We had a super SwimRun adventure in Åland, an autonomous region in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. It’s always nice to go somewhere new and do something familiar, and Åland exceeded our expectations on both fronts. We travelled over from Sweden on a huge ferry and set up camp near the Käringsund Beach where the race started and ended.
The race organisers had a new set-up with the World Series and Sprint distance races on Saturday and the Experience race on Sunday. That meant that hardcore athletes like Daniel could finish second in the World Series race the day before (described by the organisers as their most challenging event) and then race again with their families and fans the next day!
Our route was slightly less demanding than Saturday’s 48.7km, but it did have some ambitious swim entries and exits including climbing a rope out of one swim and running and jumping off the slippery rocks on a small island into the final swim of the race. Daniel controlled the race really well for us, pulling a bit harder on the tether in the swims, and encouraging me non-stop on the running sections through forest trails and over the iconic red rocks of the archipelago islands.
The route was beautiful, there were great people cheering us on along the way, and the organisation by Ötillö was excellent. When we crossed the finish line, I was delighted and surprised to hear that we had come first in the mixed category! We loved being able to race together - here’s to the next one!
Race result
10 August 20256.6km (0.9km swim; 5.7km run)
100m
0:56:25
1st
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