Orcas Island Swimrun Recap, 2021
I have previously shared my passion for the obscure, wildly addictive sport of Swimrun -- a combination of trail running and open water swimming, all in the same gear, without ever toweling off or putting on dry socks.
All summer I've been meeting my friend Trevor Swezey, owner of Highline Construction, before dawn at Lake Padden, to Swimrun from 1 to 3 1/2 hours before we head off to work.
It has been *beyond* enjoyable both socially and as a way of staying fit.
Whenever possible, our friend Isaac Burrous has joined us, and the three of us -- we call ourselves the Three Amigos -- decided months ago to try a crazy 2-part challenge:
Part 1
We would enter the Orcas Island Swimrun in Washington on September 26th -- a beast of a race including nearly 21 miles of trails with over 6100 feet of climbing, 3 1/2 miles of cold swims, and a 9-hour cut-off. Then, the following weekend...
Part 2
On October 3rd, we would travel to Ludington, Michigan, and enter the Ludington Swimrun -- 16.2 miles of running dunes and beaches, 3.15 miles of swimming, with a 7 1/4-hour cut-off.
Of course, never one to be left out of any adventure, my wife Heather entered the Orcas race as a solo.
Heather had joined the boys and me for 2 or 3 Lake Padden training sessions as race day neared, but her focus over the summer was Ninja obstacle racing and Spartan Racing.
Keep that in mind as I report on her results a little later.
LET'S GO ORCAS!!!
Race day on Orcas was CLASSIC Swimrun weather, meaning: Cold and rainy.
In choosing the dates and venues for Swimrun races, the sport's organizers don't look for friendly terrain or wait for warm weather.
It's pretty much just the opposite. Swimrun is not meant to be comfortable.
Also, regarding course selection, if it's steep, slippery, unprotected, aesthetically gorgeous but generally preposterous, then it's a good fit for a Swimrun course.
We started Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. in a field of about 150 racers.
The vast majority were 2-person teams who use a bungee tether to tow each other if one is faster hiking or swimming.
A handful of us entered as "solo" -- but the Amigos and I had made a pact that we'd stay together no matter what.
This wasn't a race we had ANY notion of trying to win or even be competitive.
It was purely a question of, "Can we finish before the cut-off, and save enough to do it again the following weekend?"
The Orcas race was comprised of 14 runs and 13 swims of varying lengths.
Here's a list of those respective distances:
Unlike the sport of triathlon where you change your clothes for the different legs of the race, in Swimrun you are running then swimming then running again, all in the same amphibious gear.
It is a RIOT!
The entire course is marked with yellow flags on the trails, the occasional arrow sign, and bright orange buoys or pink banners at the swim end-points.
So, unlike adventure racing, you are not required to bring a map and compass or route-find your way through a course.
Here are some screenshots of the Orcas course map to give you an idea of the trail to water ratios:
The Amigos and I kept steadily at it all day.
We were always moving at a conversational pace, and we almost never stopped talking -- which, all of us being business owners who love to help each other solve work-related puzzles, was half the fun.
At one point some other racers near us laughed and said, "You guys are great... it's like listening to a podcast!"
As the hours wore on, the hills seemed steeper and the water felt colder and colder.
The final swim was one of the longest, and climbing out on that final rocky shore was absolutely glorious.
We exited the water with 30 minutes left before the official cut-off, and 1 mile of trail separating us from the finish line.
In a time of 8 hours 40 minutes, we finished! Part 1 of the 2-race challenge: Accomplished!
Heather was, as expected, right at home out there.She blazed through the course in 6 hours 55 minutes, winning the solo female category and beating all female teams.
She never ceases to amaze.
