ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Malta
A Sell Out For The Otillo Swimrun World Series Finals in Malta
Press Release / 20.11.2019
This first edition of the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series finals in Malta is sold out! A fantastic turnout of 210 teams from more than 20 nations will participate in the seventh and final ÖTILLÖ World Series weekend of the year.
Throughout history this beautiful island has set the stage for many cultures. The ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series will end the season and host the 2019 finals on Malta on November 23rd and 24th, 2019, with many of the best teams in the world signed up together with Swimrun enthusiasts from near and far.
They will experience the beauty and the rugged coast of Malta during a high- speed sightseeing trip. For some it is for the adventure, for some it is for the experience, for some it is to race hard and for some it is to qualify for ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship 2020.
Race Formats
On Saturday, November 23rd there are several shorter races to make the sport accessible to more people and to let newcomers experience the beauty of swimrun.
The Experience distance is 6.9 km with 3 swim sections totalling 1050 metres. This race distance you can either do in teams of two or solo.
The Sprint alludes to the distance and not to the speed. It is a total of 14.9 km with 5 swim sections totalling 2750 metres. This race distance you can either do in teams of two or solo.
On Sunday, November 24th, it’s the World Series event which acts as a Qualifier to the World Championship and where teams can collect ranking points. It is the last race of the year and also the finals of the 2019 World Series. The race is a total of 39.6 km with 13 swim sections totalling 8 700 metres. This race you can only do in a team of two and it is the most prestigious event in Malta. It is SOLD OUT at 210 teams.
Sunday's World Series Race
The 210 teams of two start their Sunday morning by running hard out of the old town of Valletta inside the rampart walls to the first swim where they swim across the harbour entrance to Sliema. From Sliema the teams follow the coast towards the North West, along the rocks, on trails and across bays until they come out on to the rough coast of Malta. The course goes to the west end, then turns south to push hard to the finish line at Golden Sands. The fast pace sightseeing will take its toll.
In total, they will cover almost 31 km on foot and 8.7 km swimming making a course distance just less than 40 km with 13 swims in total.
This year’s race will have the warmest water temperatures to date - around 21C and the fastest teams are expected to complete the course in around 4.5 hours.
Will the current World Champions - Pontus Lindberg & George Bjälkemo, Team ATG (SWE) or former World Champions and this year’s World Series Winners Fredrik Axegård & Alex Flores, Team ARK Swimrun (SWE) win, or will someone else push these powerhouse teams off the throne? As seen in previous races this year the top 5 teams are battling until the very last kilometres.
In the mixed category it will be a hornets’ nest with a handful of very strong teams chasing each other hard. In the women’s category we have several of the strongest women in the world, this race will be hard to predict until the bitter end, maybe some new faces?
One thing is for sure, some of swimrun’s top teams will be chasing each other around Malta.
It will be great to see athletes from all over the world on the start line, some are veterans of swimrun and some are totally new to the sport, but eager to find out why so many people are so hooked to the unique experience.
As in all races, it is only when the dust has settled that we know the outcome of the race.
Start list: https://otilloswimrun.com/races/malta/start-lists/
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