energy stations. Please re-use your cup instead of taking multiple cups. The foldable cup is therefore not included in the mandatory equipment.
Race course
If the race organization believe there is a danger for the racers or the organization based on weather or other conditions, the course can be changed the day before or even in the middle of the race. Safety is our priority.
”Try before you buy”.
Now you have the possibility to rent the Worlds fastest swimrun suits at all ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series events. Book your suit online and pick it up on site at the ARK box. Limited amount of suits per event. If you want you have the option to buy your suit afterwards at a discounted price.
Book your wetsuit here.
Rental sites 2020:
- ÖTILLÖ Engadin — July 25 – 26, 2020.
- ÖTILLÖ Final 15K — August 29, 2020.
- ÖTILLÖ Utö — September 26 – 27, 2020.
- ÖTILLÖ Hvar — November 7 – 8, 2020.
- ÖTILLÖ Malta — November 28 – 29, 2020.
You must have a valid personal insurance for racing in Swimrun. If you do not have one you can purchase it for the race or for the 2020 season, valid in all the races listed. It is an insurance that will repay your entry fee and travel costs if you have to withdraw prior to the race due to an accident or illness (you have to have a doctor’s certificate).
Read more and buy your insurance here.
A spot will be awarded to the first two men, women and mixed teams where no team member already has a spot for the following ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship. If a team does not want the spot it will roll down to the next eligible team. If no team wants the spot it goes back to the ÖTILLÖ organisation who are free to do what they want with it. The entry fee needs to be payed at the date set in the invoice.
All teams that finish an ÖTILLÖ World Series race or a race with ÖTILLÖ merit status will receive ranking points, see all merit races here. Check out the races, finish it and get points. If you are not registered, read more about the Swimrun ranking and register here.
To be able to participate in ÖTILLÖ The Swimrun World Championship through ranking selection or random team selection, you need to have ranking points. Read more about how to gain your spot for ÖTILLÖ The Swimrun World Championship here.
Teams that finish top 30 in each category (Women/Men/Mixed) will collect points in the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series. Your team can collect points from all ÖTILLÖ World Series events and ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship.
The winning team in each category will be honored at the last World Series event of the year.
Check out the World Series standings and the new point distribution here.
As you might know we have some ÖTILLÖ branded goods. These can be found on our website
Our partners will be in the event area at the finish line with products on-site.
As a swimrunner you are responsible for your team mate and for others around you. It is your obligation to know how to rescue someone out of the water, how to do CPR and how to use your Mandatory pressure bandage if someone has a bad cut. Here are some good films for you to watch.
Swimming induced pulmonary oedema (SIPE) is a condition which has gained attention in recent years. In short, due to somewhat unclear mechanism, fluid collects in the lungs, compromising the transfer of oxygen from the lungs to the bloodstream. This results in the following symptoms;
- Shortness of breath
- Decreased oxygen saturation (which has to be measured with medical instruments)
- Cough, sometimes with blood
There is ongoing research in the subject, and as the knowledge increases, we will hopefully learn how to better prevent, diagnose and treat the condition.
The current research suggests that the condition terminates in less than 48h. Often it’s enough to stop the activity, remove/open up the wetsuit and get warm. In some cases, oxygen therapy is needed. It’s not fully understood why the condition arises.
There are yet no studies evaluating the long-term effects of SIPE. There is evidence that susceptible individuals may have recurrent episodes of SIPE. There are some medications that may help to prevent recurrent episodes.
If you experience the above symptoms, we recommend stopping the activity and contacting race marshals. If you encounter symptoms during a training session, we recommend seeking medical attention since there are other medical conditions which can manifest in the same way.
Train smart, race hard and take care of yourself and your partner!
Neither the participant nor the race organizer shall be held responsible for a force majeure event. Force majeure means any event which is unforeseen and beyond the reasonable control of either party including but not limited to the following: Act of God, adverse weather, inevitable accident, failure or shortage of power supplies, fire, flood, epidemic, earthquake, explosion, lightning, war or armed conflict, embargo, government or regulatory action or decree, riot or civil disturbance, strike, lock-outs, or other industrial action, terrorist action, failure or delay of common carrier or impairment or lack of adequate transportation facilities.
If by reason of any force majeure event the race organizer is delayed in, or prevented from, performing any of the obligations with regards to staging the race, no loss or damage shall be claimed by the participant by reason thereof.