Andreas äventyr

How to sub 9 at ÖTILLÖ World Championship

2018-09-042019-08-29 by Andreas Ribbefjord

Updated 2019-08-25 in time for the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship 2019. The original article was posted 2018-09-04 right after Worlds 2018.

Yes, together with my teammate Tomas Granberg we finished in under 9 hours in the 2018 perfect conditions. Men’s category 20th place and 27th overall with a time of 8:57.49. But a lengthy post bragging about that wouldn’t be of much use to the world, so let’s leave us aside and instead talk about the strategy that goes into executing at your best potential at ÖTILLÖ Worlds for anyone attempting, be that sub 8, 9 or 10 or whatever.

Obviously the most important thing is training, training and some more training, but today I’ll leave that whole thing out and focus on race execution, which is particularly important at ÖTILLÖ Worlds.

Knowing the course

If you are not a repeat participant, recon every section with Google Maps or equivalent. The ÖTILLÖ website has an official Google Maps route with stations.
Some people write a table of distances of all the legs on their paddles. We don’t. Instead we focus on the key takeaways such as those following below, which are not too hard to remember.
On which island is there no energy station for a long time but still enough time to eat a bar? (Answer: Vånsholmen)
Where do I need to pick up water or sports drink in a soft flask that I’ve carried with me? (Answer: Ornö church, and more places if very hot conditions)
Where do I keep my swim cap on and goggles readily on forehead at water exit, because the next swim is just around the corner? (Answer: after the pig swim, after the 1 km swim, on Mellankobbarna but not Järnholmen if hot weather, etc)
If the weather is warm, where do you peel your wetsuit down? (Answer: probably only at Ornö)
How long does it take for both teammates to peel the wetsuit down and up again? If it takes a long time, would it be better to accept a little heat and drink a bit more?
If your team is strong in the off-trail, where do you want to avoid being stuck behind a pack where there is little room for overtaking? You need to know such things.
You might think that nine or so hours give plenty of time to think but that isn’t really the case with ÖTILLÖ. There are so many micro decisions and focus needs to be on point almost all the time. To me ÖTILLÖ has more intensity and adrenaline than a 10 km race on the road.

Race-day nutrition

I consumed about 400 ml of standard gel. You might need to put additional caffeine (400 mg is good for me) and electrolytes (sodium being most important) in there. Carbohydrate supply from stations just won’t be enough. ÖTILLÖ Worlds is similar to an Ironman effort but with a little more heart rate fluctuation.
I put my gel in a 500 ml soft flask with no risk of littering and no messing around with packaging. Many people find it hard to take solids at the latter part of a race. You probably want to save some gel for the final two hours when even banana feels as too much. Take a sip of gel every 20 min or so when on land. Time just before swim entry to distribute over time. Also, you might want to put the caffeine in the bottom half of your container, to give you that boost at the back half of the race.
In addition to gel I pack one bar for Vånsholmen and eat banana or equivalent from aid stations as they appear. Adapt to your preference.
Drink plenty of at the stations. It is difficult to sense dehydration at an early stage. Especially when you are in the cold water. As with gels, keeping count on ingestion is more reliable than “feeling”.
Provided your stomach allows, drink from the ocean while swimming. You might want to try that during exercise to see what amount your stomach can handle.
I bring two soft flasks. One, as said, containing my gel mix and one initially empty for liquid picked up at aid stations. Stations do not provide cups as an environmental consideration.
In case of stomach pain, I choose to back down but it is very important to continue taking gel as soon as the pain subsides.

