Swimrun

What is Swimrun?

Swimrun is an adventure sport that usually is done as a team of two. Teams swim and run across the course alternating and transitioning between swimming and running. Swimrunners usually race in a swimrun-specific wetsuit that allows for easier running, well-draining trail running shoes, a Swimrun-specific pull buoy, and most racers choose to use hand paddles. There are three different categories teams can race: mixed, women’s or men’s. Solo divisions are also available at most races.

What gear do you need for swimrun?

When you’re ready to try Swimrun you will need to use some gear to get started. The gear consists of a few main components, and these are just high-level facts about Swimrun gear. If you want to take a deep dive be sure to check out our Gear Talk show with the Swimrun Labs and our Complete Guide to Swimrun Gear.

Swimrun Wetsuit: Check out our Swimrun wetsuit suit-out where we discuss all things you need to consider for a Swimrun.

Swimrun Shoes: If you are looking for more details about what makes a good Swimrun shoe check out our Swimrun “shoedown”.

Swimrun Pull Buoy (Optional but highly recommended): Having a Swimrun pull buoy will provide you lots of floatation when you are swimming. This is really helpful especially since you are wearing your shoes during an event! We have some of our favorite pull buoys in our Swimrun gear guide.

Swim Paddles (Optional but recommended depending on your overall swim fitness): We have a great Gear Talk episode where we talk about all things paddles for Swimrun.

Swim Goggles: Just use your favorite open water goggles here. No need to overthink it.

Shin/ Lower body floats (Optional): Most Swimrunners will use a swimrun pull buoy due to the incredible buoyancy advantage, but some people still like the shin floats.

Tether (Optional but recommended): One of the more interesting aspects of Swimrun is the tether. Measuring 3m or 10ft the tether was originally used for safety purposes to keep both teammates close to one another. Now the tether is used as an advantage where stronger teammates will pull each other during their respective strengths. Check out our episode on the Swimrun tether.

Swimrun Undergarments & Socks: One of our more common questions! We also did great coverage of Swimrun undergarments with our friends Annie and Brooke from the Swimrun Labs.

Mandatory Swimrun Race Gear: The mandatory race gear varies from race to race but usually consists of a whistle (one for each racer or one per team), a compression bandage (one per team), a soft flask/cup for drinking since most races are “cupless,” and race bib & cap.

Swimrun Races and Events

ÖTILLÖ, Swimrunman, and Ödyssey Swimrun are some of the larger Swimrun race companies internationally. If you are looking to try Swimrun check out our USA Swimrun Race calendar. If you are looking for a place to practice Swimrun check out our International Swimrun Adventure Guide. In the United States, there are races in several states including California, Washington, Texas, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, and Maine. ÖTILLÖ, the Swimrun World Championship is the pinnacle Swimrun event and it takes place in the birthplace of Swimrun, the Stockholm Archipelago in Sweden every September.

History of Swimrun

The history of Swimrun begins with a drunken bet and a bar napkin course map of the Stockholm Archipelago in Utö Värdshus in 2002. The hotel owner challenged his friend and a few coworkers to a race where the bet was, “last team of two to Sandhamn pays for hotel, dinner, and drinks” according to Ötillö. As the story goes it took them over 24 hours to complete and everyone was too tired to cash in on the free dinner and drinks. Those four friends, sometimes called the Original 4, didn’t know it at the time, but they started the sport we know and love, Swimrun. The first commercial Swimrun race was in 2016 with ÖTILLÖ (which means island to island in Swedish), and that same course is now the Swimrun World Championship.

Swimrun Photo Credit to Mark L Simmons Photography & AP Photoworks

training for swimrun

Swimrun Training

We share our thoughts on Swimrun training…thoughts formed from our many conversations with coaches, athletes, and our own training and racing experience. If you are just getting into the sport and need a place to start this will be for you! We break up our discussion on Swimrun training into three distinct training categories: physical fitness, fueling and hydration, and mental preparation.

Podcast: Here is the podcast episode and more in depth discussion we had.

Why are we doing this? 

We’ve noticed in our own training what has helped us show up to the start lines confident for the challenges (known and unknown) and we’ve developed a pattern or rhythm to our training, with the help of our coach, to get prepared. We obviously don’t know or claim to know all there is to know about endurance training but we’d had a lot of guests on the show that do. Make sure to check the show to get hyperlinks to our interviews to the coaches and experts that we’ll be alluding to during this episode. 

Anyway, we hope that you find our musings on training helpful.

Physical Fitness

Swim Training 

We’ve found that building a giant base of swim fitness leads to better race experiences and that the base helps increase your run fitness in the process. We think that de-coupling your swimming so that it is something that is always happening in the background at least 2-4 times per week will get you more than ready for any Swimrun outside of something like the One Water Race.

