Outside features editor Frederick Dreier participated in the October 4 Ötillö Swimrun race at Horsetooth Reservoir, Colorado. Dreier has competed in triathlons, bicycle races, and other endurance sports for 25 years. A few memories come to mind from my recent Ötillö Swimrun, the endurance race that combines open-water swimming with trail running.
In one, I flounder in the chilly waters of Colorado’s Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins, my arms feeling heavy as concrete as I struggle to swim in a straight line. In another, I sit by the side of a rocky trail plucking cactus spines out of my backside, moments after a clumsy toe-strike sent me tumbling into clump of pricklypear. Both of these scenes, however, are superseded by a memory with an altogether different vibe.
That, of course, is crossing finish line and exchanging a flurry of high-fives and hugs with a bunch of random sweaty strangers, all of us clad in wetsuits, goggles, and running shoes. You see, I had a blast racing my first Ötillö Swimrun race this past Sunday, October 4, despite the dead-tired arms and cactus butt. If you have never heard of the swimrun racing format, here’s a quick primer.
Picture a triathlon, minus the biking. Now, chop up the swimming and running portions, sitch them together in smaller portions, and spread the whole event out on a point-to-point course. You run, then swim, then run again, then swim, and so-on.
The event I did was a “sprint” distance event, comprised of five swims and six runs spread out across 12 miles of trails and lake. It took me nearly three hours to complete, and at no point was I sprinting. Unlike triathlon, where you abandon your gear after each portion, swimrun requires you to carry all of your stuff from start to finish.
Thus, you must swim while wearing your running shoes, run while clad in your wetsuit, and carry your pull buoy, hand paddles—swimming gear that is allowed—for the entire journey. This makes for some hilarious blunders along the way (more on this later). Within the swimrun world, Ötillö is the proverbial Ironman—the most recognizable brand of events.
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