ÖTILLÖ Casco Bay Race Report 2026

Welcome to episode 345 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

We just got home from Portland, Maine after racing the 10th edition of ÖTILLÖ Casco Bay, our sixth time toeing the line at this race. This week we break down the whole day, leg by leg, the same way we always do after a big race, sitting down fresh with our honest take. 

This was a hard Casco year. A high tide pushed our total swimming up to around 9,000 yards, close to the 10,000 yards we will cover at the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship, and the heat and humidity made the runs feel like a grind from the first mile. We walk through our gear and kit choices, the tactical call to split up swim leading duties between us, a course change on the final island that added distance to the last crossing, and how we handled fueling and hydration at every single aid station.

The back half of the race turned into one of the most competitive stretches we have had in a while. We spotted a men's team coming off Cushings and spent the final two islands closing the gap, staying on them through the redesigned final island swim before making the pass on the last swim and holding them off with a sprint up the stairs to the finish. We break down exactly how that played out and why closing that gap mattered more than we expected it would.

With four weeks left until the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship in Stockholm, we talk about what this race confirmed for us heading into the 20th anniversary of the event, plus a look ahead to our UK stopover and our Stockholm Fika meetup.

Enjoy!

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That's it for this week's show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star rating and review since that's the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube. Check out our website for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page @thelowtideboyz on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at lowtideboyz@gmail.com. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon...if you feel so inclined.

Thanks for listening and see you out there!
Chip and Chris