Doping is far more common in professional sport than the rates suggested by blood and urine tests of the athletes, scientists have found.
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The study found that at least 30% of athletes in the 2011 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships and 45% of athletes at the Pan-Arab Games in 2011 claimed to have taken doping drugs or used other doping methods.
Only a fraction of these cases were detected by biological tests: at the World Championships, 0.5% of biological tests showed positive for doping agents, and 3.6% for the Pan-Arab games.
The scientists used a “randomised response method” to question a total of 2,167 participants at the World Championships in Daegu (South Korea) and the Pan-Arab Games in Doha (Qatar), asking whether they had taken doping drugs or used other banned doping methods before the competitions. This method ensured the anonymity of the respondents and allowed them to answer honestly without fearing negative consequences.
“The randomised response method is used for sensitive topics. In a direct face-to face interview, respondents would be strongly motivated to provide socially desirable responses, even if these responses were not true. Anonymity gives protection, allowing the respondents to answer honestly,” explains Ulrich, head of the Cognition and Perception Research Group at the Department of Psychology at the University of Tübingen.
In the study, six interviewers, who collectively spoke ten languages, attended the competitions and personally asked 2,320 athletes to participate. More than 90 percent agreed. The athletes were asked on a mobile device to answer one of two questions — an unobtrusive question about a birthdate or a sensitive question about whether they had engaged in banned doping in the past 12 months. The two questions were selected at random. Therefore, if an athlete answered “yes,” the investigators could not tell whether the athlete was answering “yes” to the unobtrusive question or “yes” to the sensitive question — thus guaranteeing the athlete’s anonymity.
However, even though the investigators could not ascertain which of the two questions had been answered by any individual athlete, they could use statistical methods to closely estimate the percentage of athletes in the overall study group who had answered yes to the doping question. The investigators also took into account different scenarios that might have caused incorrect responses. For example, the fastest responses were not included because the respondents might not have read the text thoroughly.
“Overall, this study suggests that biological tests of blood and urine greatly underestimate the true prevalence of doping,” emphasises Pope, who is also a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “As we note in the paper, this is probably due to the fact that athletes have found various ways to beat the tests.”
Tests immediately before and during a competition find evidence of doping on average of only 1-3%. However, doping agents are often no longer biologically detectable at this time if they have been taken long before. Somewhat better results are achieved with the “biological passport,” which tracks the athlete’s medical data and offers a higher detection rate of about 14%. The passport employs long-term documentation which can reveal deviations that could be caused by the abuse of doping agents. Doping agents are defined as all items listed by the WADA on the “List of Prohibited Substances and Methods.”
“The study brings opportunities for a constructive debate regarding new strategies for combating doping. The randomised response method is a good way to make informed statements about the actual spread of doping,” says Professor Rolf Ulrich from the University of Tübingen in Tübingen, Germany
Harrison G. Pope, Jr, MD, MPH, director, Biological Psychiatry Laboratory at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, and Professor Rolf Ulrich from the University of Tübingen in Tübingen, Germany, together with an international group of seven other authors, conducted the study on behalf of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) in 2011. The results of the study, “Doping in Two Elite Athletics Competitions Assessed by Randomized-Response Surveys” have now been published in the journal Sports Medicine. The publication also includes detailed statistical analyses in the appendix which underline the significance of the findings.
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The first Mixed Relay Cup was today declared a roaring success. With bumper crowds, global podium-mounting athletes and a natural amphitheatre courtesy of Nottingham city centre, British Triathlon’s latest event was 90mins of can’t-tear-your-eyes-away action.
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Seventeen teams took part in the four-teammate tag race, each completing a 300m swim, two-lap 7.5km bike and 1-lap 1.5km run before handing over the honours to the next athlete. With four international teams, it didn’t have the gobal impact of the World Champs, in Hamburg, but the predominantly British line-up showcased the very best of our nations’s talent, drawing teams from the sport’s top training centres across the UK.
The two Leeds teams, although missing its most famous sons due to injury, were still the pre-race favourites, boasting four Olympians between them – Non Stanford, Gordon Benson and Lucy Hall all racing for Leeds II and honorary Leeds athlete Aaron Royle (of Australia) for Leeds I.
Hall’s partner Mark Buckingham made up the Leeds II team, having got the call-up just 24hrs before the race start to replace Royle, who’d been bumped up to the Leeds I squad to replace Jonny Brownlee.
Joining Royle in the top squad was last week’s silver medallist in Stockholm, Jess Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Tom Bishop.
The Loughborough I team, meanwhile, boasted Commonwealth gold medallist Jodie Stimpson, Sophie Coldwell, Ben Dijkstra and Chris Perham, none of them strangers to a podium or 10.
STAGE 1
Nottingham’s crowds ‘thunder clap’ did a fine job of mimicking the ITU’s famous ‘ba-boom’ pre-race build-up, as the first 17 athletes took to the River Trent for a deep-water start.
