THE RACE WEEKEND
This first edition of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina weekend has a fantastic turn out with more than 520 persons from 18 nations coming to participate in the first races of the year.The first of eight World Series weekends.
This first edition of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina weekend has a fantastic turn out with more than 520 persons from 18 nations coming to participate in the first races of the year.The first of eight World Series weekends.
Santa Catalina Island is a unique place just 40 km off the coast of Los Angeles in southern California. The conservancy-protected, geologic and environmental phenomenon Catalina will host the races On February 29th and March 1st, 2020.
For this race weekend we will see some of the best teams in the world competing with some of the best US teams and many Swimrun enthusiasts from near and far. This is the most prestigeous swimrun race in North America.
We are very excited to show all the teams the beauty and the rugged coast of Catalina at the same time as we start our 15th year of Swimrun races. It will be a high- speed sightseeing trip. For some it is for the adventure, for some it is for the experience, for some it is to race hard and for some it is to qualify to ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship 2020.
Read more about the races here: https://www.otilloswimrun.com/races/catalina
See the startlists here
Read the whole story about ÖTILLÖ and swimrun here: https://otilloswimrun.com/about-swimrun/
ABOUT SWIMRUN AND ÖTILLÖ
Swimrun is the new, up and coming endurance sport growing all over the world where you alternate trail running and open water swimming along a marked course.
ÖTILLÖ started in 2006, it is the leading brand and the origin of the sport. ÖTILLÖ is Swimrun.
ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship (ÖTILLÖ meaning island to island in Swedish) is the original swimrun race, renowned as one of the toughest one-day races in the world.
RACE FORMATS
On Saturday, February 29th we will host several shorter races to make the sport accessible to more people and to let newcomers experience the beauty of swimrun.
The EXPERIENCE distance is 7,8 km with 3 swim sections totalling 1 600 metres. This race distance you can either do in teams of two or solo.
The SPRINT eludes to the distance and not to the speed. It is a total of 14,9 km with 4 swim sections totalling 3 100 metres. This race distance you can either do in teams of two or solo.
We have close to 270 persons signed up for these beautiful tastes of ÖTILLÖ Swimrun.
On Sunday, March 1st, we have the WORLD SERIES event which acts as a Qualifier to the World Championship and where teams can collect ranking points. It is the first race of the year. The race is a total of 39 km with 7 swim sections totalling 7 700 metres. This race you can only do in a team of two and it is the most prestigeous event in the Americas. It will have around 130 teams of two.
SUNDAYS WORLD SERIES RACE
The 130 teams of two start their Sunday morning by running hard out of Two Harbors, towards Cat Harbor before they do the first hard uphill loop which will give all the teams spectacular views of the course. The downhill will take them back to Two Harbors again from where they swim all the way to USC Wrigley before they continue running and swimming almost around the West end of Catalina. By the time they finish in Two Harbors they will have done a massive course with grueling uphills, hard downhills and with spectacular swims. The fast pace sightseeing will take its toll.
In total, they will cover almost 31 km on foot and 8 km swimming making a course distance just less than 39 km with 7 swims in total.
The water temperature is around 16 degrees C/ 61 degrees Fahrenheit..
The fastest teams are expected to complete the course in just under 5 hours.
Will the 2020 World Series Winners Fredrik Axegård, racing with Oscar Olsson, Team ARK Swimrun (SWE) win or will Nicolas Remires (FRA) & Francesc de Lanuza (ESP), Team Envol, finally take the top podium or will we see an American team push these powerhouse teams off the throne? As seen in previous races this year the top 5 teams are battling until the very last kilometres.
In the mixed category it will most likely be a battle between the best American team, Boston Wetsox, Gregory & Bronwen Dierksen and the Swedish team of Johan Carlsson & Helena Dalivin, Team Simployer. In the womens category we have the honor of following the World Champions and World Series winners, Fanny Kuhn & Desirée Andersson, Team WILD Envol. They will be chased hard by the third team at the World Championship ARK Souls/ Addnature Helen Wikmar & Isabella Hedberg (SWE) and several of the very strong American teams.
It will be great to see athletes from so many places on the start line, 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.
As in all races, it is only when the dust has settled that we know the outcome of the race.
Start list: https://otilloswimrun.com/races/catalina/start-lists/
ÖTILLÖ SWIMRUN WORLD SERIES
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina is part of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series and a qualifier to ÖTILLÖ, the Swimrun World Championship in the Swedish archipelago.
The ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series is in its fifth season with a minimum of eight qualifier races for ÖTILLÖ, the Swimrun World Championship.
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series 2020
Eight qualifying races to ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship:
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina, USA, March 1st (NEW)
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Hvar, Croatia, April 19th
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö, Sweden, May 24th
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Isles of Scilly, UK, June 14th
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Engadin, Switzerland, July 5th
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun 1000 Lakes, Germany, September 20th (qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2021)
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Cannes, France, October 18th (qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2021)
ÖTILLÖ Malta, November 22nd (qualifier to ÖTILLÖ 2021)
At each World Series event an EXPERIENCE & SPRINT race is organised the day before.
ÖTILLÖ, THE SWIMRUN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2020
15th edition on August 31st, 2020
160 teams from all over the world.
75 km over and between 24 islands in the Stockholm Archipelago.
Renowned as one of the toughest one-day races in the world (CNN 2012)
https://otilloswimrun.com/races/otillo/
PHOTOS AND VIDEO FREE TO USE FOR MEDIA
Images and video from ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship 2019:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vgkae60lc9l7wcf/AAC8Xue1YpXfjEzdlxKiL42La?dl=0
(please credit photographer / ÖTILLÖ event as marked in the photo)
Pre- race video ÖTILLÖ Catalina: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mifancon3uxgdhf/AAC7b6V0Kz8GIne-OAYvWcfZa?dl=0
After the event at 5:30 pm on March 1st, 2020 you will find images here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9cynfborgvcsyma/AAAzyqeXzj2uc-P10MRT3iYUa?dl=0
(please credit photographer / ÖTILLÖ)
On March 9th you will find the Official Video here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/czfukek299scdry/AACJZ5FI_-H1-DQXRrFVM-7_a?dl=0
NEWS CUTS FOR TV
After the event on March 1st at 5:30 pm PST you will find news cuts and a shot list here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4f5xnuw8umj5c21/AABPH1FuMbSAhzi9lR3qdlIka?dl=0
MEDIA CONTACTS
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Catalina
Michael Lemmel, michael@otilloswimrun.com, +46 735 25 97 02
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series
Lauritz Putze, media.requests@otilloswimrun.com, +49 157 768 05 234
ÖTILLÖ,The Swimrun World Championship
Josefine Ås, pr@otilloswimrun.com, +33 6 79 04 23 46
