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The Woman Who Named Swimrun: Throwback with Erica Rosenbaum
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We're going back to June 2020 for the third edition of our Throwback Mix Tape series, and this one is extra special. Erika Rosenbaum is the person who coined the term "swimrun" and then just... gave it away so the sport could grow. She didn't trademark it, didn't monetize it. She just decided the sport needed a name and that name should belong to everyone.
This conversation hit us in the feels when we first recorded it, and re-listening to it felt exactly the same. Erika is as warm and generous as the sport she helped bring to life.
We have discount codes for ÖTILLÖ USA races, Bellingham Swimrun, and Precision Fuel & Hydration — links below.
IN THIS EPISODE
Erika's origin story: from Ironman to her first 75km swimrun at ÖTILLÖ in 2011
Discovering the Stockholm Archipelago through swimrun and falling in love with the sport
How she came up with the name "swimrun" and why she repeated it 100 times until it stopped sounding corny
Why she chose to open source the name instead of trademarking it
The conversation with ÖTILLÖ's Michael and Mats about using the word freely
Starting Swimrun Hellas in 2012: the first short course swimrun event, baked goods included
Racing ÖTILLÖ four times with teammate Thomas Ogander, podium finishes in mixed class
Racing with her daughter Maya and what it means to share the sport across generations
The permanent marked Swimrun Hellas course in Hellas nature reserve, open to anyone
How she sees the sport growing, and why she thinks ÖTILLÖ will be the Ironman of swimrun
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Chasing the impossible (Erika's cold open)
01:03 – Throwback Mixtape intro
01:35 – Erika and the origins of swimrun
04:09 – Show business + discount codes
06:33 – Fueling and gear talk (kangaroo top dreams)
08:28 – Countdown to Ötillö series preview
12:22 – Erika joins the show
14:15 – First swimrun and naming the sport
17:23 – Partners and podiums at ÖTILLÖ
19:46 – Why she open sourced the name "swimrun"
23:50 – Why the community matters
25:52 – Why swimrun works for everyone
27:36 – The Catalina bison joke
29:26 – Racing with her daughter Maya
32:08 – Kids as training partners
33:45 – Birth of Swimrun Hellas
36:57 – Social racing and baking
40:03 – The future of the sport
42:09 – Dream races abroad
43:48 – The permanent Hellas course + how to sign up
47:28 – Final thanks and wrap
LINKS
🌐 lowtideboyz.com — including our complete ÖTILLÖ guide
🏁 ÖTILLÖ USA races (use our code for 10% off): otilloswimrun.com/races
🏁 Bellingham Swimrun (use our code for 15% off): questraces.com/bellingham-swimrun
💧 Precision Fuel & Hydration (use our code): precisionhydration.com/us/en
📸 @lowtideboyz
💌 lowtideboyz@gmail.com
❤️ Patreon: patreon.com/lowtideboyz
ABOUT THE SHOW
Löw Tide Böyz is our weekly podcast covering everything swimrun — beginner basics to ÖTILLÖ World Series race strategy. New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
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From the Low Tide Boyz channel. Tap the channel link below the title to browse more uploads.
How long is this video?
49 minutes.
