Odyssey SwimRun -
Ötillö Swimrun USA

Odyssey SwimRun is America's original SwimRun. As stated on their website:

“Swimrun is the fastest growing sport in the world. You participate in teams of two, alternating between trail running and open water swimming along a marked course.”

Odyssey was acquired by Ötillö in 2023, and is now run as Ötillö Swimrun USA.

Below is a cool car registration plate promoting the sport of swimrun; Aaron's main goal was to remember his car plate number - but promoting the sport is an added bonus!

credit to Aaron Palaian of Ödyssey swimrun

The Garmin Swim 2 is an excellent watch for Swimrun!

Check it out at Amazon HERE!

Garmin Swim 2 GPS Watch

The usual swim aids are allowed - hand paddles, pull buoys, wetsuits - and any hydration and race fuel must be carried throughout the race. It can make a real difference having the right team mate and equipment as you can find out reading other pages on this site!

Odyssey SwimRun are entering their fifth year in 2024 with Ötillö Swimrun USA, and are once again presenting the only island-to-island style race in North America. In some of the races there is also now the option to enter a solo event.

The Races

For 2023 there were 4 races in the Odyssey SwimRun Series, running from August through to November.

The races previously held at Ludington and Les Cheneaux are no longer being held.

Check our up-to-date Swimrun event calendar for the USA 2024 here!

Races are held in:

Casco Bay Islands
Mackinac Island
Orcas Island
Austin Pace Bend

Odyssey SwimRun Race Bibs

Odyssey 2023 competitors' bibs in different colors.

Odyssey Facebook Page

There is a great Facebook page - Odyssey SwimRun Athletes.

Check it out HERE

Odyssey Events

Below you can find details of Odyssey events:

Casco Bay SwimRun

DATE: Sunday, August 11 2024

VENUE: Casco Bay Islands, Portland, Maine

The Casco Bay Swimrun is also known as the Cole Classic in memory of co-founder Jeff Cole. This is America's original Swimrun event. Odyssey Swimrun (formerly Swimrun USA) brought this exciting sport to the states.

2020 was the event's 4th year and the organizers say was set to be the best! The east coast is stunning with a course full of amazing bay views and historic buildings and forts.

Be prepared for a variety of terrain from trails, grass, pavement and slippery boulders when the tide is low, together with cool, crisp salt waters! Currents can be strong with choppy water and sea swells.

Jeff Cole - Swimrun USA & co-founder

From the organisers - about Jeff Cole:

"A husband, a father, a sportsman, an event organizer and a leader, Jeff Cole cared deeply about each and every person he had contact with. He grew up on the water and worked as a lifeguard and was a volunteer fireman at the Kennebunk Fire Dept for over 20 years, founded and produced multisport races – from the Fireman’s Tri in Kennebunkport to White Mountains Tri in Franconia, New Hampshire.

He served on the Board of Directors for numerous businesses, schools, and sporting organizations and yet spent a few weeks each year living off the grid completely self-sufficient. Jeff was an independent thinker but also a consensus builder. He never asked anyone to do something he was not prepared to do himself.

He is fiercely missed but his legacy lives on through his wife Kim, daughter Rachel, son Ben, his friends and through the SwimRun USA events he pioneered."

Click below to watch the official Race Video 2019 for the Odyssey SwimRun Casco Bay Islands:

LONG COURSE - TEAMS

Swim: 11 legs: 5 miles

Run: 12 legs: 18 miles

Total Distance: 23 miles

SHORT COURSE - TEAMS & SOLO

Swim: 5 legs: 2 miles

Run: 6 legs: 8.5 miles

Total Distance: 10.5 miles

For more information and to register for the Casco Bay SwimRun click here.

Mackinac SwimRun

DATE: Sunday, August 25, 2024

VENUE: Mackinac Island, Lake Huron, Michigan

view over green gardens to a small marina with white boats in a harbor at Mackinac Island, Michigan, on a sunny day, with blue water and a blue sky.

The beautiful Mackinac Island

This was a new event in 2021!

Mackinac Island is as rich in history as it is in beauty. Located just northeast of the Mackinac Bridge In Lake Huron, Mackinac Island offers a unique opportunity for both family and friends to experience race weekend like never before. Mackinac City's downtown area offers a variety of things to do for people of all ages and trails and waters around this pristine island offer a vast playground for SwimRunners looking to stretch their legs on a new course that's challenging and breathtakingly beautiful.

There are no vehicles allowed on the island. Your legs, bikes, and horses are the modes of transportation after you take the ferry from the mainland to get there.

A man with a yellow float tied to his waist and his arms held up walking down a jetty towards a boat shed, with blue sky in the background.

Adventure awaits on Mackinac Island!

LONG COURSE - TEAMS & SOLO

Swim: 6 legs: 3.1 miles

Run: 7 legs: 15.65 miles

Total Distance: 18.75 miles

SHORT COURSE - TEAMS & SOLO

Swim: 6 legs: 2 miles

Run: 7 legs: 11.15 miles

Total Distance: 13.15 miles

For more information and to register for the Odyssey Mackinac SwimRun click here.

Orcas Island SwimRun

DATE: Sunday, September 15, 2024

VENUE: Orcas Island, San Juan Islands, Washington State

Established in 2018, this is a unique and beautiful course in the San Juan chain of islands in Northwest Washington State. Look out for big climbs and descents and single tracks running through thick forests. The course includes crystal clear inland waters as well as a picturesque ocean cove. Certainly a race to 'get back to nature'!

Click below to watch the Official Race Video of the Odyssey Orcas Island Swimrun:

LONG COURSE - TEAMS

Swim: 11 legs: 3.4 miles

Run: 12 legs: 21.75 miles

Total Distance: 25.15 miles

SHORT COURSE - TEAMS & SOLO

Swim: 5 legs: 2 miles

Run: 6 legs: 10.7 miles

Total Distance: 12.7 miles

For more information and to register for the Odyssey Orcas Island SwimRun click here.

Austin Pace Bend SwimRun

"Welcome to Texas Hill Country!"

DATE: Sunday, November 12, 2023

VENUE: Pace Bend Park, Spicewood, Texas (Austin City Limits)

Two swimrun competitors at the Odyssey Austin 2022 event

Odyssey Swimrun Austin

A stone's throw from Austin, nestled in Texas Hill Country between the Baldcypress and Sycamore trees, sits Pace Bend Park. A rustic beauty with single track forest trails, shoreline rock formations and cliff jumps into the refreshing Colorado River. The perfect Texas-sized end to the Odyssey Swimrun season.