Event Info
Ötillö Austin Pace Bend

Updated September 2024

Full event info Otillo Austin Pace Bend. This takes place in west Travis County, central Texas, in Pace Bend Park. Lake Travis has over 9 miles of shoreline and is a popular destination.

The west side of the park features high limestone cliffs and numerous rocky coves, providing stunning views of Lake Travis, especially during sunset.

You can get around most of Pace Bend Park on the seven-mile road, but the interior of the park is a wildlife reserve only accessible by hiking, biking or horse.

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Event Info Ötillö Austin Pace Bend

Swimrun competitors at Otillo Austin Pace Bend

Image courtesy Ötillö

Location

Pace Bend Park, near Austin in Texas, USA. This is in the west of Travis County, and includes Lake Travis.

The usual date is early November each year.

How to get there

The nearest airport is Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Please be aware that this is a busy, rapidly-growing airport, so there may be some delays if you are on an international flight.

However, November is less busy than October, which hosts various events including Formula 1.

From there, you should rent a car and drive about an hour northwest to Pace Bend Park. If you choose to stay overnight, use the time to check out the city.

If you are traveling to Austin from Europe, there are low-priced direct flights from many European airports.

Where to stay

Ötillö has put together an offer with Camp Texlake. Staying onsite is convenient and affordable. You can reserve your accommodation when you register for the event. You can also go back to your registration later and add accommodation if you didn't request it before.

Here are the details about staying at Camp Texlake:

A $60 reservation, per bed, per person, not per room at Camp TexLake includes the following:

1 Bed for Friday night and Saturday night. You must bring your own sheets or sleeping bag and pillow.
Complimentary Pace Bend Park entry
Complimentary car parking
Complimentary breakfast – Saturday and Sunday in the Dining Hall.
Communal showers and toilets
Common area with refrigerator, microwave, and a coffee maker.

There are a number of beds in each room. Please select the number of beds you want to reserve. After all the beds have been rented, we will contact everyone to arrange the rooms in a way where family, friends, or at least same genders (if you end up in a room with someone you don’t know) are grouped together.

If you want to stay outside Pace Bend Park, maybe in Austin or between Austin and the Park, you will need to make your own arrangements. Check out AirBnB, Booking.com and Trivago. Other accommodation agents are also available.

Image courtesy Ötillö

Race distances

There are 3 race distances, the Experience, the Sprint, and the World Series.

Experience is a short intro event, with a total distance of 9.9 km. Of that, 1.76 km is swimming, and 8.1 km is running. Total elevation is uncertain.
Sprint is a medium-distance event, with a total distance of 15.45 km. Of that, 3.2 km is swimming, and 12.2 km is running. Elevation gain is 131 metres, so there are some hills to conquer.
The World Series event is the big one - covering 25.1 km, made up of 4.8 km swimming and 20.3 km of running. Total elevation is 255 metres.

Race routes

Start & Finish:
The start and finish for all distances is at Camp Texlake.

The swim sections are all in Lake Travis, and the course does not venture far from the shoreline. The running sections are all on trails, with some rocky transitions, and some jump swim entries the the water level is a bit low!

Bag drop
Mark your bag well. Remember, the bag drop is not guarded!

Experience route map

Sprint distance route map

World Series route map

Event Info Ötillö Austin Pace Bend

Energy stations

Every water stop will be equipped with a minimum of two coolers. One cooler will contain regular water. The other cooler will be filled with Precision Hydration electrolyte-infused water. You can identify this cooler by the “PH” marking on its top.

Additionally, most, if not all, water stops will have a bucket or container holding PH gels.

Please ensure that any trash you have is disposed of in the designated trash bag, typically tied to the handle of one of the water coolers. Leaving trash on the course or failing to use the trash bags will result in immediate disqualification and a ban from all future races.

Cut-off times

The cut-off stations are;

Experience - One cut-off, at 14:00, at the finish line
Sprint - One cut-off, at 14:00, at the finish line
World Series - One cut-off, 14:00, at the finish line

Weather

Held in October, it is late summer. The air temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius, and the water temperature is also around 16 degrees celcius, which is very comfortable!

However, the weather can be unpredictable, so check the forecast for the area before you travel, and pack appropriate clothing.

Wetsuits are MANDATORY for everyone, NO exceptions.

Summary of event info Otillo Austin Pace Bend

The Ötillö Austin Pace Bend swimrun event is a bit different to most Ötillö races as it is relatively flat, with not a great deal of elevation.

The swim sections are all in Lake Travis, ie fresh water instead of the sea.

Overall, a spectacular location for an amazing swimrun event!

If you think our event info Otillo Austin Pace Bend needs an amendment, please let us know via the Contact Us link. Thank you!