Loughborough I (Coldwell) was the first of the Brit teams to make a move, coming out second in the swim behind Japan’s Fuka Sega. Leeds I (Taylor-Brown) and II (Stanford, on her first race back since the Leeds WTS in June, having struggled with injury in 2017) had okay swims to exit mid-pack. Although a strong swimmer, Sega is inexperienced on the bike and run and soon fell back post T2.
Eleven athletes raced as one pack over the short, technical 7.5km bike course, Stanford the first to dismount into T2.
Kate Waugh, 18, of the GB Juniors squad, kept Stanford company before Taylor-Brown and Canada’s Joanna Brown overtook them both for first and second place.
STAGE 2
Taylor-Brown for Leeds I was the first to tag her teammate, Royle, who did a spectacular belly flop into the Trent, closely followed by Canada’s Matt Sharp.
Leeds II’s Benson with Ali Brownlee’s parting words still ringing in his ears –“Race clever” – was the next in, ahead of Loughborough I’s Perham.
Royle, with a sizeable cushion out of T1 took the bike leg alone, the chasing trio – with a tactically slow Benson sitting at the back – unable to match his speed.
By T2, Royle was 13secs ahead of the trio, but with fresher legs, the Leeds II’s Benson was soon in front, keeping Canada’s Sharp honest in second.
STAGE THREE
In this order, Benson passed to Hall; Sharp to Paula Findlay; Perham to Stimpson and Royle to Learmonth.
By mid-bike, it was a four-way battle for three podium spots, and with a 1min advantage over the rest of the field, the quartet could take the pace down a notch.
Onto the run it was Leeds I’s Learmonth and Canada’s Findlay who had the freshest legs, leaving Loughborough’s Stimpson in third and Leeds II’s Hall in fourth.
STAGE 4
Doing the final honours for Leeds I was Tom Bishop, who played a blinder from the start knowing that he might not have an answer for the run speed of Loughborough I’s Dijkstra. By the start of the run, he’d built a gap of 33secs.
With fumbles in both transitions for the less experienced Dijkstra, Bishop was able to romp home to claim a comfortable victory for the Leeds I team. Dijkstra’s followed him in for Loughborough I’s silver, while Jeremy Briand ran through for Canada’s bronze. Having only been back in the UK for two days, Buckingham did a solid job to give Leeds II fourth at the finish.
“I didn’t think I had it in me actually,” admitted the winning team’s Learmonth post-race. “So I’m quite surprised. But I just had to go max out and try not to get any penalties.”
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“Leeds was just really strong, I just couldn’t get across to Tom [Bishop] on the bike, but we all fought fantastically so we’ll be going home with smiles on our faces,” said silver-medallist Dijkstra of Loughborough I at the line.
The first Mixed Relay Cup was today declared a roaring success. With bumper crowds, global podium-mounting athletes and a natural amphitheatre courtesy of Nottingham city centre, British Triathlon’s latest event was 90mins of can’t-tear-your-eyes-away action.
Advertisement
Seventeen teams took part in the four-teammate tag race, each completing a 300m swim, two-lap 7.5km bike and 1-lap 1.5km run before handing over the honours to the next athlete. With four international teams, it didn’t have the gobal impact of the World Champs, in Hamburg, but the predominantly British line-up showcased the very best of our nations’s talent, drawing teams from the sport’s top training centres across the UK.
The two Leeds teams, although missing its most famous sons due to injury, were still the pre-race favourites, boasting four Olympians between them – Non Stanford, Gordon Benson and Lucy Hall all racing for Leeds II and honorary Leeds athlete Aaron Royle (of Australia) for Leeds I.
Hall’s partner Mark Buckingham made up the Leeds II team, having got the call-up just 24hrs before the race start to replace Royle, who’d been bumped up to the Leeds I squad to replace Jonny Brownlee.
Joining Royle in the top squad was last week’s silver medallist in Stockholm, Jess Learmonth, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Tom Bishop.
The Loughborough I team, meanwhile, boasted Commonwealth gold medallist Jodie Stimpson, Sophie Coldwell, Ben Dijkstra and Chris Perham, none of them strangers to a podium or 10.
STAGE 1
Nottingham’s crowds ‘thunder clap’ did a fine job of mimicking the ITU’s famous ‘ba-boom’ pre-race build-up, as the first 17 athletes took to the River Trent for a deep-water start.
Loughborough I (Coldwell) was the first of the Brit teams to make a move, coming out second in the swim behind Japan’s Fuka Sega. Leeds I (Taylor-Brown) and II (Stanford, on her first race back since the Leeds WTS in June, having struggled with injury in 2017) had okay swims to exit mid-pack. Although a strong swimmer, Sega is inexperienced on the bike and run and soon fell back post T2.
Eleven athletes raced as one pack over the short, technical 7.5km bike course, Stanford the first to dismount into T2.
Kate Waugh, 18, of the GB Juniors squad, kept Stanford company before Taylor-Brown and Canada’s Joanna Brown overtook them both for first and second place.
