The ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series continues in ‘Paradise Lost’ on Sunday 10 June. The Isles of Scilly in the far south west of England is the home of the UK ÖTILLÖ race. According to the ÖTILLÖ team, it is one of the most spectacular locations on the Swimrun World Tour.
The Isles of Scilly will host its third ÖTILLÖ Swimrun weekend and it is the third stop of the 2018 ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series. Close to 140 teams from 17 nations will take the start for Sunday’s World Series race on June 10th.
Some of the best teams in the world will chase the coveted ‘GOLDEN BIB’ and take on the challenge of winning six ÖTILLÖ races in a row and the prize purse of €33,000 per category.
Others are on-site to try to get one of the eight qualification spots to the ‘holy grail of Swimrun’, the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship in the Stockholm Archipelago. The organisers add that the ‘majority of the teams will be racing to experience the magic of the race course.’
These nearly hundred and forty teams will be challenged by this stunning course where the pairs will run along beautiful trails and do some major ocean swims.
Sunday world series race
The 140 teams of two, will have their powers of endurance tested to the limit over the eight trail runs and seven swim sections across the islands of St Mary’s, Tresco, St Martin’s and Bryher. In total, they will cover 29.5 km on foot and 8km in open water. Two of the swim sections are longer than 2,000m in the open Atlantic Ocean.
Depending on conditions, these stretches could be very rough. The water is around 14ºC and the swims will be a difficult challenge even for the fittest athletes. The fastest teams are expected to complete the course in around five hours.
Some of swimrun’s top teams will be taking on the challenge at the Isles of Scilly along with many UK based age grouper teams… ‘Swimrun World Champions and winners of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series will be on the start line, as well as athletes from all over the world; some are veterans of swimrun and some are totally new to the sport, but eager to find out why so many people are so hooked to the unique experience of racing in swimrun.’
David Jackson, Executive Director of Islands’ Partnership, said “We’re delighted to be hosting the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship UK Qualifier for the third year. The event is a welcome addition to Scilly’s adventure sports calendar that takes advantage of the islands’ rugged terrain and pristine waters. Best of luck to everyone taking part!”
Saturday sprint race
On Saturday, June 9th the organising team will host a shorter, more accessible race – ÖTILLÖ Sprint Isles of Scilly. The name eludes to the distance and not to the speed. There are more than 85 teams from 17 nations signed up for this taste of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun. The athletes will complete a 15.5km course with eight swim sections.
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly is part of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series and a qualifier to the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship in the Swedish archipelago. The ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series is heading for its third season with a minimum of six qualifier races for the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship.
Six qualifying races to ÖTILLÖ:
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Hvar, Croatia, 8 April
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö, Sweden, 20 May
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly, UK, 10 June
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Engadin, Switzerland, 8 July
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun 1000 Lakes, Germany, 30 September (qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2019)
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Cannes; France – 21 October – first edition
At each World Series event a sprint race is organised the previous day.
ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship
13th edition on 3 September 2018
75 km over and between 26 islands in the Stockholm Archipelago; renowned as one of the toughest one-day races in the world.
