Race Summary: Ötillö Whistler Swimrun 2024
We traveled up to Canada for a long weekend to take part in the first edition of the Ötillö Whistler Swimrun race in 2024. The trip and the race itself were nothing short of amazing. The race offered a challenging yet breathtaking course, connecting cold, spectacular alpine lakes with a combination of rugged trails and paved paths that pushed every athlete to their limits.
Before race day, we had a couple days to explore the trails of the area and meet up with our friends that we normally just see on Strava. I explored Lost Lake (which was the first swim of the race) along with the trail system around it. This lake was surprisingly pleasant in temperature, probably in the mid 60’s Farenheit, and the trails around it were quite runnable. Nothing to worry about for race day, right? Team Envol also ended up hosting a swimrun clinic around Lost Lake as well. I had plenty of opportunities to practice on those trails. We also got a chance to swim in Alta Lake, where the longest swims of the race would occur, when the Low Tide Boyz and Form Goggles co-hosted an event with fika and demo goggles to try out. Again, the water was quite pleasant and the swims were beautiful.
Then came race day. The weather forecast had been getting hotter and hotter. Back home in Oregon, the weather was getting to over 100º F; however, in Whistler is was a bit milder but was still going to be a hot day out there in a wetsuit. I knew that hydration and nutrition were going to be important, especially in the second half of the race where there were some longer runs. I was determined not to go out too fast. I was racing solo and knew that I would only have myself to blame if I blew up in the second half of the race.
Plans are all well and good until the gun goes off, however. We immediately started the race with a big climb on a double-wide trail. I spent the first 60 seconds of the race taking it easy; but, I saw a team pull ahead of the field on the run and decided I didn’t want to let them go. So I ran up to catch up to them and my plans to start easy fell by the wayside. I ended up getting to the first swim in Lost Lake in first place and, fully confident in myself from having done two different days scouting this lake, proceeded to hop off the dock in the completely wrong direction (the course had changed between my scouting and the race). The volunteers quickly flagged me down and pointed me the right way, but I’d lost my lead to other racers in the water, a preview of a pattern to be repeated throughout the race. I came out of that short swim in third place overall, behind the team from Tahiti and Adrian racing solo. I would proceed to leapfrog people all day, getting passed in each swim and then trying to catch up on the runs. After the longest swims, about the halfway point of the race, I think I was down to fifth or sixth place in the field, having been passed by the teams of Marcus/Kawika and Greg/Bronwen during the last swim in Alta Lake; they were probably wondering who was this poor solo racer struggling to swim that they flew by in the water.
The runs on the second half of the course were where the race truly came alive for me. The hot weather and the wetsuit added a layer of difficulty, but the combination of paved trails and rugged single-track dirt paths made for an exhilarating experience. At one point, as we were going straight uphill on black-diamond-level mountain bike trails, I almost laughed at how comical it would be for a biker to come down at this moment as we all struggled up a basically vertical dirt incline. It took me a while to reel in the leading racers on the runs, but I managed to build a sizable lead by the time we hopped into the last swim of the day in the icy-cold Green Lake. I thought I was in the clear here for good but as I swam closer and closer to the exit, I realized that I had gone slightly off course and people had passed me (again) in the water without me realizing it. By the time I got out for the last run, I couldn’t see the first-place team. Right out of the lake, we crossed an old railroad track and climbed up a steep hill. My legs were in a weird place, wanting to cramp from both the long and and the contrast of the icy water with the hot sun. I didn’t make great time up this hill but I was determined to try to catch up to the first place team over the course of this final, four-mile run. The views from the cliffs over Green Lake were spectacular, but no views of the leaders yet. As we started to descend to the finish line, I still couldn’t see the first place team; how far ahead could they be? Finally with about 1 mile to go, I saw them ahead in the distance. The trails by this point were double-wide with plenty of room to pass, so I knew I just need to catch them at some point. I finally passed them with about a half mile to go, and ended up winning the inaugural Whistler race by about 30 seconds in the end. I was thrilled to hear Lars calling out my name as I ran down the final hill to the finish line.
The Ötillö Whistler Swimrun 2024 was a wonderful experience. It was my first Ötillö race, and it humbled me in the water. It was also a celebration of the beautiful, rugged landscape of Whistler. I’m already looking forward to tackling it again next year!