STAGE 2
Taylor-Brown for Leeds I was the first to tag her teammate, Royle, who did a spectacular belly flop into the Trent, closely followed by Canada’s Matt Sharp.
Leeds II’s Benson with Ali Brownlee’s parting words still ringing in his ears –“Race clever” – was the next in, ahead of Loughborough I’s Perham.
Royle, with a sizeable cushion out of T1 took the bike leg alone, the chasing trio – with a tactically slow Benson sitting at the back – unable to match his speed.
By T2, Royle was 13secs ahead of the trio, but with fresher legs, the Leeds II’s Benson was soon in front, keeping Canada’s Sharp honest in second.
STAGE THREE
In this order, Benson passed to Hall; Sharp to Paula Findlay; Perham to Stimpson and Royle to Learmonth.
By mid-bike, it was a four-way battle for three podium spots, and with a 1min advantage over the rest of the field, the quartet could take the pace down a notch.
Onto the run it was Leeds I’s Learmonth and Canada’s Findlay who had the freshest legs, leaving Loughborough’s Stimpson in third and Leeds II’s Hall in fourth.
STAGE 4
Doing the final honours for Leeds I was Tom Bishop, who played a blinder from the start knowing that he might not have an answer for the run speed of Loughborough I’s Dijkstra. By the start of the run, he’d built a gap of 33secs.
With fumbles in both transitions for the less experienced Dijkstra, Bishop was able to romp home to claim a comfortable victory for the Leeds I team. Dijkstra’s followed him in for Loughborough I’s silver, while Jeremy Briand ran through for Canada’s bronze. Having only been back in the UK for two days, Buckingham did a solid job to give Leeds II fourth at the finish.
“I didn’t think I had it in me actually,” admitted the winning team’s Learmonth post-race. “So I’m quite surprised. But I just had to go max out and try not to get any penalties.”
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“Leeds was just really strong, I just couldn’t get across to Tom [Bishop] on the bike, but we all fought fantastically so we’ll be going home with smiles on our faces,” said silver-medallist Dijkstra of Loughborough I at the line.
It is with great sadness that the ITU has learned of the death of its Honorary President, Les McDonald. He died on September 4 in Vancouver (Canada), at 84 years of age. McDonald served as ITU’s President from its inception in 1989 until 2008, and he was largely credited with getting the sport of triathlon into the Olympic Summer Games. The grief of his passing is shared by his family, friends, athletes, fans and all the triathlon family, and by ITU staff and Board.
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“Les was not only an extraordinary person, he was part of the triathlon family, and will be always remembered. His impact on the global evolution of our sport, and the governing body, was very significant. Those of us who were privileged to share this journey with him are immensely sadden at this moment. He lived a plentiful life, dedicated to triathlon, and we will continue to live with his legacy to make sure the sport is always about the athletes,” said ITU President an IOC member, Marisol Casado.
ITU Vice President, Loreen Barnett, and a long-time friend of McDonald said that “Les’ greatest legacy is the number of opportunities that he created for women; athletes, officials and administrators. Les’ grandmother was a suffragette in the UK in the early decades of the last century, and her lessons on equality for women in terms of reward and opportunity guided Les’ work during his leadership role within ITU. Hundreds of women, including myself, benefitted from his belief in the equal ability of women.”
The son of a coal miner, McDonald was born in Felling upon Tyne, near Newcastle in the northeast of Britain, on April 30 1933. He started working while he was still a young boy, only 14, and became interested in mountain climbing, tackling major routes in the Alps and many first ascents in North America.
It was during a climbing and ski trip to Austria that he met his life mate, Monique, and in 1954 they married and settled in Vancouver, where McDonald found work as an electrician. They have three children, Ian, Helen and Daniel. As a member of the Grouse Mountain Ski Club he helped organise many of the mountain’s earliest alpine events and coached the BC ski team.
Later, he was part of the group that founded Whistler, building its first ski lift, helping construct the first power line in from Squamish, even serving on the unsuccessful Vancouver-Garibaldi Olympic bid in the mid-1960s. The network of cross-country ski trails near the Whistler village are his work, where one challenging trail’s jump bears his name “Les’ Leap.”
McDonald began competing in marathons in the 1970s and to spice up training, he and some friends discovered triathlon, tried one in California, and brought the sport back to Vancouver. In 1981, the first triathlon ever held in Canada took place at Vancouver’s Spanish Banks; swimming in the ocean, biking around the University of BC and running to Brockton Oval in Stanley Park.
The successful race was remarkably informal; McDonald only realized an event permit was needed when an RCMP officer knocked on his door later that night. Throughout the 80’s, McDonald worked tirelessly, building the sport’s governing bodies from the ground up. In 1983, he led a committee that established the British Columbia Triathlon Association. A year later, he founded the Canadian Triathlon Federation (later Triathlon Canada), serving as its first president until 1996. All the while, McDonald was still competing, finishing as age-group champion in many races and even moving up to the Ironman distance, where for five straight years beginning in 1983 he won the over-50 world championships, setting world records in the process.
