Event Info Ötillö Swimrun
World Championship

Updated September 2024

Full event info Otillo Swimrun World Championship - This is where it all started, in the Stockholm archipelago - the first swimrun event ever held!

This event follows the original Ötillö race, from Sandhamn in the north-east to Utö in the south of the island chain - over 70 km.

This event is usually held at the beginning of September each year, which is late summer in Sweden. This means the weather can be as warm as 20 degrees C or as low as 5 degrees C if Autumn has decided to come early!

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Event Info Ötillö Swimrun World Championship

Ötillö Utö water exit for two swimrunners

Ötillö Utö, courtesy Jean-Marie Gueye and Ötillö

Location

Sweden, in the Stockholm archipelago. This is a chain of islands running from North to South. Stockholm (the capital of Sweden) is actually built on 14 islands, connected by 57 bridges!

The start island of Sandhamn lies in the north while Utö is the southernmost island in the archipelago, in the Baltic Sea just East of Stockholm.

How to get there

First, you have to get to Stockholm. The nearest airport is Stockholm Arlanda (ARN). You can then get the Arlanda Express train direct from the airport into the city, in just 18 minutes.

On the day before the race, Ötillö has chartered buses to take competitors to Djurönäset , where all teams register and sleep that night.

The buses leave at 14:15 CET from the Stockholm Central bus station Cityterminalen. In the bus station you will find ÖTILLÖ on the departure board, showing the platform to go to. These buses are for racers ONLY, and for those who have bought Spectator packages.

Make sure that you are on time. The buses can be boarded from 14:00 onwards, and they will leave promptly at 14.15 CET.

Return to Stockholm from Utö

There are two different chartered ferries that you can use after the race;

Monday evening at 21:30 CET to Årsta Brygga, where a bus will take you to Stockholm, if you do not want to stay overnight on Utö.
Tuesday morning at 09:00 CET to Skeppsbron, which is in the centre of Stockholm. The ferry takes 3 hours.

Where to stay

Two night's accommodation is included in your race fee.

Sunday night, at Djurönäset. When you arrive at Djurönäset you can get your room key at reception. You will share a room with your race partner.
Monday night, at the finish hotel at Utö Vårdshus . A bed will be provided for you. This means that you may be sharing a room or an apartment with other racers. There are no other options.

If you are not comfortable with this arrangement, you have the option of taking the Monday night ferry at 21:30 back to Årsta Brygga on the mainland, and get the connecting bus to Stockholm.

Two dinners and two breakfasts are also included in your race fee.

After the race, if you want to stay longer, Utö Värdshus has various sizes of rooms and an excellent restaurant.

There are eight double rooms in The Mill Villa
In the Stone Hotel there are six double rooms, two single rooms, and two mini-suites.
Then there are the Hotel Cabins, three red cottages, with two-bed or three-bed options.
Utö Hostel is a three-storey building with 73 beds; Six rooms are doubles, one is a triple-bed, nine rooms have 4 beds, and there are five family rooms accommodating 5 to 7 people each.
Utsikten House (The View) is a touch of luxury for 2 to 4 people, with its own outdoor hot tub (jacuzzi).

The front view of Uto Vardshus Accommodation, outside Stockholm

Utö Vårdshus, courtesy Ötillö

Race distances

There is only one race distance - 70 km! This is made up of 9 km of swimming and 61 km of trail running, giving a swim to run ratio of 13%. There are 46 transitions, with 24 run sections and 23 swim sections.

Race routes

According to Ötillö, the ferry leaves Djurönäset hotel at 04:45 to take racers to the start at Sandhamn. You should take ALL your belongings with you.

The first start is at 05:50, and the route heads south. There are 15 Time stations, with cut-off times as listed below.

The first teams are expected to arrive at the finish on Utö around 13:40, under 8 hours from the start!

World Championship Route map

Event Info Ötillö Swimrun World Championship

Energy stations

There are several energy stations along the course; be aware that there are no paper cups, you have to bring your own collapsible cup of soft water bottle.

Energy products are provided by Umara; U Sport energy drinks, U Bar energy bars (gluten-free), and U Gels in assorted flavours.

Cut-off times

There are FIVE cut-off times in the Swimrun World Championship event!

Time 4 - 09:00
Time 8 - 11:15
Time 11 - 14:00
Time 13 - 15:30
Time 15 - 18:00

Weather

Held at the beginning of September, the weather is mild, but Autumn is approaching. The air temperature can be anywhere from 5 Degrees to 20 Degrees. The water temperature is more predictable, at 16 to 18 Degrees, BUT anything can happen!

This is a very LONG race, and conditions are likely to change, sometimes more than once, along the route. There is always a chance of cold or wet weather, so you should bring suitable clothing for every eventuality!

Summary of event info Otillo Swimrun World Championship

The Ötillö Swimrun World Championship is special, as the birthplace of this exciting and exhilarating sport, and being recogised as one of the hardest one-day events on the planet. In the early years of this race, people took around 20 hours to finish. Nowadays, the winners are likely to finish in just over 7 hours.

For other tough swimruns, take a look at our Toughest Swimrun event page.