ÖTILLÖ Casco Bay 2026 Race Report: Our Toughest Tune-Up for Worlds

We just got back from Portland, Maine after racing the 10th edition of ÖTILLÖ Casco Bay, our sixth time doing this race. This is our full course recap and race report, breaking down every leg the way we always do after a big race weekend, fresh and raw with our real reactions.

This was a hard Casco year. A high tide meant extra swimming, around 9,000 yards total, which is close to the 10,000 yards we will swim at the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship. Add in 90 degree heat, humidity, and ripping currents on nearly every crossing, and it turned into exactly the kind of grindy day that gets you ready for Worlds.

We cover our gear and kit decisions, our race tactics including splitting up who leads which swims, a mid course change to the last island that added distance to the final crossing, our fueling and hydration approach at every aid station, and closing in on and passing a men's team over the final two islands, all the way to a sprint finish up the stairs.

With four weeks to go until the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship in Stockholm, we talk through what this race told us about where we stand heading into the 20th anniversary of the event, plus our plans for a UK stopover and our Stockholm Fika meetup.

00:00 Intro
00:02 How's the body, how's the mind check-in
00:07 Portland recap, LTBz Fika, and the Envol clinic
00:13 Swag bag and a last minute course change
00:14 Early wake-up call and race morning
00:18 Race tactics and our high tide game plan
00:21 Race start and our first swim entrance decision
00:27 Swim two and a couple smart swimrun IQ calls
00:30 Shark Cove and the technical terrain of Vail Island
00:35 The dock jump swim into Peaks Island
00:39 Peaks Island fueling and aid station strategy
00:43 Closing in on a men's team over the final two islands
00:46 The pass, and a sprint finish up the stairs
00:52 Finish line, results, and how we feel heading into Worlds
00:56 Looking ahead to Stockholm

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