Then a phone call, in the fall of 1988, changed the direction of his life – and the sport’s – forever. On the line was IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, who wanted McDonald’s help to bring triathlon to the Olympic programme. McDonald and Sweden’s Sture Johnasson, co-chaired a ‘working group’ to establish the sport’s international federation and in 1989 the International Triathlon Union (ITU) was formed with McDonald as its first president, based in his hometown, Vancouver.
In 1994, the hard work and sacrifice paid off with IOC confirmation that triathlon would be included on the Olympic programme as a full-fledged medal sport for the first time at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
After dedicating almost 20 years of his life to ITU and to make our sport grow across the world, Marisol Casado, mentored by Les, was proclaimed President of the International Federation in 2008. A role that she still has after winning her third election in 2016.
On the final day of the 122nd IOC Session held during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in ITU’s hometown of Vancouver, Les was awarded with the Olympic order, and honour given to individuals who demonstrate distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement. That same year, he won the Continental IOC Women and Sport Award.
In 2013, McDonald was honoured with the Order of Canada, which is the centre piece of Canada’s honours system and recognises a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Only one year later, in 2014, in the inaugural Hall of Fame of ITU, McDonald was inducted with the Lifetime Achievement.
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As he had been doing since he first discovered the world of triathlon, Les dedicated his life to promote and grow our sport, and no words can describe the gratitude the triathlon community will have forever for his contribution. He will be sadly missed.
It is with great sadness that the ITU has learned of the death of its Honorary President, Les McDonald. He died on September 4 in Vancouver (Canada), at 84 years of age. McDonald served as ITU’s President from its inception in 1989 until 2008, and he was largely credited with getting the sport of triathlon into the Olympic Summer Games. The grief of his passing is shared by his family, friends, athletes, fans and all the triathlon family, and by ITU staff and Board.
Advertisement
“Les was not only an extraordinary person, he was part of the triathlon family, and will be always remembered. His impact on the global evolution of our sport, and the governing body, was very significant. Those of us who were privileged to share this journey with him are immensely sadden at this moment. He lived a plentiful life, dedicated to triathlon, and we will continue to live with his legacy to make sure the sport is always about the athletes,” said ITU President an IOC member, Marisol Casado.
ITU Vice President, Loreen Barnett, and a long-time friend of McDonald said that “Les’ greatest legacy is the number of opportunities that he created for women; athletes, officials and administrators. Les’ grandmother was a suffragette in the UK in the early decades of the last century, and her lessons on equality for women in terms of reward and opportunity guided Les’ work during his leadership role within ITU. Hundreds of women, including myself, benefitted from his belief in the equal ability of women.”
The son of a coal miner, McDonald was born in Felling upon Tyne, near Newcastle in the northeast of Britain, on April 30 1933. He started working while he was still a young boy, only 14, and became interested in mountain climbing, tackling major routes in the Alps and many first ascents in North America.
It was during a climbing and ski trip to Austria that he met his life mate, Monique, and in 1954 they married and settled in Vancouver, where McDonald found work as an electrician. They have three children, Ian, Helen and Daniel. As a member of the Grouse Mountain Ski Club he helped organise many of the mountain’s earliest alpine events and coached the BC ski team.
Later, he was part of the group that founded Whistler, building its first ski lift, helping construct the first power line in from Squamish, even serving on the unsuccessful Vancouver-Garibaldi Olympic bid in the mid-1960s. The network of cross-country ski trails near the Whistler village are his work, where one challenging trail’s jump bears his name “Les’ Leap.”
McDonald began competing in marathons in the 1970s and to spice up training, he and some friends discovered triathlon, tried one in California, and brought the sport back to Vancouver. In 1981, the first triathlon ever held in Canada took place at Vancouver’s Spanish Banks; swimming in the ocean, biking around the University of BC and running to Brockton Oval in Stanley Park.
The successful race was remarkably informal; McDonald only realized an event permit was needed when an RCMP officer knocked on his door later that night. Throughout the 80’s, McDonald worked tirelessly, building the sport’s governing bodies from the ground up. In 1983, he led a committee that established the British Columbia Triathlon Association. A year later, he founded the Canadian Triathlon Federation (later Triathlon Canada), serving as its first president until 1996. All the while, McDonald was still competing, finishing as age-group champion in many races and even moving up to the Ironman distance, where for five straight years beginning in 1983 he won the over-50 world championships, setting world records in the process.
Then a phone call, in the fall of 1988, changed the direction of his life – and the sport’s – forever. On the line was IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, who wanted McDonald’s help to bring triathlon to the Olympic programme. McDonald and Sweden’s Sture Johnasson, co-chaired a ‘working group’ to establish the sport’s international federation and in 1989 the International Triathlon Union (ITU) was formed with McDonald as its first president, based in his hometown, Vancouver.
