Strides, arm pulls and leg whips, strides, arm pulls and leg whips, again and again… The gestures of the walkers-swimmers participating in the Swimrun Côte Vermeille in the Pyrénées-Orientales will be repeated tirelessly in an exceptional setting on Saturday. 1,100 participants in the event will put on their running shoes and neoprene wetsuits, swimming cap and diving goggles at hand, to set off to attack the steep paths but also the invigorating emerald sea. All have become adept at swimrun, a sports practice born in Sweden which allows you to alternate running and swimming in open water.
Five events will be on the program throughout the day, classified by level and offering routes ranging from 4 km for the youngest (12 years old) to 63 km with the flagship race, the Ultra Ötillö by Head. A marathon going from Cap Cerbère and Argelès-sur-Mer with 2,500 meters of elevation gain. 17 swimming sections are on the program for a total of 8.66 km (1.01 km for the longest section) with 18 running sections totaling 54.73 km (17.08 km for the longest section).
A piece of bravery to face as a duo but also, for the first time since 2016, by composing teams of three to six athletes. “It gives access to the discipline to athletes who would not necessarily have come and it also feeds the collective character of our event”, confides the organization which will welcome no less than 35 nationalities (33% of women among the competitors).
The best teams will have the right to a great icing on the cake when they cross the finish line since the first three pairs in the ranking will be directly qualified for the world championship, the World Championship Ötillö in Sweden.
Concerned about the preservation of the coastline and the fragility of the areas crossed, the organization of the event will further strengthen its system in terms of environmental protection in order to be completely irreproachable on this subject. “We work upstream with the organizers so that the moorings do not have a negative impact on the marine fauna and flora”, confides Bruno, a competitor who is a member of the green team responsible for checking that the environmental rules are respected and who said “very proud to participate in a race that takes environmental protection so seriously. It’s such a beautiful place, both on the sea and on land, that it pushes you even more to make efforts.
“This event is part of its origins as a responsible sport and I am convinced that this will contribute to its democratization”, underlined Camille Lacourt, five-time world champion and sponsor of the event who will take part, as a duo, in the 47 km race (1863 vertical meters).