JUNE 10, 2018
NERVE-WRACKING UNTIL THE END – WHAT A RACE!
The 2018 ÖTILLÖ Isles of Scilly World Series turned out to be a very exciting affair all the way to the bitter end. This third edition of the race had the top teams in each class dog-fighting all the way to the finish line. It must have been very tough on them out there.
The Isles of Scilly of the coast of Cornwall (Uk) is like “Paradise Lost” with beautiful sand beaches, great waters and spectacular trails and flora. The course has a lot of swimming with two major crossings of the channel. This course is one of our favourites. The 38 kilometres long course is a true test, alternating technical trail running with long, challenging stretches of open-water swimming.
THE WINNERS GOLDEN BIB HOLDERS George Bjälkemo & Pontus Lindberg, Team Garmin (SWE), managed to pull away from the leading pack and cross the finish line as the first team after 4h31m, three minutes ahead of Nicolas Remires & Guillaume Heneman, Team Envol (FRA). The very strong Martin Flinta (SWE) & Helena Karaskova Erbenova (CZE) Team Thule Crew finished as first mixed team, with the time of 4:53:37! The first women’s team Fanny Danckwardt & Susie Moonan (SWE) Team Envol completed an impressive race and finished after 5:09:23.
“This race and this place is amazing! We have all suffered today and we did not know until the very end if we would make it. The course and the level of racing is nerve-wracking and a real body destroyer. The variation in the terrain just eats you up. It’s unbelievably beautiful!”, said Pontus Lindberg after finishing as overall winner with George Bjälkemo (SWE), Team Garmin.
The Isles of Scilly, of the coast of Cornwall in South-west England, is considered as a rare gem. It is an archipelago of islands in the Atlantic with almost every plant in the world, it has the most amount of historical sites er square meter in the UK and it has pristine nature. The Isles of Scilly is a dream destination for an ÖTILLÖ swimrun race. There is no doubt that the Isles of Scilly lives up to ÖTILLÖ’s claim of having unique races in unique places!
The 37,2 km race course of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly World Series race is as tough as it gets. The sea was quite calm, however the sea temperature at 14 degrees zaps the energy from the racers during the longest swim crossing of 2 450 metres. Add to that the tidal flow during the race and it becomes a challenge for everyone. The tide changes almost 3, 5 meters during the race. The near perfect weather made it easier than expected but still a very big challenge. The majority of the runs are on technical trails along the beautiful coast lines of the islands.
Several teams had to struggle to make it in time for the three cut offs. Some had to abandon along the way. The top teams pushed each other hard, chasing each other in a tight group all the way to the finish line. The level of competition has real exploded!
At all ÖTILLÖ swimrun World Series events teams race in pairs. Working wisely with your partner is decisive. Using each other’s strengths will push boundaries. The team experience is incomparable and can only be fully understood by those who have practiced it, and is part of why swimrun is growing so fast in popularity.
143 teams of two from 17 different nations travelled to the Isles of Scilly to compete in the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly, a qualifier to the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship in the Swedish archipelago.
The day prior to the race a shorter more accessible race was organised, the ÖTILLÖ Sprint Isles of Scilly, offering the same flavours as the longer, more challenging race but in a smaller format.This race had 96 teams registered from a total of 17 nations.
Eight top teams at ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly qualify to the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship 2018, on 3 September 2018 in the Stockholm Archipelago; top 3 men, top 3 mixed, top 2 women.
Top 3 results ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly
Men
- George Bjälkemo & Pontus Lindberg (SWE) Team Garmin
- Nicolas Remires & Guillaume Heneman (FRA) Team Envol
- Stefano Prestinoni & Fredrik Axegård (SWE) Team Swimshop.se
Mixed
- Martin Flinta (SWE) & Helena Karaskova Erbenova (CZE), Thule
- Ben Martin & Rhian Martin (GBR) Precision Hydration UK
- Julien Antoine & Camille Marchand (FRA) Ulteam
Women
- Fanny Danckwardt & Susie Moonan (SWE) Team Envol
- Annika Ericsson & Elisabet Pärsdotter Westman (SWE) Lag PärEric
- Helene Maalinn (EST) & Michelle Nyström (SWE) Team Garmin
Fast facts ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly 2018
- Isles of Scilly, UK
- Total race distance: 37 275 m
- Trail running: 29 325 m
- Swimming: 7 950 m
- Swim sections: 7
- Longest swim: 2 500 m
- Longest run: 7 700 m
- Curiosa: At the finish line Brian MacArdle proposed to Sophia Chadwick!
About swimrun and ÖTILLÖ
Swimrun is one of the fastest growing endurance sports where you in teams of two alternate trail running and open water swimming along a marked course. There is no time to lose – you run in your wetsuit and swim in your shoes!
It is a unique sport and experience as you always race with a partner and the race course is in wild nature.
The ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship (ÖTILLÖ meaning island to island in Swedish) is the original swimrun race, renowned as one of the toughest one-day races in the world.
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series 2018
There are six qualifying races to the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship. At each World Series event a sprint race is organised the same weekend.
- ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Hvar, Croatia, April 8, 2018
- ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö, Sweden, May 20, 2018
- ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly, UK, June 10 2018
- ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Engadin, Switzerland, July 8, 2018
- ÖTILLÖ ÖTILLÖ Swimrun 1000 Lakes, Germany, September 30, 2018 (Qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2019)
- ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Cannes, France. October 21st, 2018 (Qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2019) NEW RACE!
ÖTILLÖ, The swimrun world championship
- 13th edition on September 3rd, 2018
- 75 km over and between 26 islands in the Stockholm Archipelago
- Renowned as one of the toughest one-day races in the world
Media contact
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series
Hannes Hofer
+41 79 818 98 28
media.requests@otilloswimrun.com
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship
Josefine Ås
+33 6 79 04 23 46
pr@otilloswimrun.com