In 1994, the hard work and sacrifice paid off with IOC confirmation that triathlon would be included on the Olympic programme as a full-fledged medal sport for the first time at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
After dedicating almost 20 years of his life to ITU and to make our sport grow across the world, Marisol Casado, mentored by Les, was proclaimed President of the International Federation in 2008. A role that she still has after winning her third election in 2016.
On the final day of the 122nd IOC Session held during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in ITU’s hometown of Vancouver, Les was awarded with the Olympic order, and honour given to individuals who demonstrate distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement. That same year, he won the Continental IOC Women and Sport Award.
In 2013, McDonald was honoured with the Order of Canada, which is the centre piece of Canada’s honours system and recognises a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. Only one year later, in 2014, in the inaugural Hall of Fame of ITU, McDonald was inducted with the Lifetime Achievement.
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As he had been doing since he first discovered the world of triathlon, Les dedicated his life to promote and grow our sport, and no words can describe the gratitude the triathlon community will have forever for his contribution. He will be sadly missed.
“Our races show the power of nature and how little we are on this spec of a world. All we can do is take care of each other.” For the 300 athletes sitting in the race briefing ahead of the 12th ÖtillÖ World Championship race in the Stockholm archipelago, these very apt words from race director Michael Lemmel saw a few nervous smiles exchanged. With winds already gusting outside and similar conditions, with heavy rain, predicted for the next day, everyone’s mind was on how the weather conditions would affect the race ahead.
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Now in its twelfth official year, the race ranked by CNN as ‘one of the world’s toughest endurance races’ involves swimming and running in teams of two across 26 islands, performing 50 transitions and covering 75km of ever-changing terrain.
Two days before, the race had also held its shorter ‘Final 15’ event (race blog report to follow). Conditions for that event were perfect, with slightly overcast skies and gentle breezes meaning competitors only had the tricky trails and occasional currents trying to slow them down.
Titles to defend
For the big one on Monday 4th September though, things couldn’t be more different. On the start line were all three reigning world champion teams: Kristin Larsson and Annika Ericsson (Team Addnature/Campz) in the women’s class, Eva Nyström and Adriel Young (Thule Crew/Trispot.se) in mixed and in the men’s class, Daniel Hansson was back with Swedish Armed Forces to defend the men’s title and world record. With Lelle Moberg out through injury however, he was this year partnered by Swedish long-distance triathlete Jesper Svensson.
The race started out fast, with the more experienced athletes going out hard and pushing the pace. Goals were on everyone’s minds though, whether it was just to finish in the case of many of the International teams unused to the terrain of the archipelago, to setting new PBs or retaining podiums in the case of the top teams. Some teams were even relishing the chance to take on the challenging conditions – including GB female team Izzy Joiner and Rosemary Byde in Sportswimrunextreme, who told us they’d been training hard on the Scottish coast in preparation for their third time on the course.
As the day went on, the predicted break in the weather didn’t arrive and conditions in fact worsened with strong currents on the second half of the course seeing even experienced swimmers pulled off course.
Making The Break
In the men’s race three teams were sticking close together within a minute of each other until Swedish Armed Forces managed to pull away 70km into the race. In an amazing feat of skill and endurance Hansson and Svensson burst across the line to set a new course record at 7:58:06, one minute faster than last year’s world record. Race director Mats Skott had predicted we would see a new course record set this year, but after such a huge chunk of time was taken off in 2016 and with the weather against them, it was still hard to believe it was achieved!
“Our tactic was to keep on eye on the lead, and pull away at the right moment at the end, and we managed to stick to our plan,” Daniel Hansson explained. “We arrived at Utö and saw that it was possible to beat last year’s time, so we pushed all the way to the end.”
The Mixed Team category provided an equally thrilling day of racing. Australian Adriel Young and Swede Eva Nyström also held onto their title, finishing in 9:01:31, less than one minute ahead of Staffan Björklund and Marika Wagner, who were 15 mins behind the leaders at the 6 hour point and had pushed hard in the latter sections of the race to stage an amazing comeback. “I’ve never seen someone dig in so deep,” Adriel Young said of his teammate, who has not been able to run over the last four weeks due to injury.
The undefeated Women’s World Champion team of Annika Ericsson and Kristin Larsson demonstrated once again their world-crushing skill on the course, finishing in 10:03:42 – 40 minutes ahead of the next team.
Watch the full video race recap of the brutal and beautiful 2017 ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship at https://t.co/f1kW6xR5X7 #otillo pic.twitter.com/y5uDAcnJSS
— ÖTILLÖ Swimrun (@otillorace) September 6, 2017
See the full race coverage, which includes 220 Triathlon Editor Helen Webster as one of the live commentators.
Find out more!
Interested in trying swimrun for the first time? Read our guide here: What Is Swimrun?
Want to find out more about kit for swimrun? Read our Essential Guide to Swimrun Kit
Wondering how to train for your first swimrun race? Here’s our expert swimrun training plan
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The stunning photos are courtesy of ÖtillÖ photographers Jakob Edholm and Pierre Mange
“Our races show the power of nature and how little we are on this spec of a world. All we can do is take care of each other.” For the 300 athletes sitting in the race briefing ahead of the 12th ÖtillÖ World Championship race in the Stockholm archipelago, these very apt words from race director Michael Lemmel saw a few nervous smiles exchanged. With winds already gusting outside and similar conditions, with heavy rain, predicted for the next day, everyone’s mind was on how the weather conditions would affect the race ahead.