Swims

You are aiming for beach flags mainly. At the first swim and a latter 1 km swim there is usually a solid strobe light to guide you. Sometimes there are intermediate guidance pyramid buoys. You don’t need to pass them on a specific side.
Draft whenever the opportunity arises, or even strategically stalk a team at suitable speed from land. You’ll always have your partner draft on you or the other way around, in any case. Side-by-side is wasting your team’s energy total to no use. The men’s front of ÖTILLÖ will usually be a group for a very long time, until a team breaks away on a run. You might realize why.
Swimming about 10 km in a day with long runs in between means energy efficiency is key. You don’t venture into higher heart rates if there is not a very good reason to do so. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of time at the end for redlining anyway.
If you realize you gap your partner swimming and you don’t have a tow line, slow your stroke down as to help your partner to get back into draft. When approaching shore, on the other hand, you could swim a few meters ahead allowing for some exit scouting.
Sighting is very important. Even if you are a good swimmer you don’t want to be swimming 740 m when everyone else is swimming 700. Personally I prioritize sighting and swimming straight over pushing it very hard since my ability to swim straight deteriorates at very high effort. Especially so in choppy water.
Most teams use fairly big hand paddles but don’t bring paddles so big that you are no longer able to pull through the whole stroke at the back half of the race.
ÖTILLÖ WC is in the Baltic Ocean, which has brackish water. Some people will go without goggles and that works. If you use stronger contact lenses, you might want to bring a spare contact if swimming without goggles. This also being a thing to definitely practice before adopting.
You may swim through currents, especially on the swims between Ornö and Utö. Those are the last swim sections of the course when you are the most fatigued. If the water is moving rapidly, counter already before hitting the current to get some slack. Currents may switch directions from one year to the next.

Runs

The course has everything from tarmac to scrambling. “65 km of running” is more like 35 km of runnable, 25 km of technical trail and 5 km of complete wilderness expedition. ;)
First-timers will likely be surprised by the amount of off-trail and slippery rock. You need good grip. Especially in a wet year when rain is falling on race day or the days before. Non-spike orienteering shoes are popular with ÖTILLÖ Worlds athletes.
If one of you is a considerably stronger runner, that person might be pulling with a tow line at the runnable sections. You might prefer pulling a little throughout the whole race instead of one of you bonking two thirds into and the other then trying to pull very hard. Watch out since pulling hard might trigger cramps in the calves.

Pacing

What pace would you be able to maintain throughout the whole race? Now take that pace and go just a little faster. You don’t want to underachieve. That should still end up being a bit slower than how most teams pace themselves. This applies in general but not always at the men’s front as there are not many teams to draft on the swims so you might factor that in too. There are a lot of micro decisions like that to be taken during the race.
When I say pacing I mean effort-based and not actual speed since the course is so varied. We just avoid going “red” or even “orange” early on. This has the drawback that you might get stuck behind a crowd since a lot of teams can’t seem to pace themselves so think of strategies to mitigate that.
Again, remember to pace yourself. As they say at WS100, if you’re in the lead after the first climb, you are probably not going to win the race. :)

Teamwork

Leave all pride aside. If the pace is too high for you, let it be known. The other way around, ask your partner if they’ve remembered to take a gel lately. His/her success is your success.
Equal swimmers will let the more tired runner draft swims to regain some energy for the next run.
Even if you’ve got equal capacity in all respects, maybe bring a line under the wetsuit in case either of you ends up having a bad day.
If you are competitive both number one and two are done in-flight. Preferably during a swim or just before, to avoid developing rashes. With a short-legged wetsuit number two can be done quickly. I don’t know why I put this under teamwork.
Is your partner struggling? Figure out if it may be the heat, nutrition, foggy goggles or whatever — and help fix the problem. ÖTILLÖ is not typically an event that attracts lazy people, so nagging or blaming your partner would likely be misguided.
The level of competition at Worlds is increasing with every year, but camaraderie between teams is still respectful. Teams overtaking will often give you encouraging words. I think that is a natural when everyone is in a team and a part of this special event.

Gear

Although this and that is allowed, at the sharp end gear has basically consolidated into:

Pullbuoy with a lot of lift (compared to what pool swimmers are used to). The most popular are probably Ark Keel and Swimrunners Piraya. I use a DIY epoxied double Huub Big Bouy also favoured by some other athletes. Some have seen the guru to get a Rövraket (if you know, you know).
Wet suit specifically made for swimrun. I use Ark Korp but there are several good options. A pocket is handy to store gel and mandatories. In most weathers short sleeves are enough. Front-end athletes typically prioritize run performance. The bib will mess up your drag anyway and lift you get from the pullbuoy. The wetsuit is basically there to not be in the way and to provide warmth in cold water. I found that in protecting against cold water, it is more important that the wetsuit does not let in too much water than that the neoprene is thick.
Hand paddles equivalent to Strokemakers. Lighter is better, size according to strength.
Goggles: light is fast. Slim or even Swedish Goggles.
Shoes: for this race, think orienteering. VJ Sport’s butyl rubber mix and rock plate shoes are currently in fashion.
Tow line: roughly half of the front-end use it at Worlds. Some bring just in case.
In case of extreme cold: neoprene bandana, long sleeves and perhaps even a neoprene vest. Unusual, though.
Where do you store gel flasks and mandatory first aid? In a sports top or bra, your lower underwear or a pocket if your suit has one. Make sure they don’t bounce around too much or fall out while running.