There are a ton of resources out there to improve your swimming but at the very least any organized Masters Swim group will help get you on the path.

Run Training

When it comes to training for the run portion of any Swimrun, we’ve found that getting specific to both the distance and terrain in your training is the best approach. If your upcoming race is super hilly, then you know what to do. Remember that a Swimrun that has 17 miles of running doesn’t mean that you need to be able to bang out 17 miles in one shot before race day. Since the run sections are broken up, you’re usually able to get by with shorter runs in the lead up. Obviously, the fitter you are on the run, the “easier” the race will feel and the more fun you’ll have out there.

Strength/Cross-Training

We all know that we need to do more strength/stretching/yoga/cross-training. Our approach is to start small and try to be ultra consistent. Keep nailing the fundamentals and you’ll soon build the habit and see the results on race day. 

Swimrun Training

Nothing simulates Swimrun better than a good’ole Swimrun practice. When you’re new to the sport these sessions are integral for you to learn the technique of Swimrun and work on all the little things that take up time during a race such as dealing with the tether, cabbing down, etc. 

We’ve found that as we have gotten more experienced in the sport these sessions are less about making sure that we have all the mechanics down and more about working on intensity and pace. We definitely do less Swimrun practices that we used to but we’ve developed the muscle memory for what works for us.

Previous LTBz episodes about Swimrun training: 

Mike Olzinski (EP 3 and EP 108)

Nicolas Remires (EP 14 and EP 126)

Nate Helming (EP 17)

Mario Fraioli (EP 30)

Gerry Rodrigues (EP 32)

Coach Jim Lube & Megan AMA

Ville Enburgh

John Stevens (EP 46 and EP 124)

Joe Friel (EP 115)

Fueling and Hydration

Gut Training

Just like anything else in Swimrun, you need to adapt to the unique challenges that these events can present. One of the biggest is fueling and hydration. Practicing what you will do on race day and having a nutrition plan in place is instrumental to maximizing your race performance on race day. Just as one would plan how they would tackle a difficult Swimrun course, you should also plan what you will do fueling wise. 

This is definitely a place where we feel that we have learned a ton as a team. We feel so lucky to have been able to work with Precision Fuel and Hydration and it’s no coincidence that our race performances have improved as a result. We highly recommend checking out all the free information that they offer and start working on your fueling and hydration training for your next Swimrun. 

Practicing Race Day fueling During Swimrun Training Sessions

This is a moving target that practice is key to nailing your strategy on race day. Just as you wouldn’t show up at a Swimrun without at least going through the paces a few times in your gear, practicing your strategy for race day is just as important.

Note that this is a moving target and as you get fitter, your fueling needs will evolve. 

Previous LTBz episodes about Fueling and Hydration:

Andy Blow (EP 25 and EP 118)

Abby Coleman (EP 120)

Mental Preparation 

Getting ready for the adventure of Swimrun isn’t just about being physically ready for the challenge, it is also about being mentally prepared for what lies ahead.

Get Aligned on Goals

Swimruns are great adventures that will test your body and mind. Whether you are racing solo or as part of team, getting aligned on what your goals are is key. Susie Moonan recommends that athletes be able to answer the question of “why?” Why are you doing this race is a great way to crystallize what you're hoping to get from the experience and this will help you if/when you hit a low point during a race. 

Be Realistic 

What does success look like? Or what should it look like? If you can go into a Swimrun with clear expectation on what success looks like you will be way more likely to find what you’re looking for in the sport. Swimrunning well is its own skill so don’t expect to be an expert at it your first time out. 

It has taken us years to get to the point where we feel like we know what we are doing…and we still take wrong turns sometimes.

Embrace the Ambiguity 

Similar to being realistic, embracing the nature of Swimrun is also key to having a successful race. Distances aren’t exact, aid stations may not be where you thought they were, and the weather can change rapidly. At risk of sounding totally tautological The more prepared you are for the randomness that you will experience during a race, the less of a mental challenge it will be when random things happen.

Previous LTBz episodes on the Mental Side of Things:

Susie Moonan (EP 54 and EP 122)

Brad Stulberg (EP 88 and EP 164)

Summary

So in summary, we think Swimrun training should look something like this:

1. swim consistently at varying intensities;

2. plan your run workouts to simulate the type of terrain and course that you will be racing;

3. do enough Swimrun practices so that you are comfortable with your gear and the mechanics of Swimrun transitions;

4. train your gut and start practicing your race day fueling and hydration well before race day; and

5. think about why you’re racing Swimrun and line up your goals and expectations accordingly.

Swimrun Coaches:

If you are ready to take your swimrun training to the next level a coach that has the specific knowlege of swimrun is really helpful. We highly recommend that coaching resources such as Envol Swimrun, Tower 26, Simcoachen, Purple Patch, and TOT Endurance.

Swimrun FAQs