Helping swimrun athletes since 2016

- Download Our Race ready checklist -

Swimrun Advice

Updated October 2026

If you’re a recent arrival to swimrun (or have a few events under your belt), you don’t need the “best” kit; you need dependable choices that won’t let you down during your race, in cold water, or in transitions.

Start with the essentials: what to buy, and what to skip.

Swimrun is basically running in your wetsuit and swimming in your shoes without any transitions to change any gear.

We’ll keep it simple and failure-mode-first (no hype). Where to start?

Go to our swimrun equipment page!

Look at our Race-Ready Gear & Setup Checklist

About the authors:

Hi! We’re Richard Mitchell and Mogsy Ford. We built Swimrun Advice to make the confusing parts of swimrun simple, based on what we’ve learned from our own experiences, training, and races. Read our full story.

(We were listed in an article in the British newspaper The Guardian in 2024.)

Start here:

1) What Is Swimrun?
Recently arrived in the swimrun world? This page explains what it is, how it works (no changing gear at transitions!), and why it’s so addictive.

2) Find a Race (2026 Calendars)
Browse our up-to-date swimrun race calendars and find an event that fits your location, distance, and ambition.

3) Search For Races by Country
Want something closer to home? Use our country-by-country list to find races fast.

4) Your First Event
Everything we wish we’d known before our first swimrun; what to expect, what to bring, and how to enjoy it.

5) Race Day Advice (Most Important!)
Practical tips for the day itself - prep, pacing, transitions (or lack of them), and the little things that make a big difference.

6) Swimrun Equipment (What You Actually Need)
A straightforward guide to the essential kit (and what you can skip), plus honest gear recommendations.

7) Wetsuits & Wetsuit Reviews
Choosing a suit is one of the biggest hurdles; here’s what to look for and which swimrun wetsuits are worth your time.

8) Swimrun shoes

The shoes you wear for swimrun are different to normal road running shoes, and they can make or break your race! Find out what to look for and discover your options at our swimrun shoe review page.

9) Training (Swim + Run Improvements)
Build endurance, improve your swimming, and train smarter with our plans, tips, and what’s worked for us.

Underwater view of a swimrun competitor swimming over a shallow sand back, in light green water.

Approaching the end of a swim section!

Holoswim 3 Pro Smart Swim Goggles

Holoswim 3 Pro are the ONLY smart swim goggles with built-in GPS. With compass and open water guidance coming soon, you'll never zig-zag across an open water swim again! Perfect for swimrun.

Read our review for details, OR order direct at the HoloSport website, and use our discount code - HOLOSWIM10 - to get 10% off.

(As HoloSport affiliates, we may earn a small commission on any purchases)

Swimrun Advice
- Other Equipment

SECTION 1:

Swimrun goggles.

Good swimrun goggles are essential. Unlike most other bits and pieces of equipment, you really can't do without goggles. We review the choices at our dedicated swimrun goggles page. And we have several discount codes you can use to get the best prices!

SECTION 2:

Headphones for swimrun.

While not essential for race events, headphones you can use while training - swimming as well as running - have become very popular; you can listen to your favourite music or the audio of your choice! One of our favorite options is bone conduction headphones, which we reviewed recently.

SECTION 3:

Ear buds for training.

As an alternative to bone conduction headphones with their own on-board storage, many people prefer smaller ear buds for their run training audio, which are Bluetooth connected. Check our reviews of the best Bluetooth ear buds, with a 5% discount available using our special code up the end of December 2026 - Grab a Christmas gift!

Interesting swimrun facts

Injuries

We have found that there is a small but significant risk of picking up a trauma during training and racing, especially in salt water events.

Discover what might go wrong at our page on Swimrun Injuries. And be sure to read all the way to the bottom to find out about the issue that can creep up on you!

Swimrun events were originally for teams of 2 persons, but now you can compete as a solo racer. In September 2020, Michal Jablonski completed a sprint distance event of 12km as a solo racer, but he took his dog Venus with him! Read more about this story at our page here!

A man in a red triathlon suit and sunglasses, standing at the side of a road, rubbing sunscreen into his right arm, with blue sky in the background.

Richard before a 5 hour training stint in Spain

Series Organisers

This new sport is growing in popularity around the world, and we have pages with details of organisers who hold a series of races. For example;

USA: Ötillö swimrun USA

Canada: Mudskipper Challenge

UK: Keen as Mustard Events

and Gritty Rascals Events

Europe/USA: Otillo World Series

Canary Islands, Spain: Canary Islands

Portugal, including Madeira; Portugal Series

Australia: Swimrun Australia

Italy: The Swimrun Italy series

Are you an organiser who holds one or more events? Contact us and we can add you to our list of organisers, and feature your races in a dedicated web page for your organisation.

A man and woman cross the finish line at the Honolulu Marathon, holding their hands up.

Richard and Mogsy cross the finish line at the Honolulu marathon

Race without gear stress:
Our Race-Ready Gear Checklist

You don’t need perfect gear to feel confident in swimrun; you need a setup you’ve tested, that stays put, and keeps you predictable for your partner.
This checklist walks you through what to bring, how to attach it (so nothing flaps around or rubs), and what to test before race week.

What’s included:

Packing list + “did we forget anything?” sanity check
How to attach and carry your kit for wet-to-run transitions
Course-condition triggers - so you can adjust quickly
Team setup: tethers, pacing, and transitions
Race-week test plan (what usually goes wrong)
Bonus: A weekend plan so that race morning feels boring (in a good way)

Read a detailed description at our Checklist page!

Of course, don't forget to read 'About Us' to find out who's writing this site - anyone can put up a website, but it's good to know that the authors of this site are genuine Swimrunners!

This website is very active, and we are updating it continuously, especially the race calendars for Europe and USA/Canada/Rest Of the World.

So do bookmark this page or add it to your RSS feed, and come back soon!

SollaWave Smart Swim Goggles

The world's first AI music smart swim goggles, these are designed to replace five separate pieces of swim gear with a single, streamlined device.

SollaWave smart swim goggle by HoloSport underwater shot

The SollaWave combines racing-style swim goggles, integrated underwater headphones, waterproof earplugs, an AI-powered swim tracker, and built-in anti-fog protection into one compact package. Read our review for details, OR order direct from the HoloSport website, and remember to use our discount code - HOLOSWIM10 - to get your 10% off!

(As HoloSport affiliates we may earn a small commission on purchases)

www.swimrun-advice.com works with the following Swimrun companies:

Richard Mitchell, BDS, and Mogsy Ford are swimrun competitors and endurance athletes who write from direct racing experience. We have competed in swimrun since 2016, and bring added perspective from competitive running (5K to marathon) and open-water swim racing. This website has been mentioned by The Guardian newspaper. As married teammates, we train together, and build holidays around races. Read more at the 'About Us' page.