Advertisement
Now in its twelfth official year, the race ranked by CNN as ‘one of the world’s toughest endurance races’ involves swimming and running in teams of two across 26 islands, performing 50 transitions and covering 75km of ever-changing terrain.
Two days before, the race had also held its shorter ‘Final 15’ event (race blog report to follow). Conditions for that event were perfect, with slightly overcast skies and gentle breezes meaning competitors only had the tricky trails and occasional currents trying to slow them down.
Titles to defend
For the big one on Monday 4th September though, things couldn’t be more different. On the start line were all three reigning world champion teams: Kristin Larsson and Annika Ericsson (Team Addnature/Campz) in the women’s class, Eva Nyström and Adriel Young (Thule Crew/Trispot.se) in mixed and in the men’s class, Daniel Hansson was back with Swedish Armed Forces to defend the men’s title and world record. With Lelle Moberg out through injury however, he was this year partnered by Swedish long-distance triathlete Jesper Svensson.
The race started out fast, with the more experienced athletes going out hard and pushing the pace. Goals were on everyone’s minds though, whether it was just to finish in the case of many of the International teams unused to the terrain of the archipelago, to setting new PBs or retaining podiums in the case of the top teams. Some teams were even relishing the chance to take on the challenging conditions – including GB female team Izzy Joiner and Rosemary Byde in Sportswimrunextreme, who told us they’d been training hard on the Scottish coast in preparation for their third time on the course.
As the day went on, the predicted break in the weather didn’t arrive and conditions in fact worsened with strong currents on the second half of the course seeing even experienced swimmers pulled off course.
Making The Break
In the men’s race three teams were sticking close together within a minute of each other until Swedish Armed Forces managed to pull away 70km into the race. In an amazing feat of skill and endurance Hansson and Svensson burst across the line to set a new course record at 7:58:06, one minute faster than last year’s world record. Race director Mats Skott had predicted we would see a new course record set this year, but after such a huge chunk of time was taken off in 2016 and with the weather against them, it was still hard to believe it was achieved!
“Our tactic was to keep on eye on the lead, and pull away at the right moment at the end, and we managed to stick to our plan,” Daniel Hansson explained. “We arrived at Utö and saw that it was possible to beat last year’s time, so we pushed all the way to the end.”
The Mixed Team category provided an equally thrilling day of racing. Australian Adriel Young and Swede Eva Nyström also held onto their title, finishing in 9:01:31, less than one minute ahead of Staffan Björklund and Marika Wagner, who were 15 mins behind the leaders at the 6 hour point and had pushed hard in the latter sections of the race to stage an amazing comeback. “I’ve never seen someone dig in so deep,” Adriel Young said of his teammate, who has not been able to run over the last four weeks due to injury.
The undefeated Women’s World Champion team of Annika Ericsson and Kristin Larsson demonstrated once again their world-crushing skill on the course, finishing in 10:03:42 – 40 minutes ahead of the next team.
Watch the full video race recap of the brutal and beautiful 2017 ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship at https://t.co/f1kW6xR5X7 #otillo pic.twitter.com/y5uDAcnJSS
— ÖTILLÖ Swimrun (@otillorace) September 6, 2017
See the full race coverage, which includes 220 Triathlon Editor Helen Webster as one of the live commentators.
Find out more!
Interested in trying swimrun for the first time? Read our guide here: What Is Swimrun?
Want to find out more about kit for swimrun? Read our Essential Guide to Swimrun Kit
Wondering how to train for your first swimrun race? Here’s our expert swimrun training plan
Advertisement
The stunning photos are courtesy of ÖtillÖ photographers Jakob Edholm and Pierre Mange
Standing on a small, rocky island it’s no exaggeration to say I’m getting absolutely battered. Strong winds are whipping around me, rain is bouncing off my face and I’m conscious that even with the heavy layers of kit I’m wearing I’m still freezing cold.
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Looking back down at the swim beneath me, I can see athletes struggling against the winds and waves. The swim is only 300m, but the currents are jack-knifing their bodies as they fight to make it to shore and even then, the rain is making the rocks so slippery that hauling themselves out of the water is a challenge.
Luckily for me though, I’m watching the action of the main World Championship race as part of the reporting team for the ÖtillÖ Live webcast. In fact my race over the same part of the course had been two days earlier, in the Final 15 event, when we were lucky enough to have calm weather, a touch of sunshine and no strong winds. I’m reminded, as ever, how much at the mercy of nature you are in these races. The course couldn’t look more different today.
