Born from a bet between friends in Sweden around twenty years ago, Swimrun has now gained a foothold in the Principality, thanks to a dynamic and fast-growing club that is expanding its initiatives at every level.<\/strong><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n Although still little known to the wider public, the endurance discipline is steadily gaining ground on the Riviera. Unlike triathlon, competitors alternate running and swimming with no transition and no equipment change, racing in teams of two. Neoprene wetsuits, shoes, pull buoys and paddles are carried by the athletes from start to finish, on land and at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It all began in 2002, in the archipelago of the Swedish capital Stockholm. Four friends set themselves a challenge after a boozy evening: to link two islands 75 kilometres apart by any means possible, in a fairly wild, even hostile environment, with rather chilly water. The 26-hour adventure gave birth to \u00d6TILL\u00d6 \u2013 meaning \u201cisland to island\u201d in Swedish \u2013 the first official competition organised four years later in 2006 by Michael Lemmel and Matthew Scott. Considered one of the toughest endurance races in the world, it remains the international benchmark for Swimrun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n