Ötillö involves a total distance of 65km trail running and 10km open water swimming over and between 26 islands in the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden.
The event provides athletes with a gruelling test over land and sea, with the equivalent of a swimming marathon and 65km of running involved. The concept of Swimrun involves bursts of swimming and running in varying distances over land and sea has grown in popularity, shown by the long waiting list to compete at Ötillö and the birth of many new smaller swim/run races in Scandinavia.
The course is a punishing test situated over island trails, craggy rocks, and unbeaten terrain, through freezing cold water, where competitors fight the darkness to the finish line. There are a gigantic 50 changes between running and swimming with the swims between 100m and 1,780m long and the runs between 70 and 1970m long.
Last year’s winner Bjorn Englund and Paul Krochak posted a course record of 8 hours and 35 minutes, however most teams finish a long while after this. Former Ultra Man World Champion Jonas Colting will also be racing in his ninth consecutive Ötillö race
For more information check out www.otillo.se/