“It was the best challenge ever”

Rosemary Byde had completed several adventure races and triathlons when she spotted the world’s most famous swimrun on a social media feed

While Ötillö, which takes place annually in “Sweden, greatly appealed to her quest for a challenge in the great outdoors, the 44-year-old couldn’t imagine being able to run the required 65k. “The race looked so amazing and in such a fantastic location,” says Byde, who’s based in Edinburgh. “But I was no long-distance runner, and I had my doubts I’d be able to cover the distance. “However, I thought the 10k total for the swim stages looked manageable, and then I met anther woman through Scottish triathlon and we just decided to give it a go. It turned out to be an incredible race.” That was in 2015, and Byde and Isobel Joiner have now completed four Ötillö races. In fact, they’ve done a bit more than that: in 2017, the female pair won the World Series and took fourth place in the World Championships. They regularly podium at swimrun races across the UK and Europe. “What I learned very quickly is that, because the run and swim stages are split up, you do not have to be an accomplished ultra-distance runner,” says Byde. “You do need to have good endurance for the longer races, though, as some take all day to complete. Byde says the right mindset is vital, too: “I’m a determined person, and I think you need to be able to adapt to different conditions: from the heat while running, to cold water; and from a choppy open-water swim to a run on a challenging trail or over hills.” The other important factor for success in swimrun is teamwork. “Most races are completed in pairs,” adds Byde, “and you need to have a good partnership to race well together. This is definitely not a sport for people with big egos.” She enjoys swimrun because it has a “brilliant vibe and a laidback atmosphere, and you get to swim ’ and run in so many wildly beautiful places.” Byde also believes she’s learned skills that have been transferrable to other parts of her life. “I’m much better at coping with the unexpected,” she says, “and I have gained resilience, because swimrun throws up a lot in one event – no race is ever the same. “You learn so much from each and every race: what could you do better? How could you get faster? I like that it is a constant process of learning and improvement. There are also many benefits that come from working well as a team, whether it’s in a race, the office or day-to-day life. There really are so many rewards to be had from swimrun.”