Järvestä järveen (lake to lake) Swimrun

After a one year break from the swimrun scene due to a broken foot and the birth of our daughter we decided to register for Lake to Lake swimrun. In fact it was our first race together after Porkkala swimrun in 2015.

Filled with enthusiasm we decided to practice the course based on a course map we downloaded and printed from the website. Now it is important to know that we have a tendency to get off the course so finding our way to the first lake was really impressive. We even managed to get to the second lake after running in circles for an hour or so. The fact that our badly packed course map got soaking wet when it started to rain did not help to find our way around but hey….at least we could use it as a bad excuse for getting lost. Having practiced the course for the first 3km’s we eventually returned to the car and officially agreed (for once) that we both suck at orienteering. Thank goodness the course was going to be marked on race day otherwise we would not even finish the race.

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On race day we arrived early to meet up with some friends and to get a good warmup in. I immediately noticed that everybody was relaxed and excited about doing the race. It is always so nice to meet people who share the same genuine passion for the sport.

The reason why we choose to race in Lake to Lake swimrun as our first race is because it’s short and intense.  It’s was a perfect preparation for the longer swimrun races we had planned for later in the season like Solvalla swimrun and ÖtillÖ 1000 Lakes. The course is action packed with sections of technical trailrunning, hilly gravel running and some faster flat sections at the end. The race feels really intense because the organization did an excellent job at squeezing 11 swim sections in a total distance of 12kms! Just for comparison ÖtillÖ 1000 lakes also has 11 swim sections but spread over a total distance of 40kms!  It turned out to be a perfect race to practice transitions, improve trail running technique and running speed. Most of all the race is so diverse and fun that it feels like you’re on a rollercoaster ride. There is hardly any time to think….it’s just GO GO GO! We arrived at the finish line after one and a half hours still with a smile on our face.….”this is swimrunning in overdrive”. For once you don’t have to worry about energy levels, efficiency or muscle fatigue because the race distance is relatively short. In my view it’s a perfect race for beginners who just want to experience the sport as well as experienced swimrunners who can use it as a training session for longer races. Also the possibility to add one or two loops would make this race even more interesting for next year’s edition.
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Finally the organization of this race is first class in the sense that we did not get lost once….so the course marking is excellent in our view! The shower facilities, accessibility, parking, post-race food and drinks, prize ceremony…..everything is just there and it works! You simply can’t beat Finish efficiency is all I can say. I recommend this race to anyone!….it is one of the most FUN swimrun races I have done so far without having the pressure and stress you often see and experience at bigger international events.
 
Thomas Schreven
Team: Say No! to Doping
Partner: Jasmina Glad-Schreven
​Pictures: Jani Kiri 
 
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