This covers perhaps 20 % of the things that are handy to know. Dissecting this race you will find it is potentially so complex that you can’t expect to perform at your full physical potential the first time entering. Still worth it!

I don’t want to scare anyone from entering and it is not only for the very competitive. ÖTILLÖ World Champs is magical. Rich Roll even went as far as to call it life-defining. The scenery, the spirit among the racers and the staff. All magical, regardless of how serious you are about competing.

Three more swimrun gear hacks

2018-08-252018-09-11 by Andreas Ribbefjord

Following up on the huge success (well…) of Three swimrun gear hacks, here are three more — World Champs edition!

Hack 1: Gels in softflask

This might not apply to shorter races but could be useful for the upcoming World Champs. Last year I heard people had 20 or even 25 gels with them. Imagine the fiddling. I put my energy, caffeine and salts mix in a softflask instead. Bonus: you can fill up the flask with water at Ornö church avoiding running dry at that crucial part of the race where there will be no liquid served for a long while.

The natural follow-up question would be: where do I put the flask? In the pocket of the wetsuit of course! Problem is, most current swimrun suits don’t have pockets. That’s why I wear tight briefs. A bonus there is a softflask is less likely to cause rashes than pointy gels. Another way would be Head’s tank-top-style swimrun tops that feature a large front pocket. I think a tank-top would be a bit too warm for me, personally. For women, there is also a swimrun bra with a front pocket. Looks very handy! I’d try that i XXXXX large or cut the men’s swimrun top.

Hack 2: Shoes

Wear orienteering shoes for those comps which feature slippery rocks and off-trail. Not really a hack, is it? Well, anyway, VJ Sports Sarva Amas will be my footwear come September 3rd. Forget about all other properties in these races and go for grip. This very much applies to World Champs.

Hack 3: Don’t just train swimrun

Some people stress the importance of swimrun specific sessions. Sure, but when you have that dialed, think running, think swimming. All the best swimrunners do laps in the pool just like swimmers.

Learn from the best in swimming, and running. Don’t compare yourself to just the top people at your most high-profile national swimrun race and settle with that. Compare yourself instead to the fastest trail marathon runners of your country and aim for their level. Don’t set the bar too low. With the rapidly increasing level of competition in swimrun, in a few years, the bar will be unreachable if you do.

Also, think of ÖTILLÖ World Championship as an ultra endurance race. That means Ironmans or 10 h ultra foot races make good preparation to harden the body and learn to handle nutrition under such long races.

Presenting Swimrun Watch

2018-08-152018-10-21 by Andreas Ribbefjord

As I’m writing this we are almost two weeks out to the main event of the sport of swimrun, the ÖTILLÖ World Championships. Without doubt the most competitive race of the sport, ÖTILLÖ WC attracts the best athletes of all categories. Rumour has it that some of the teams that have been close or on podium last year have made Monday September 3 their highest priority for 2018, setting aside everything else.

Many are the teams returning for another shot where the heavy-weights fight it out, to improve on their previous efforts. With two weeks left, gradual tapering would set in for many of you, leaving time for last thoughts on equipment, race-day nutrition and race planning. Wouldn’t it be perfect if there would be a tool to help you with atleast some of that and add extra psych for the big day?

Enter Swimrun Watch — statistics and analytics for fans and athletes of competitive swimrun racing! I started working on this project almost a month ago and now is the time to reveal it and give you guys a chance to try it. Hopefully, it will be fun and maybe even useful for your pacing and race planning! Which teams are strong swimmers? Which die towards the end? The answers are in the data. Go find out!

Jesper Svensson (SWE) exiting the water with Daniel Hansson (SWE) on draft on their way to win 2017 World Champs. Jesper’s streak continued on for a recent win at Ironman Brazil. Photo: Jakob Edholm / ÖTILLÖ.

