Swimrun is traditionally a team sport in which two people (all male, all female, or mixed) swim and run together over relatively large distances through nature. In recent years, solo and shorter distance events have also been introduced.
The sport was
In 2006 Michael Lemmel and Mats Skott (former endurance athletes) were asked to create a race from that crazy challenge. They created Ötillö, meaning island to island in Swedish. (It would be as late as 2011 before someone finally named the sport “swimrun”, eventually being christened as such by Ötillö World Championship podium finisher Erika Rosenbaum.)
In the early years there were very few teams who took part and even fewer succeeded in actually finishing, but as the sport has grown and the kit and training have got better, that original course has developed into what you see today as the Ötillö Swimrun World Championships, one of the toughest endurance races on the planet.
Ötillö itself has since become a global brand, hosting races all over the world and inspired many more event organisers to enter the arena.
The Basics of Swimrun
You follow along a pre-marked course in nature, running and swimming different sections as the course dictates. You wear the same outfit for the whole thing, running in your wetsuit and swimming in your trainers, and you can use hand paddles, pull buoys, or even fins (of a certain length) to aid your progress, but you must finish with all the kit you start with. And if you are competing as a team you must stay within 10 metres of each other throughout. Swimrun is traditionally an endurance sport, with many courses around 42km in total, and for safety they generally require you to race as a pair. However many organisers have now introduced Sprint (15-21km) and Experience (5-7km) distances which allow you to race solo, opening the sport up for more people.
Do I need a lot of kit to get started?
Wearing a wetsuit is highly recommended when training, and is mandatory at most events. Swimming-specific wetsuits usually have thinner neoprene around the shoulders than standard wetsuits, making it easier to achieve a full range of motion.
You also need a pair of light, well-fitting trainers that you don’t mind getting wet, a brightly-coloured swim hat for visibility, and goggles. Optional additional kit includes hand paddles and pull buoys. There is more information on kit in this blog post.
Are there many events in the UK?
Yes! Swimrun is an international sport, and there a number of organisers putting on fantastic events in the summer and early autumn across the UK. For more information see the Events page. Current members are always happy to share advice and information about events they have been to in previous years.