‘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 the 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. Rosemary, of Edinburgh, says: ‘The race looked so amazing and in such a fantastic location on the Stockholm archipelago and across 24 islands but I wasn’t a long-distance runner.
‘However, I thought the 10K total for the swim stages looked manageable and then I met another woman through Scottish triathlon and we just decided to give it a go. It turned out to be the best type of challenge race ever.’
That was in 2015, and Rosemary and Isobel Joiner have now completed four Ötillö races. In 2017, the 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 Rosemary. ‘However, you do need to have good endurance for the longer races, as some take all day to complete.
‘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 on hills.’
The other important factor for success in swimrun is team work. Rosemary, who works for a bank as a data and analytics team leader, says: ‘Most races are completed in pairs and you need a good partnership to race well together. This is not a race for people with big egos.’
Rosemary greatly enjoys the sport because ‘it has a brilliant vibe, a laidback atmosphere and you get to swim and run in so many wildly beautiful places.’
She also believes she has learned skills that have been transferable to other parts of her life.
‘I’m much better at coping with the unexpected, and I have gained resilience. Swimrun throws up a lot in one event and no race is ever the same,’ she says.
‘You also learn so much from each event; what you could do better or how to be faster.
I like that it is a constant process of learning and improvement, and I think that has taught me to do similar in the workplace.
‘In addition, there are many benefits of working well as a team, whether it is in a race, life or at the office. There really are so many rewards from swimrun.’