The men’s race played out as it usually does when you are up against Daniel Hansson. Very tight up until Ornö Church where Daniel and Jesper put the hammer down on their competition and went surprisingly fast over the very demanding islets separating Ornö and the finishing island Utö.

Women’s podium of the Swimrun World Championships 2017 with winners Kristin Larsson (SWE) and Annika Ericsson (SWE) — again! Photo: Jakob Edholm / ÖTILLÖ.

Swimrun Watch reveals winners Campz/Addnature managed to keep a wire-to-wire lead and compared to Orca Women they where only slower on one split — the home stretch uphill. All other green, indicating split advantage. However, that made no difference to the podium.

Adriel Young (AUS) and Eva Nyström (SWE) on their way to win the 2017 World Champs. Photo: Jakob Edholm / ÖTILLÖ.

I hope team Apollo Sports/Head Swimming of Staffan Björklund (SWE) and Marika Wagner (SWE) got reports along the way because the race for first place in the mixed category was a nail biter. At Kvinnholmen about half-way Thule Crew had an almost 17 min lead but from there on it all went south, loosing time on every split. Had the race been a kilometer or two longer, Staffan and Marika would have won. But that didn’t happen and the strong-minded Eva Nyström (SWE) would hopefully smile following what most likely was some serious suffering, landing in the medical tent right after crossing the line.

Ångaloppet 2018 in English

2018-08-122018-08-16 by Andreas Ribbefjord

I’ve written a bunch of race reports in Swedish, making them more or less inaccessible to all those people of other languages interested in this Sweden-borne swimrun sport. So this time, I’ll give you the tour of one of Sweden’s biggest races: Ångaloppet! Although, I’m not sure its just a race — more like a movement. Ångaloppet is for everyone! There’s a family race where an adult and a child swimrun together, short distances for trying the sport and hand paddles and lines for towing are banned. It’s supposed to be easy and fun to get into this sport and I think Ångaloppet is doing a great job in making a wider audience discover and appreciate the magnificent fun that this sport brings.

At the sharp end there is still a lot of fun and companionship, trust me, although heart is pounding and we’re pressing on in tight competition. The main event of Ångaloppet is no more than 22 km, which is short in the context of swimrun racing but still packs 24 swims. Water entries and exists all the time and a lot of trail/off trail makes for a hectic ride and tons of adrenaline! I so enjoy the feeling of being a hunted animal in the wilderness, or out hunting running through technical terrain and trying to outswim someone to the next islet.

Today I was back racing with my primary teammate Tomas Granberg of TG Swimrun notoriety. With no towline allowed, this race favors our very similar capacities in both disciplines of swimming and running. Also, we are both stronger in technical terrain than on runnable, which makes this course suit us. Usually we’ll for sure screw up something in a race but today was a fortunate exception. We executed a close to perfect race, which allowed us to advance as the race unfolded and cross the line as fifth finishers with the tenth best time ever on this course, to the best of our knowledge. Really pleased with our performance!

This bodes well for the big one, arising on the horizon like a fiend out of the Baltic ocean. I’m talking ÖTILLÖ World Championship 2018 — the relentless race of races that brings all the beauty of the salty and harsh archipelago along with massive fatigue. And we are now only three weeks out. That’s one more week of milage and then gradual tapering for Tomas and I. So looking forward to face the strobe of that first swim!

Oh. And the winners of today’s race, brothers Lars and Jonas Ekman of Bröderna bäver, are contenders for the win of the world championship. Last year they did the third fastest time ever in a world championship race and that was a step up from the year before. They are getting better and better, it looks, and I think that this year it will be gold for the brothers. Remember where you read it first.

Tomas and I having recently overtaken two orienteers.

With said orienteers who went out at an impressive pace on the first run.

Setting out controlled this is an early swim as number seven I think, working our way closer to the front as the race unfolds.

Participant of the family race. Gear in check!

Pallplats med Nina på Öloppet

2018-08-052018-08-05 by Andreas Ribbefjord

Igår körde jag Öloppet med Nina Ellmark. Vi lyckades ta hem tredjeplatsen i mixklassen. Vilken bra partner! Funkade utmärkt tillsammans trots att vi inte ens tränat tillsammans innan och ingen av oss kört den här tävlingen tidigare.

