Ötillö: The Swimrun World Championship — Complete Guide (2026)

Ötillö is the original swimrun world championship covering 75km across 26 islands in the Stockholm archipelago, Sweden. Held annually on the first Monday in September since 2006, it's consistently rated as one of the toughest single-day endurance races in the world.

Congrats on qualifying for ÖTILLÖ, the Swimrun World Championship! This race started as a drunken bet in 2002 and has been run every year since 2006 (except for a COVID pause in 2020). It is consistently rated as one of the toughest endurance races by GTN (Global Triathlon Network), Rich Roll, and many other sources. We have been lucky enough to race Ötillö in 2022 and 2023 and have learned a lot in the process. This guide assembles everything we've learned through our interviews with finishers, ÖTILLÖ course previews, gear talk episodes, detailed nutrition expertise, and our very own race reports.

Let's not waste any more time and jump right in!

What is Ötillö?

ÖTILLÖ is a multistage endurance race that takes place in the archipelago off the coast of Stockholm, Sweden. The event occurs on the first Monday in September. ÖTILLÖ is a team event where pairs of athletes compete in three divisions: Mens, Womens, and Mixed. The course is around 75km and features 26 different islands starting on the island of Sandhamn and finishing on the island of Utö. (Fun fact: ÖTILLÖ means "Island to Island" in Swedish.)

Swimrun is an endurance sport where teams of two race between islands by swimming in open water and running across terrain while wearing the same gear throughout. Unlike triathlon, there are no transition zones. Athletes run in their wetsuits and swim in their shoes, creating a seamless flow between disciplines.

The course covers approximately 60km (38 miles) of trail running and 10km (6 miles) of open-water swimming across 24 islands. Teams must stay within 10 meters of each other throughout the entire race. The fastest teams complete Ötillö in under 8 hours, while most finishers take between 10-14 hours.

How Do You Qualify for Ötillö?

Racers earn individual ranking points at all ÖTILLÖ World Series events and ÖTILLÖ Merit Races (long distance only) from January 1st to December 31st each year. From the 2026 season forward, it's also possible to earn ranking points for solo competitors in the ÖTILLÖ World Series races and Merit races.

Points Distribution:

• Ranking points are awarded to Top 30 finishers in each category (Men, Mixed, Women)

• ÖTILLÖ World Series Races: 60 points for winning team or athlete, with 2-point increments between positions (1st: 60 pts, 2nd: 58 pts, 3rd: 56 pts, etc.)

• ÖTILLÖ Merit Races: 30 points for winning team or athlete, with 1-point increments between positions (1st: 30 pts, 2nd: 29 pts, 3rd: 28 pts, etc.)

Qualification Process:

• At the end of each calendar year, athletes can apply with a team partner of their choice (both partners must have ranking points)

• Total accumulated points of both team members are combined to create an ÖTILLÖ qualification list

• Invitations to participate are based on this combined ranking list

• There are no more direct qualifications at ÖTILLÖ World Series races or via the ÖTILLÖ Merit Race program

For full details on the swimrun rankings point system, check out our post here.

For the 2026 race season, the qualification window runs January 1-25, 2026, with invitations sent in early February 2026.

Here is our episode on qualifying for Ötillö, the Swimrun World Championship:

What is the Ötillö course like?

According to the race website, "ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship is the jewel in the crown. It is the mother of all Swimruns and the origin of the sport" and we couldn't agree more. Teams swimrun between and over 24 islands for a total of about 75km (47 miles). The breakdown: approximately 61km (38 miles) of trail running and 9km (6 miles) of open-water swimming.

The race starts on Sandhamn and finishes at the beautiful Utö Värdshus on Utö, the birthplace of the sport. The longest single swim section is approximately 1.6km. Water temperature averages 15-17°C (59-63°F) in September.

Here are some episodes specifically about the ÖTILLÖ course:

Oscar Olsson is a former ÖTILLÖ World Champion, former course record holder, and one of the sport's greatest ambassadors. He gives us a detailed walkthrough of the legendary course. We feel that this is required listening for anyone racing the World Championship for the first time (or third, or tenth)!

Want even more ÖTILLÖ course content? We broke the course down in three sections with a detailed island to island break down each with a different guest. These are down in the details and chalked full of insider tips for a great day at ÖTILLÖ.

Part 1 covers race start on Sandhamn to the start of Nämdö with our friend and multi-time ÖTILLÖ finisher, PJ Michel.

