Throwback Mixtape: Casco Bay 2021 Race Report

With the 10th anniversary of ÖTILLÖ Casco Bay just a few weeks away, we are rolling this one out of the vault. This is our race report from the 2021 edition, originally Episode 84 from August 12, 2021, and it is one we still talk about as a turning point for the show.

Casco Bay 2021 was our second time on this course after debuting there in 2018, and it came after our first full training block with a coach. We walk through race morning, including a shark sighting email that went out to every athlete before the start, and the two mile run across Peaks Island that opened the day with a flooded bog section nobody was expecting.

We cover the tide strategy that turned a short swim into a sandbar crossing, the yo-yo battle we had with the lead pack for most of the morning, the technical scramble across Vail Island, and the five mile push to Big Chebeague where we caught the Swimrun Monks by surprise. We also get into our finish, five hours and ten minutes for 10th place men's teams and 11th overall, and the first ever Löw Tide Böyz post-race party.

If you are heading to Casco Bay this year, we will see you there. We are hosting our FIKA shakeout with Vermamas and Wild Swimrun Community Saturday at 10am at Standard Baking Co, the Anvil Shakeout at noon at East Beach, and our sixth annual Löw Tide Böyz post-race party Sunday at 6pm at Bayside Bowl.

00:00 Intro
00:09 Landing in Portland and race weekend kicks off
00:11 Meeting the swimrun community at packet pickup
00:17 Race morning and the shark sighting
00:20 Start line: Peaks Island run and the flooded bog
00:22 First swim to Cushing Island
00:26 Cushing to House Island and the yo-yo battle
00:27 Tide strategy pays off from Little Diamond to Great Diamond
00:32 Long Island aid station and the new Precision Hydration gels
00:33 Vail Island and swimrun teamwork
00:35 The long swim back to Long Island
00:37 Final swims into Big Chebeague
00:39 The five mile push and chasing down the Monks
00:45 A cold final swim and a mid-race beer
00:48 Finish line: 5:10 and a 10th place result
00:51 Overall impressions of the Odyssey team's race direction
00:52 The boat ride back and celebrating with fellow racers
00:56 Post-race party at Lone Pine Brewery
00:58 The goggle karma story
01:01 Wrap-up

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