Man ska inte syssla för mycket med ursäkter, så jag river av dem i en mening: Jag hade lite magproblem och jag tappade en lins. Det var det. Men när är ett lopp felfritt? Det är många komponenter som ska stämma i swimrun. Skönt med en förstående partner som gör det bästa av situationen!

Vi simmade helt okej och loppet inleds med 1 km simning. Det gjorde att vi var tvåa den första milen innan Daniel Adams Ray och Charlotte Eriksson sprang förbi. De gick kanske ut försiktigt. De såg så fräscha ut och det var då min svacka började, så jag insåg att vi inte kunde hänga på.

Tanken då var att det var långt upp till ettan. I själva verket var avståndet till Oom/Eriksson som mest 6 min och då de fick problem på Vrångö minskade det därifrån hela tiden och slutade på 2 min i mål. Adams Ray/Eriksson slutade som etta. Det är lustigt vad lite man vet ibland mitt uppe i ett lopp. Man vet aldrig säkert vad som händer framför så ge inte upp!

Jag älskade banan, minus de långa asfaltslöpningarna. Riktigt fint att springa ute på skären. Och jäklar vad fina simningar med lagom vågor för att göra det lite äventyrligt! Det här gör jag gärna om. Jag tänkte innan att pallen var ett rimligt mål och det lyckades vi ju med. Blir det revansch nästa år så kanske ett eller två steg upp är rimligt!

Summer time!

2018-07-222018-07-23 by Andreas Ribbefjord

Sitter på färjan från Ornö till fastlandet och senare idag ska jag och Minime till en annan ö — Korsika. Mycket skärgård på sommaren! Tänkte bara rada upp vad som gjorts sedan sist och vad som kommer de närmsta veckorna.

Gjort:

Stockholm Multi Island Run (SMIR): inte så mycket tävling utan mer en fin upplevelse!
Lost Water Swimrun Orienteering: vinst med Ola Lagerström. Jätterolig tävling i Hellas och sköna priser från Silva.
Vandrade/sprang Padjelantaleden (c:a 145 km på 3,5 d) med Ola Lagerström. Kan verkligen rekommenderas för löpare. Norr till söder (Akka – Staloluokta – Kvikkjokk) är det lättsprungen på kalfjäll de första 2/3. Oerhört vackert. Vi hade cirka 4 kg packning var och sov i samestugorna på vägen, som är mycket lika STF-stugor.
MIF triatlon på Ornö: etta för tredje året i rad. Nu kanske jag är klar med denna tävling och kan planera in något annat nästa år? Vi får se. Å andra sidan är det kul att göra något explosivt (~ 32 min) som avbrott mellan alla ultratävlingar.

Kommande:

Tänkte vandra GR20 men det blir mer traditionell semester på Korsika istället, med löp- och simträning, förstås.
Öloppet med Nina Ellmark.
Ångaloppet med Tomas Granberg.
Ötillö med Tomas Granberg.

Lost Water Swimrun Orienteering. Notera världsmästaren i skidorientering tvåa från vänster!

Andreas dricker och äter, Ola orienterar. Man gör vad man är bäst på!

Urban 7 Summits FKT 2018

2018-06-302020-03-26 by Andreas Ribbefjord

Vi vid Snösätra, strax innan Högdalsmassivet.

Igår blev det tredje året i rad jag sprang Urban 7 Summits för att sätta nytt fastest known time (banrekord, så att säga). U7S är en utmaning där man springer mellan — och förstås upp på — sju toppar i Stockholm. Man får springa vilken väg man vill och det blir ungefär 69 km om man springer smart.

2016: sprang vilse
2017: FKT med 6:29
2018: FKT med 6:22

Nytt FKT igen men ändå besvikelse när jag insåg redan efter 50 km att krafterna inte skulle räcka till U7SXL. Tanken var nämligen att samtidigt sätta nytt rekord på den längre varianten U7SXL, vilken är ungefär 95 km om man navigerar effektivt.

Patrik var dock starkare och orkade hela vägen med ett leende på läpparna. “Oförskämt fräsch” vid 69 km samtidigt som det kändes som att jag skulle behöva gå ett tag innan jag kunde springa igen. Lika bra att gasellen fick köra på resterande 26 km i eget tempo. Det är bara att tacka för inspirationen till att träna hårdare! För mig var det ett perfekt långpass inför ÖTILLÖ WC. Fram till mitten på augusti är planen på att köra ner mig lite i löpningen.

