Odyssey SwimRun -
Now Ötillö Swimrun USA

Odyssey SwimRun was America's original SwimRun organiser. As stated on their original website:

“Swimrun is the fastest growing sport in the world. You participate in teams of two, alternating between trail running and open water swimming along a marked course.”

Odyssey was acquired by Ötillö in 2023, and is now run as Ötillö Swimrun USA.

Below is a cool car registration plate owned by Aaron Palaian of Odyssey, promoting the sport of swimrun; Aaron's main goal was to remember his car plate number - but promoting the sport is an added bonus!

A car Licence Plate reading SW1MRUN, from Michigan, with an artist's impression of the Mackinac bridge.

credit to Aaron Palaian of Ödyssey swimrun

The original round Odyssey SwimRun logo

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In Odyssey events the usual swim aids are allowed - hand paddles, pull buoys, wetsuits - and any hydration and race fuel must be carried throughout the race. It can make a real difference having the right team mate and equipment as you can find out reading other pages on this site!

Odyssey SwimRun are entering their fifth year in 2024 with Ötillö Swimrun USA, and are once again presenting the only island-to-island style races in North America. In some of the races there is also now the option to enter a solo event.

The Races

For 2023 there were 4 races in the Odyssey SwimRun Series, running from August through to November.

The races previously run at Ludington and Les Cheneaux are no longer being held.

Check our up-to-date Swimrun event calendar for the USA 2024 here!

Races now held in 2024 by Ötillö Swimrun USA are:

Whistler
Casco Bay Islands
Mackinac Island
Orcas Island
Austin Pace Bend

Odyssey Swim Run Race Bibs

The race bibs below are from 2023, the last time Odyssey Swimrun held races under its own name.

Odyssey 2023 competitors' bibs in different colors.

Odyssey Facebook Page

There is a great Facebook page - Ötillö Swimrun USA Athletes, originally Odyssey SwimRun Athletes.

Check it out HERE

Odyssey Swimrun Events

Below you can find details of Odyssey (now Otillo Swimrun USA) events:

Whistler

Date: July 7th, 2024

Venue: British Columbia, Canada

Set in the mountains of BC, two hours north of Vancouver, Whistler is a famous resort, for good reason. Here the swimming sections are across cold glacier-fed lakes. The running sections take in roads, single track trails, jumping off docks and some rock scrambling.

The water temperatures can vary between 12C and 16C, while air temps at this time of year range from 11C to 27C - that's a BIG range!

There are THREE events on offer, and you can take part either as a SOLO racer or as part of a team of 2; the World Series races are the longest. The Sprint distance os more maneageable for most of us, and the Experience distance is the shortest, giving you a taster of this sport. The swim to run ratio varies from 1:5 for the World Series race, to 1:4 for the Sprint, and down to 1:9 for the Experience.

World Series

Swim: 7.5km

Run: 32.8km

Total Distance: 40.3km (25 miles)

Sprint Distance

Swim: 3.8km

Run: 13.15km

Total Distance: 16.9km (10 miles)

Experience Distance

Swim: 1.1km

Run: 8.85km

Total Distance: 9.9km (6.2 miles)

Casco Bay

DATE: Sunday, August 11 2024

VENUE: Casco Bay Islands, Portland, Maine

The Casco Bay Swimrun is also known as the Cole Classic in memory of co-founder Jeff Cole. This is America's original Swimrun event. Odyssey Swimrun (formerly Swimrun USA) brought this exciting sport to the states.

2024 will be the event's 8th year and the organizers say it is set to be the best! The east coast is stunning with a course full of amazing bay views and historic buildings and forts.

Be prepared for a variety of terrain from trails, grass, pavement and slippery boulders when the tide is low, together with cool, crisp salt waters! Currents can be strong with choppy water and sea swells.

Click below to watch the official Race Video 2019 for the Odyssey SwimRun Casco Bay Islands:

World Series- team or solo

Swim: 8km

Run: 29km

Total Distance: 37km

Sprint distance- team or solo

Swim: 3.2km

Run: 17.3km

Total Distance: 20.5km

Experience distance- team or solo

Swim: TBA

Run: TBA

Total Distance: TBA

Mackinac SwimRun

DATE: Sunday, August 25, 2024

VENUE: Mackinac Island, Lake Huron, Michigan

view over green gardens to a small marina with white boats in a harbor at Mackinac Island, Michigan, on a sunny day, with blue water and a blue sky.

The beautiful Mackinac Island

This was a new event in 2021!

Mackinac Island is as rich in history as it is in beauty. Located just northeast of the Mackinac Bridge In Lake Huron, Mackinac Island offers a unique opportunity for both family and friends to experience race weekend like never before.

Mackinac City's downtown area offers a variety of things to do for people of all ages and trails and waters around this pristine island offer a vast playground for SwimRunners looking to stretch their legs on a new course that's challenging and breathtakingly beautiful.

There are no vehicles allowed on the island. Your legs, bikes, and horses are the modes of transportation after you take the ferry from the mainland to get there.

A man with a yellow float tied to his waist and his arms held up walking down a jetty towards a boat shed, with blue sky in the background.

Adventure awaits on Mackinac Island!

World Series- team and solo

Swim: 5km

Run: 21km

Total Distance: 26km

Sprint distance- team and solo

Swim: 3.2km

Run: 18.5km

Total Distance: 21.7km

Experience- team and solo

Swim: TBA

Run: TBA

Total Distance: TBA

Orcas Island SwimRun

DATE: Sunday, September 15, 2024

VENUE: Orcas Island, San Juan Islands, Washington State

Established in 2018, this is a unique and beautiful course in the San Juan chain of islands in Northwest Washington State. Look out for big climbs and descents and single tracks running through thick forests. The course includes crystal clear inland waters as well as a picturesque ocean cove. Certainly a race to 'get back to nature'!

Click below to watch the Official Race Video of the Odyssey Orcas Island Swimrun:

World Series- team and solo

Swim: 5.5km

Run: 35km

Total Distance: 40.5km

Sprint distance- team and solo

Swim: 3.2km

Run: 17km

Total Distance: 20.2km

Experience- team and solo

Swim: TBA

Run: TBA

Total Distance: TBA

Austin Pace Bend

"Welcome to Texas Hill Country!"

DATE: Sunday, November 3rd, 2024

VENUE: Pace Bend Park, Spicewood, Texas (Austin City Limits)

Two swimrun competitors at the Odyssey Austin 2022 event

Odyssey Swimrun Austin

A stone's throw from Austin, nestled in Texas Hill Country between the Baldcypress and Sycamore trees, sits Pace Bend Park. A rustic beauty with single track forest trails, shoreline rock formations and cliff jumps into the refreshing Colorado River. The perfect Texas-sized end to the Odyssey Swimrun season.