Part 2 covers start of the run on the island of Nämdö through until making landfall on the island of Ornö. Joining us for this discussion is the one and only Jenny Ramstedt who has completed ÖTILLÖ many times and was featured in the GTN ÖTILLÖ video from 2022.

Part 3 covers the final third-ish of the legendary course from the start of the run on the island of Ornö through to the finish line on Utö. Joining us for this part is the Godfather of Swimrun himself, Andy Hewitt who has completed ÖTILLÖ 9+ times in both the Mens and Mixed categories.

What gear do you need for Ötillö?

Swimrun gear takes time to dial in and find what works best for you. We have lots of Gear Talk episodes covering our thoughts and views on different swimrun gear options. Be sure to check out our Swimrun Gear Guide for our general recommendations on all things gear.

For the World Championship, your gear plays a big role in how the day will unfold. Considering you are racing for 8-14 hours, you need to make sure your gear is comfortable and meets all your needs for such a long swimrun. Here are specific episodes about gear choices for ÖTILLÖ:

We broke down our swimrun gear setups and did a retrospective with our friends, Annie and Brooke from Swimrun Labs.

We had Helen Wikmar, CEO of Arksports, on to give her point of view and suggestions for swimrun gear for ÖTILLÖ.

We had Helen Wikmar, CEO of Arksports on to give her point of view and suggestions for Swimrun gear for ÖTILLÖ.

How should you fuel for Ötillö?

ÖTILLÖ is an ultra-endurance event of around 75km and nutrition needs to be a big focus in your preparations for the race. We have been lucky enough to work with the experts at Precision Fuel and Hydration over the years to help us nail our nutrition and do the "gut training" required for the energy demands of such a long race.

Check out our PFH Case Studies from ÖTILLÖ 2022 (Chipper and Chris) and PFH's nutrition planner which will get you started on the right foot. Here are our episodes where we cover nutrition and the specifics for ÖTILLÖ:

Andy Blow, co-founder of Precision Fuel and Hydration, shared his point of view on how to fuel and gut train for ÖTILLÖ. Andy has completed ÖTILLÖ many times, most recently in 2022 with teammate Lars Finanger as Team Old Man Speed.

How Should You Train for Ötillö?

Since ÖTILLÖ is one of the harder endurance events out there, it goes without saying that you need to engage in swimrun training to have a successful race experience. We know too many stories of athletes who showed up to the race thinking they were really fit, only to DNF because they didn't do any specific training. Don't let that be you!

We worked with a swimrun coach both years we raced ÖTILLÖ and found it essential in helping us feel prepared for the physical and mental demands of the event. There are some really good swimrun and endurance coaching options out there. We highly recommend coaching resources such as TriUllis, Envol Swimrun, Tower 26, Simcoachen, TOT Endurance, and Liz Gilden.

Here Envol Head Coach Nicolas Remires gives us his suggestions on how to train for ÖTILLÖ.

What is Race Day Like at Ötillö?

You are prepped and primed for race day! There is no way to avoid the nerves of the starting corral, but soon enough you will be swimrunning over the original swimrun course. We were fortunate enough to race ÖTILLÖ twice. Check out our race reports for each year if you want to hear about our experience:

2023 ÖTILLÖ, the Swimrun World Championship Race Report

2022 ÖTILLÖ, the Swimrun World Championship Race Report

Other Ötillö Race Reports

We have had many discussions with teams and swimrunners about their experiences at ÖTILLÖ. Here are some of those conversations:

What Happens The Day After Ötillö?

The morning after ÖTILLÖ might just be the best part of the entire experience. Everyone is hobbling around banged up from the adventure the day before. A full breakfast buffet awaits you at the amazing Uto Vardsus where seconds are a must. Grab a chair, share your war stories, and hear about everyone's amazing experience before jumping on the ferry to head back to Stockholm.

How Does Ötillö Compare?

Ötillö vs. Other Endurance Races

As you gathered by now, ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship is a challenging and prestigious endurance race that you will never forget. We hope this guide gives you a good place to gather some information so you can have a great experience at the World Championship.

If you found this guide useful check out our weekly podcast, the Löw Tide Böyz, and be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and on YouTube. If you have any questions don’t be afraid to send us a dm or an email at lowtideboyz@gmail.com.

See you out there!

Chip and Chris