Vi hade lyxcrewning hela vägen med ny flaska och tilltugg i stort sett var femte km. Navigationen var pretty dialed men vi lyckades ändå villa bort oss vid några tillfällen. Inga stora katastrofer dock! Till aspirerande U7S-löpare ger jag rådet att studera kartan och Google Street View ordentligt innan och gärna provspringa komplicerade delar innan. Jag är inte helt nöjd med navigationen på Garmin Fenix 3 men bättre än ingenting.

Med det sagt uppmanar jag alla löpare där ute att ge sig på utmaningen. Vi hade en rolig och lyckad dag igår och jag är dels glad att sätta nytt FKT på U7S och lika glad att Patrik vid 69 km sprang vidare till ett nytt FKT på U7SXL på 8:47.

Detta är tidplanen jag satte ihop innan. Som ni ser höll vi den bra på U7S och vi låg tre min före vid Brukets backe där jag klev av. Varefter gasellen opened up the stride och mosade tidplanen till bitar.

Vägen vi planerade och nästan lyckades navigera rätt på.

Bränsle: mackor (svårtuggat!), Snickers (svårtuggat), gels, elektrolytkapslar, koffeintabletter.

Three swimrun gear hacks

2018-06-282018-06-28 by Andreas Ribbefjord

Hack 1: Curving your paddles

Did you ever feel a weird tension in your hands after a while of swimrunning? Well, relax your empty hand and watch the natural form of it from the side. It is not flat, it’s cupped, half closed. I started to experiment with curved paddles when Pontus Lindberg told me he once had paddled curved by design but that they got stolen and he now missed them. I just figured that I could bend a pair of plastic paddles myself. So I did like this. Remove the straps, put them in the oven resting on something but with the side you want to bend sticking out in the air. This is for you to notice when they start to soften. When that happens, take them out, bend to your liking and let cool. Voilà! You now have paddles that feel more natural in your hand and even gives a bit of a scoop to your catch.

Hack 2: Flip your bandana

Some bandanas, like mine, are wider over the ears. You might wonder why. Maybe to allow some peace from a chatty partner? Well, I wear it 90 degrees turned so that the wider part protects the forehead instead of blocking the ears. The only reason I wear a bandana is to protect my forehead from cold water, so maximizing that area while maximizing my hearing is perfect.

Hack 3: Goggles around the wrist

If you are like me and don’t like the feeling of having something tight around your neck you may want to carry your goggles like this. Goggles around the wrist leaves the hands free for scrambling, eating or holding paddles. Goggles resting around my forehead I found them to be foggy/sweaty when it is time for a swim. And as visible in the cover picture, you may even make coffee like this! Another way would be to put the goggles inside the swim cap and the cap inside of your wetsuit, tucking the goggles away but not having them touch your skin.

Stockholm Swimrun 2018

2018-06-102018-06-15 by Andreas Ribbefjord

Ja men det var ju lyckat. Femma i herr på Stockholm Swimrun tillsammans med Fredrik Nilzén. Det blev lite partner shuffle då Tomas “Maskinen” Granberg körde med megasimmaren Ulf Hausmann. Men det är ju kul att testa en ny konstellation. Jag och Tomas kör fortfarande World Champs och annat tillsammans.

Konkurrensen såg inte ut att vara så hård dagen innan men sen dök Hansson/Moberg och Flores/Sjösten upp på tävlingsdagen som stridsbåtar i horisonten. Ångbryggeriet, vi och alla andra fick finna oss i att kliva ner två steg i resultatlistan. Men det är inte mer än rättvist. Någon klass måste det ju vara på pallen!

Kort sagt: Fredrik har starka ben och drog mig en del på löpningen och vi hade otroligt roligt!

Nynäs crew: Helena och Claes i lag Skärgårdshotellet och storfräsarna Johan och Jocke i Nynäshamns ångbryggeri. Samtliga vet hur man vilar innan start!

Ulf och Tomas var redo att dela Brunnsvikens vatten i två delar. Eller släppa en ny rap-singel. Oklart.

ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö 2018

2018-05-262018-05-29 by Andreas Ribbefjord

The interest in the sport of swimrun nowadays is clearly not limited to Swedes so I thought it’d be considerate and write this in English. Anyway, last weekend me and Tomas Granberg raced ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö as the team TG Swimrun. It’s the second World Series event of the year after Hvar in Croatia and I’d say it is the second most competitive swimrun race on the planet (don’t know about Mars or Jupiter) after the World Champs.

This year, the competition at Utö really took a huge step up. Take our team as an example: 11 min faster this year but finished 17 total compared to 9 total last year. This year, Utö became a confluence of fast teams. There where no new teams in the top 10, but most of the top athletes of the sport had decided to participate, although still missing names such as Hanson, Moberg, Krochak and Olsson.

I decided to take a closer look at the performances of the top 50 teams at Utö this year. 16 of the teams raced the same event in 2017, when conditions were very similar to this year’s conditions. Comparing the times I noticed that almost all of the 16 teams were faster this year yet very few managed to defend their positions, just like us. Deeper front and a step up in performance all across the field.

Team finishing times, 2017 compared to 2018.

Team finishing positions, 2017 compared to 2018.

I think you get the idea. Competition is getting tougher mainly because the existing athletes are becoming faster as they devote more effort to swimrun. The World Series race at Utö is mainly a Swedish concern, although 20 some teams where from outside of Sweden. Regardless, the sharp end is predominantly Swedish. Probably we’ll see national and regional competition sharpening at races in other places around the world the next few years.

There has been some talk in Sweden about athletes transitioning from related sports to swimrun, raising the standard at the front end. I think that already happend and there is not much more to expect from that in Sweden. We already have Swedish top end triathletes in swimrun: Pontus Lindberg (8:11 Ironman), George Bjälkemo (several national medals in mid distance), Eva Nyström (four national gold medals), Jesper Svensson, Oscar Olsson etc. From adventure racing/multiport we have top international level athletes such as Daniel Hansson, Kristin Larsson and Martin Flinta.

I think that at this point the talent pool of endurance athletics in Sweden is pretty much exhausted. There are some obvious world-class athletes fans of the swimrun would like to one day see at ÖTILLÖ, like Åsa Lundström and Patrik Nilsson (eighth in Kona 2017). However, I don’t think the time is ripe just yet for these people as they need to focus 100 % on triathlon. It would be unexpected of a young triathlete to venture off while still in the top international game of a much bigger sport, like Patrik Nilsson is. However maybe some more cases of guest appearances as by active pro triathlete Jesper Svensson while still maintaining their careers in triathlon?

Mixed category lead pack about 1/4 into the race at Utö 2018: Thomas Schreven (NED) and Jasmina Glad-Schreven (FIN) of Say No to Doping! and Martin Flinta (SWE) and Helena Karaskova Erbenova (CZE?) of Thule Adventure Team. Photo: Pierre Manges/ÖTILLÖ.

Anyway, back to the World Series race at Utö. I’ve done the race four times now, 2015 onwards. I’d recommend bringing a neoprene bandana as normal condition at Utö mean some swims will be a bit cold. However, I’m not a fan of long sleeve or leg wetsuits. That’s not where I get cold anyway, and they’d be a huge disadvantage on the runs. Sleeves and legs as short as possible since the cold really just gets to my face and forehead anyway. We actually rolled down the top of our wetsuits during the 7 km long run this year. I’m not fully sure that was the best choice as it takes some time and fiddling, but it sure was comfortable. Wetsuit designers have the last few years designed shorter front zippers which I think is a bad idea. Sure, very marginal gains on drag, but the running is much more uncomfortable when you can’t zip down properly.

More about the characteristics of this race, it is a race of short but many swims. Transition efficiency is key. Also, runs are a mix of heavy terrain and flat runnable. To do well at this race you have to be able to run the 7 km flat gravel in the middle of the race at a high pace. If you are a fast off-trail runner, make sure to exit the swims leading into the wilder land sections ahead of any possible packs because at narrow paths overtaking may prove difficult.

All in all, Utö is a compressed version of the World Championship race with the WC being more of everything: longer runnable section on Ornö, even tougher terrain at large sections, longer and more exposed swims. However, the terrain is is very beautiful, but maybe not at unbelievable as at the WC. I leave you with scenery from the World Champs of last year. Can’t wait until the first Monday of September!