Monday morning 06.00 the horn will blow in Sandhamn, signaling the start of the Ötillö Swimrun World Championships. On that start line will be no less than 44 members of Team Envol. Excited, nervous, scared, happy. Experienced and first timers. The pulse will be high and endorphins already pumping in the veins.
You come from 10 different countries, you have different goals but hopefully you all feel ready. You all fought for your spot and you all deserve it!
This isn’t just a race
Monday will be a great day. You will all suffer, you will all have amazing experiences. There will be blood, sweat and tears. Hopefully there will also be big smiles and laughter!
We say swimrun doesn’t revolve around racing. But this isn’t just any race. This is the original Ötillö. A full day adventure in the Stockholm archipelago. 24 islands, 65 km running, 10 km swimming. It will be a journey through an amazing landscape. The people living on the islands, the race organisers and the incredible volunteers, they will all be there for you, encouraging and keeping you safe. Your race partner will be your first and last line of defence. This is a team sport. There will be ups and downs during the day. How you tackle it as a team will matter.
Everybody leaving Sandhamn in the morning won’t cross the finish line on Utö. We hope our 44 will.
You are part of a team
We hope being part of Team Envol has made training and preparing easier, better and more fun! We hope that being part of Team Envol has helped in getting the confidence to have a clear image of the finishline when you get into that chilly water Monday morning. Don’t forget to smile an extra large smile for that nervous teammate in the start box, don’t forget to give a pat on the shoulder or maybe a helping hand when you see each other out there.
Already proud
We are proud of all of you. We know some struggled more than others. We know life isn’t always easy. We have seen injuries and other wrenches thrown into your wheels. We have seen you come back and improve. To be part of that journey is an honour. So thank you. Thanks to all of you proud to show off our team colours. Thank you to the 20 team members doing the Final 15 on Saturday. For some it’s the very first race. Welcome to our world! For some it’s a race instead of the WC, because this year wasn’t your year to do The Big One. Maybe you do it just because somebody asked you to! Either way, thank you for choosing to do it as part of Team Envol.
You are Team Envol. We are. And we hope you will stay with us as we try to be part of the evolution of this great sport, this lifestyle!
Nicolas & Catarina
