Hiked the pass when we were over for our honeymoon. Lovely bit of the world that
Wasnāt sure where to put this. Been watching a lot of OtillO races but this swimrun race looks pretty epic. Doesnāt have the technical transitions of the Scandi races but the scenery looks amazing. semi interested.
2 Likes
Should probably watch that. I think my friend got a podium place in that one. The gorges de verdon is spectacular.
It looks amazing and the colour of the water is breathtaking.
Only done one Otillo race and it was such a blast -
we swam across Loch Lomond hopping on and off Inchmurrin and one other island on way over.
On reaching the other side we ran up Conic Hill then down and north up to Millarochy Bay, then swam back over via a network of islands leading back to Aldlochay I think.
5 miles of swimming all in and 8 miles of running I thinkā¦
Team mate insisted taking his shoes on and off before each swim section so inevitably we were way off the pace from the get goā¦ The look of some local fisherman when we all waded in at first swim point though was priceless
3 Likes
There used to be a guy on here that RD some in your neck of the woods āAlanā?
1 Like
Yes that was the guy - āinch by inchā I think it was called - a stand up comedian also? He keeps going for mega rides in Australia last I saw on FB.
It was superbly organised. Got a free entry too lol
The third swim section I recall was the hardest. Before we reached Balmaha. I was shivering when got out and luckily there was a big tea urn thing and biscuits and sandwiches etcā¦ once we started trotting up Conic Hill, some warmth returned lol - it was pretty choppy. A week later I swam a PB in Wales IM - 1:03 - reckon it gave me an extra level of confidence cos there was a bit of chop
2 Likes
He āsomewhatā overestimated his biking ability at IM Wales though 
1 Like
Oh yes! I passed him in 2019 on the run. He was wearing a tutu. He looked fācked. I recognised him as I ran past and shouted āHey Alanā - I think he swore 
ā¦ if heās worse then me on the bikeā¦ I mean, I cycled in a pair of trainers 
Are you sure about the year? He wore a tutu in 2018 because I passed him twice on the run. He was effing and blinding both times. He seemed quite miserable.
1 Like
He def ran in 2019ā¦ maybe it wasnāt him. I did UK in 2018
Whatās his surname?
ā¦ Anderson ā¦ 
not sure. I didnāt know who he was until he mentioned the tutu in his race report, then the penny dropped.
Yeah he did ā¦ hang onā¦ 
ā¦
I did the inch by inch as my first swimrun, we were the last finishers, it was a blast though
2 Likes
Wasnāt it! I donāt know why he jacked it in?ā¦ health and safety or something?ā¦ too much hassle? It was brilliant. Total adventure stuff
Iād love to do that course again
1 Like
Iāve entered the Great North SwimRun in Windermere on 10 June 2023. Just the shorter route that they let you do solo (because what few mates I have are shit swimmers). Iām looking forward to trying it out.
A few years ago I had an entry for Hellās Hop in the Hebrides with a mate, but it got cancelled for lack of entries. It was a bit remote to get to and bound to be baltic.
4 Likes
Iāve done the middle and the long GN swimrun, they were well organised and good fun.
2 Likes
Nice to hear. The longer routes look more enticing, but until I find some local-ish SwimRun mates Iām stuck with solo/short courses. Iād probably fall out with a partner anyway.
1 Like
So had a crack at this today
https://secondwindrunning.co.uk/p/winter-cross-ultra
4 out and backs and about 800mtr vert. Going into it, I was pretty worried about this painful hip issue Iāve been experiencing but wanted to end the year with a finish if I could.
Picked up a mate who was running with me but he is much faster, so we agreed heād either wait for me or call his wife to pick him up when he finished.
Morning was cold, -4C in the car when I set off. Not sure how many starters approx 150 Iād guess.
First leg was straightforward and pretty flat.
The second leg was 20km all up and included Old Winch Hill and the back of Butser Hill, this was killer and took a while. During this leg, my left hip started to kick off at about 18km completed. I found if I backed right off the pace, the pain remained a bit stable but it definitely wasnāt happy. Iād already busted the poles out at this stage. On the way back to HQ, my mate said his goodbyes and took off.
Third leg was a bit mental, about 2kms out of the village and then straight up to Beacon Hill via the road, then on trails to CP3, which involved a descent down, so on the way back it was a long drag climb then a crazy painful road descent.
4th leg was 9km out and back, almost dead flat and at this point I was walking more than I was ārunningā. Cp4 finally came and the turn around was sweet. Worked out I had about 48 mins to do 5.5km, if I wanted to go under 7hrs, which sound very easy but I was spent.
Made it in 6.46 in the end but my god it hurt more than a 50km should. Glad I did it but I really need to think about next yearās race strategy. It seems futile to be destroying myself in these races without proper answers about my hips (and sore feet). Medal was pretty sweet though!
23 Likes
Good job @FatPom
Very positive end to the year
1 Like