STOCKHOLM SWEDEN, 25 AUGUST 2016
The eleventh edition of the gruelling Swimrun World Championship, ÖTILLÖ, will be held on 5 September. 120 teams of two are taking on the imposing 75 km race through the archipelago of Stockholm in Sweden. More than 600 teams from all over the world are on the waiting list. ÖTILLÖ is the original swimrun race and the pioneer for the new and fast growing sport of swimrun. It is one of the toughest one day races in the world. The competitors run and swim for hours on end in wetsuit and shoes, over and between 26 islands in the beautiful Stockholm archipelago, situated in the cold Baltic sea.
– Race to be broadcast live, Monday, 5 September from 06:00 CET on http://otilloswimrun.com/live
Swimrun has grown from being one sole extreme endurance challenge (ÖTILLÖ) to be a true sport with over 200 races around the world in 2016. ÖTILLÖ is the original race, that has a built a mythical reputation in endurance sports circles globally. 120 teams receive a spot to start, either on merit or through qualifying races. More than 600 teams are on the waiting list.
In swimrun you alternate trail running and open water swimming. You run in your wetsuit and swim in your shoes. You race in wild nature and in teams of two, which is unique and adds on to the strong experience and increasing popularity of the sport.
”In today’s society where everything is focused on the individual, the experience is so much stronger when you race with a team mate. You have to adjust your performance to someone else and you should wisely use your team’s strengths and weaknesses to reach higher. That, together with the beautiful nature experience is why swimrun is so unique and growing in popularity,” said race organiser Michael Lemmel.
The competitors will tackle one and a half marathon run (65 km) on island trails, slippery rocks, unbeaten terrain, in their wetsuit, and 10 km of open water swimming in a cold, sometimes bumpy sea with the running shoes on. The water is cold, you fight against currents and the course is long. To make it to the finish line before the cut-offs and darkness you can never stop. If the conditions are right we can probably expect some very fast times, somewhere around over eight hours. But behind the top teams the majority of the competitors will be struggling for much longer…
The ex triathlon world champion and Hawaii Ironman winner Faris Al Sultan from Germany is an interesting contender in this year’s race. How will Al Sultan and his team mate Werner Leitner stand up against the experienced swimrun athletes and course record holders (2014) Daniel Hansson och Lelle Moberg of Sweden, or the reigning world champion Paul Krochak (CAN) who is racing with swimrun ace Oscar Olsson? The Englishman Andrew Fargus, who won the ÖTILLÖ qualifier on Isles of Scilly in the UK in June, will with his new team partner Fraser Carmell be an equally exciting team to follow.
At the 2015 ÖTILLÖ edition, mixed team Staffan Björklund and Marika Wagner of Sweden made history by placing fifth overall and finish under nine hours. A huge performance that they intend to beat this year, with the goal to finish on the overall podium! Watch them! The former world champion in swimming, Emma Igelström, will compete for the first time together with Peter Oom.
In the women’s category the Swedish ladies are still looking very strong. The shocker duo Kristin Larsson (winner overall in mixed team at qualifier ÖTILLÖ Engadin) and reigning world champion Annika Eriksson will be a tough competition for the reigning and ex world champions Maja Tesch and Bibben Nordblom. Will we see a foreign team fighting these strong women at the top?
The former ultra triathlon champion Jonas Colting is the only competitor who has competed in all 10 previous editions and won three of them! He will race in a mixed team with Elin Lilja.
Two Swedish music celebrities have fallen for the sport of swimrun and we are happy to announce that both Petter and Daniel Adams Ray, will be on the start line. A very impressive undertaking even for the fittest.
Watch ÖTILLÖ Live!
ÖTILLÖ has an extensive live production following the race with live video and commentary.
If you want to link to the live stream, please use the following link www.otilloswimrun.com/live for a full experience with the live video accompanied by other social feeds and detailed race information following the competitors with GPS.
If you wish to embed the video stream please use the following Youtube playlist
Fast facts ÖTILLÖ – the Swimrun World Championship 2016
11th edition
75 km running and swimming from dawn till dusk
65 km of trail running
10 km of open water swimming
Water temperature 10–15° C
26 islands to cross
50 changes between running and swimming
The swims are between 100 and 1 780 metres LONG
The runs are between 70 and 19 700 metres LONG
Longest swim 1 780 metres
Longest run 19,7 km
120 teams – 70 men, 32 mixed, 18 women
Teams of two; for safety reasons and for the unique experience
20 Nationalties
Course record: 8 hours 16 minutes (2014):
Team Lelle Moberg & Daniel Hansson (SWE), Team Milebreaker/Öppet hav
World Champions 2015:
Men: Björn Englund (SWE) & Paul Krochak (CAN), Team Head Swimming 8:29:11
Mixed: Marika Wagner (SWE) & Sta an Björklund (SWE), Team Peak Perfomance powered by Apollo 8:55:39
Women: Annika Ericsson (SWE) & Maya Tesch (SWE), Team SurfSport 10:30:36
Ranked by CNN as one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world. Featured in NYT, Outside Magazine, l’Equipe Magazine, TF1, Die Welt and many more.
Media Contact
Josefine Ås
pr@otilloswimrun.com
+33 6 79 04 23 46
International TV Distribution
News cuts will be availble for TV on race day. Please contact:
EYESPRINT COMMUNICATION
Simone Felsberger
simone@eye-sprint.com
+49 151 419 176 72
www.eye-sprint.com
