Cannes is the final race of the European ÖTILLÖ season and in 2026 it will be worth double the points of other races in the World Series. This makes it an important race next year and as it is is in October it is also a chance for a final warm race of the summer. Ben and I decided to race together again (after Engadin and Åland) to refine our team tactics and learn the Cannes route.
The race started at an insane pace! It was just a little too fast for Ben on the first run so I pulled with the tether until about 500m before the first swim where we disconnected. That was a mistake because the first swim was too fast for me! We managed to catch onto the back of the second group on the next run, but it was still too fast and we decided to settle into our own rhythm.
In the middle two-thirds of the race Ben led the swims and I led the runs. We were working well as a team, catching some solo athletes and mixed teams as the race went on. We missed an aid station in the middle of the course and were feeling the heat, but good equipment management and sharing the water we had meant we could maintain our effort.
On the steep climb up the funicular and during that 6km run stage we remained untethered. Then for the final hour of the race, I pulled for a few runs and a swim, and then took over to pull us on the final run and swim. This made the most of our individual strengths setting us up for the fastest finish we could achieve. We finished in fifth with the best result possible for us on the day.
The race was fast, hard, and an eye-opening experience. We worked the best we have as a team this season and learned the route which were our goals. We have some work to do, but we'll be there and ready to race in 2026.
Race result
4 October 202541.2km (8.1km swim; 33.1km run)
345m
4:32:40
5th