Countdown to Ötillö: 5 Months Out

The Countdown to Ötillö series is back. With the 20th anniversary of the Swimrun World Championship happening this September, we are doing this thing right — monthly episodes tracking our build, sharing what we are learning, and hopefully making your prep a little easier too.
This episode has a lot going on. Super intern Dave Dammer joins us to break down the 2026 Ötillö start list. 199 teams. 24 countries. Nearly half the field doing it for the first time. US participation has gone from 16 athletes in 2022 to 68 this year, and we are taking absolutely zero credit for that.
Then Coach Liz — America's (and Chipper's) swimrun coach and Ötillö finisher — sits down with us for a real conversation about what a five month build to a race like this actually looks like. Rest days, balancing training with family and summer schedules, open water swim prep, wetsuit practice, fueling strategy for a race that can go 8 to 12 hours, and the gear decisions you want to make before you are standing at the start line in Sweden.

Chris has the London Marathon coming up. Chipper just finished the Big Alta 50K. Orcas Swimrun is at the end of May. The build is on.

This series is brought to you by Precision Fuel & Hydration. Check out their website for free education on dialing in your fueling and hydration needs for long efforts — it is genuinely worth your time regardless of what products you are using.

In this episode:

00:00 Intro
01:30 How's the body, how's the mind
07:00 Precision Fuel & Hydration
11:30 Dave Damer — crunching the 2026 Ötillö start list
13:00 199 teams, 24 countries, biggest field in race history
16:00 US participation surge — 16 athletes in 2022 to 68 in 2026
18:00 Sweden, France, and the US make up 80% of the field
22:00 First-time countries — Argentina and Zimbabwe
26:00 Team names and the science of why they matter
29:00 LTBz knowledge base announcement
33:00 Fika with Coach Liz — 5 months out
37:00 Rest days and why tissue adaptation takes 3 to 4 weeks
40:00 Balancing training with family and summer schedules
46:00 Open water swim prep and why pool fitness isn't enough
52:00 Wetsuit decisions — practice in what you plan to race in
58:00 Fueling strategy and gut training for long efforts
01:08:00 Real food, ginger chews, and race day backup plans
01:15:00 Gear decisions to make now, not on race day
01:24:00 Aid station tips — the hose on Orna, Capri Sun, sparkling water chaos
01:27:00 Wrap up