One of the beautiful sheltered forest run sections at ÖtillÖ Final 15. Image: Jakob Edholm
Short and Technical
The Final 15 forms part of the ÖtillÖ Sprint series and allows swimrunners to pit themselves against a slightly-modified version of the final section of the legendary world championship course. In total you tackle 9 swims and 10 runs and although 15km might seem like a short distance, this is deceptive as the technical trail running across rocks, the 18 transitions and the strong currents in some of the swims make it much tougher than you’d imagine.
This is my second time racing Final 15 (read the 2016 report) and this year I’m in a women’s team with Tiffany Lindström. We’ve been paired up by the organisers and I’m already feeling very lucky, as Tiffany lives and works on Utö so does all her training on the course. She’s also a powerhouse of energy, full of excitement about the adventure ahead. I can tell we’re on for a good race.
The race day begins with a ferry ride to the start line on Ornö. A good chance for Helen and Tiffany to check out the course ahead!
Every part of an ÖtillÖ race is an adventure and the Final 15 starts with a boat ride, as a chartered ferry takes us all to the start line on the west side of Ornö. We arrive and the atmosphere on the start line is a lot of fun – everyone’s comparing race tactics and with 30 minutes until the start, jumping in and out of the water to test the temperature and warm up.
Jellyfish and Rocks
Race start and we have a short 670m run up and over a hill then back down to the water. It’s just enough to get the blood moving before we’re in to the first (and longest!) swim on the course, of 1,150m. The water is calm but there are hundreds of jellyfish the size of my palm moving around us. After accidentally scooping a few up (and wearing one on my swimhat for a while!) I realise they’re harmless and just enjoy the company of these surreal creatures. I find out at the finish that other swimrunners were less keen!
The Final 15’s first swim takes you 1,150m round a sheltered bay. Image: Jakob Edholm
Tiffany and I aren’t swimming tethered as this is our first race together and our speeds are similar. In this first swim we realise she’s faster than me though, so I’m using her feet as a guide (luckily her neon run shoes are easy to spot!) and if she builds up too much of a lead she waits for me. You have to be within 10m of your partner in swimrun, so it’s important we don’t lose each other.
Out of the water we’re feeling good and we’re adjusting our kit and starting the second run, which is also the longest at 5km. It’s the easiest too though, as most of it is on farm tracks, so we’re picking up the pace and feeling comfortable.
Later in the race things change, as we start to take on more typical ÖtillÖ terrain. The runs become more technical and we’re hopping across slippery rocks and trying to find a path through overgrown pine forests. There are scraps of ÖtillÖ tape tied to trees to show us the way, but often it’s a case of choosing your own path through the terrain.
Luckily Tiffany is full of tips and is demonstrating her fantastic ninja-esque run technique, hopping high over bracken and scampering across rocks. This is all good advice and overall I’m doing much better than the previous year and keeping my footing more (a polite way of saying I didn’t fall on my butt so much!).
Helen and Tiffany navigate one of the swim-to-run transitions. Image: Pierre Mangez
As for the swims, we’re powering through them and with most of them around 300m, the distances are enough to cool our bodies down after the run sections but not so long that we get too cold. We’re reading the conditions before each one too, as some have strong currents, so we’re heading out to different sighting points to the ÖtillÖ course water exit flags and letting the currents bring us back in.
Finishing Strong
All too soon, we arrive at the finish island Utö. Here the main championship race follows a 3.5km run course along the island and home, but for the Sprint we get to leave the island and take in another two smaller islands first. Tiffany is on home ground now and leading the way with an expert knowledge of every foothold and water exit, so we’re doing well and soon powering up the final hill to cheers from friends and Tiffany’s family.
Sprinting to the finish line at ÖtillÖ Final 15. Image: Magnus Ormestad/Huskypodcast
We’ve had a blast and I’m reminded again how much fun these Sprint races are. Our time was a little over three hours – so long enough to feel like a decent event – but still short enough that we don’t feel utterly ruined! I’d definitely recommend a Sprint race if you’re thinking about trying swimrun for the first time and being held on the original world championship course, the Final 15 feels even more special. Plus, they even brew an official ÖtillÖ beer to enjoy at the finish line! Cheers!
See the full race coverage, from the main race, which includes 220 Triathlon Editor Helen Webster as one of the live commentators. Plus read our report from the event.
Interested in trying swimrun for the first time? Read our guide here: What Is Swimrun?
Want to find out more about kit for swimrun? Read our Essential Guide to Swimrun Kit
Wondering how to train for your first swimrun race? Here’s our expert swimrun training plan
Advertisement
Find out more about the ÖtillÖ World Swimrun Series.
Standing on a small, rocky island it’s no exaggeration to say I’m getting absolutely battered. Strong winds are whipping around me, rain is bouncing off my face and I’m conscious that even with the heavy layers of kit I’m wearing I’m still freezing cold.
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Looking back down at the swim beneath me, I can see athletes struggling against the winds and waves. The swim is only 300m, but the currents are jack-knifing their bodies as they fight to make it to shore and even then, the rain is making the rocks so slippery that hauling themselves out of the water is a challenge.
