SwimRun Catalina Island

The Swimrun Catalina Island race was the first Ötillö event to be held in North America. The Swedish company Ötillö first established the sport of Swimrun in Sweden, and expanded into various countries through Europe. You can read more about the roots of this exhilarating new sport at our page HERE.

The SwimRun Catalina Island event was the first foray into North America, and the then race directors Michael Lemmel and Mats Skott found a unique location. The first event happened in February 2020.

In 2025 the event will be held on April 27th!

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Getting there.

Catalina Island is 21 miles from the coast of California, out in the Pacific ocean. The best way to get there is the ferry from Long Beach, which takes 90 minutes. So if you get into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after lunchtime, you can be on Catalina in time for dinner. Long Beach is a short taxi ride from LAX.

SwimRun Catalina Island

As always, Michael and Mats came up with a challenging course! They called it "hard and magnificent".

There are 3 race distances at Catalina Island;

World Series distance, 38 km in total.
Sprint distance, 14.8 km total distance.
Experience distance, which is 7.7 km long.

The World Series distance.

This course covers a total of 38 km, with 7 swim legs mixed in with the 8 running sections. There are steep climbs on the runs, with thigh-burning descents back to the water. The longest swim is 1600 meters, with a total swim distance of 8km.

The race starts and finishes in Two Harbors, before going up into the hills towards the West end with breath-taking hills and views. After going almost to the Western most tip of the island, you have to run and swim in and around coves coming all the way back to a finish in Two Harbors on the beach. Along the course there are cut-off points, to ensure the safety of those teams not fast enough to finish before dark.

You have to make sure that you are a strong swimmer, and also a strong hill runner if you want to enjoy this course and the incredible views. Mats and Michael promised that it would be a massive race! From my own personal experience, they mean what they say!

A Google map of the route for the Ötillö Swimrun Catalina Island event

World Series distance course map

The Sprint Distance.

The Sprint distance at SwimRun Catalina Island aims at those competitors who either don't want to take on the massive challenge of the World Series distance, or else want to race hard and fast. This race distance tends to attract experienced racers who go hard, or newcomers who want a longer challenge than the shorter Experience race.

The course is not as hilly as the World Series distance, with hardly any vertical gain, and also just 4 swim sections. The longest swim is 1400 meters.

You also have the option to race solo if you want to race as an individual, as opposed to the traditional SwimRun races which are always in teams of 2.

Sprint distance course map

SwimRun Catalina Island

The Experience distance.

This is a SwimRun distance for those completely new to the sport, who want to get a taste of what SwimRun is all about. The course is shorter and the swims less exposed than in the longer distances. The running does not involve much ascent or descent.

The total distance is just 7,7km which takes in 3 swim sections, the longest of which is just 800 meters. You can take part at this distance either as a team of 2 or as an individual.

A Google map of the route for the Ötillö Swimrun Catalina Island Experience distance event

Here is a video of the course!

The SwimRun Catalina Island event is tough but rewarding. The courses takes in amazing views, and the swims promise many fish - but expect the waters to be cold!