Luckily for me though, I’m watching the action of the main World Championship race as part of the reporting team for the ÖtillÖ Live webcast. In fact my race over the same part of the course had been two days earlier, in the Final 15 event, when we were lucky enough to have calm weather, a touch of sunshine and no strong winds. I’m reminded, as ever, how much at the mercy of nature you are in these races. The course couldn’t look more different today.
One of the beautiful sheltered forest run sections at ÖtillÖ Final 15. Image: Jakob Edholm
Short and Technical
The Final 15 forms part of the ÖtillÖ Sprint series and allows swimrunners to pit themselves against a slightly-modified version of the final section of the legendary world championship course. In total you tackle 9 swims and 10 runs and although 15km might seem like a short distance, this is deceptive as the technical trail running across rocks, the 18 transitions and the strong currents in some of the swims make it much tougher than you’d imagine.
This is my second time racing Final 15 (read the 2016 report) and this year I’m in a women’s team with Tiffany Lindström. We’ve been paired up by the organisers and I’m already feeling very lucky, as Tiffany lives and works on Utö so does all her training on the course. She’s also a powerhouse of energy, full of excitement about the adventure ahead. I can tell we’re on for a good race.
The race day begins with a ferry ride to the start line on Ornö. A good chance for Helen and Tiffany to check out the course ahead!
Every part of an ÖtillÖ race is an adventure and the Final 15 starts with a boat ride, as a chartered ferry takes us all to the start line on the west side of Ornö. We arrive and the atmosphere on the start line is a lot of fun – everyone’s comparing race tactics and with 30 minutes until the start, jumping in and out of the water to test the temperature and warm up.
Jellyfish and Rocks
Race start and we have a short 670m run up and over a hill then back down to the water. It’s just enough to get the blood moving before we’re in to the first (and longest!) swim on the course, of 1,150m. The water is calm but there are hundreds of jellyfish the size of my palm moving around us. After accidentally scooping a few up (and wearing one on my swimhat for a while!) I realise they’re harmless and just enjoy the company of these surreal creatures. I find out at the finish that other swimrunners were less keen!
The Final 15’s first swim takes you 1,150m round a sheltered bay. Image: Jakob Edholm
Tiffany and I aren’t swimming tethered as this is our first race together and our speeds are similar. In this first swim we realise she’s faster than me though, so I’m using her feet as a guide (luckily her neon run shoes are easy to spot!) and if she builds up too much of a lead she waits for me. You have to be within 10m of your partner in swimrun, so it’s important we don’t lose each other.
Out of the water we’re feeling good and we’re adjusting our kit and starting the second run, which is also the longest at 5km. It’s the easiest too though, as most of it is on farm tracks, so we’re picking up the pace and feeling comfortable.
Later in the race things change, as we start to take on more typical ÖtillÖ terrain. The runs become more technical and we’re hopping across slippery rocks and trying to find a path through overgrown pine forests. There are scraps of ÖtillÖ tape tied to trees to show us the way, but often it’s a case of choosing your own path through the terrain.
Luckily Tiffany is full of tips and is demonstrating her fantastic ninja-esque run technique, hopping high over bracken and scampering across rocks. This is all good advice and overall I’m doing much better than the previous year and keeping my footing more (a polite way of saying I didn’t fall on my butt so much!).
Helen and Tiffany navigate one of the swim-to-run transitions. Image: Pierre Mangez
As for the swims, we’re powering through them and with most of them around 300m, the distances are enough to cool our bodies down after the run sections but not so long that we get too cold. We’re reading the conditions before each one too, as some have strong currents, so we’re heading out to different sighting points to the ÖtillÖ course water exit flags and letting the currents bring us back in.
All too soon, we arrive at the finish island Utö. Here the main championship race follows a 3.5km run course along the island and home, but for the Sprint we get to leave the island and take in another two smaller islands first. Tiffany is on home ground now and leading the way with an expert knowledge of every foothold and water exit, so we’re doing well and soon powering up the final hill to cheers from friends and Tiffany’s family.
Sprinting to the finish line at ÖtillÖ Final 15. Image: Magnus Ormestad/Huskypodcast
We’ve had a blast and I’m reminded again how much fun these Sprint races are. Our time was a little over three hours – so long enough to feel like a decent event – but still short enough that we don’t feel utterly ruined! I’d definitely recommend a Sprint race if you’re thinking about trying swimrun for the first time and being held on the original world championship course, the Final 15 feels even more special. Plus, they even brew an official ÖtillÖ beer to enjoy at the finish line! Cheers!
See the full race coverage, from the main race, which includes 220 Triathlon Editor Helen Webster as one of the live commentators. Plus read our report from the event.
Interested in trying swimrun for the first time? Read our guide here: What Is Swimrun?
Want to find out more about kit for swimrun? Read our Essential Guide to Swimrun Kit
Wondering how to train for your first swimrun race? Here’s our expert swimrun training plan
Advertisement
Find out more about the ÖtillÖ World Swimrun Series.