Swimrun

Swimrun is a combination of running, swimming and orienteering, that has become increasingly popular in water sports. As such, it kind of resembles triathlon, just without your bike, and where you alternate between swimming and running. Of course it requires some special gear, since it should be comfortable to both run and swim in. Adding to this, the shoes should be able to drain the water quickly, so they're not extra heavy to run with.

This is why swimrun is an amazing discipline

Even though it may sound like an extreme sport, swimrun is actually for all ages and levels. Because of this, many kids get involved with this type of exercise - all the way down to the age of 6. The most important is basically that you enjoy swimming and running.

The discipline swimrun originates from Sweden, where the first run was called Ö till ö, and was a 75 kilometer run across 26 islands. Now, this run is one of the toughest ones there is, but luckily swimrun comes in many different shapes.

Typically there isn't a predetermined route - and thus, not a predetermined distance either - but as a general rule of thumb, there must be 2 runs and 2 swims. Apart from this, all the gear you use along the way must be transported all the way to the finishing line, which creates some very particular requirements for just this part.

Find the right gear for swimrun

Since all your gear needs to follow you along from start to finish, it's all about having the right setup, so it's easy to run with. It's no secret that most of the gear is used for the swim part, and as such, it's important to think strategically.

Because of this, it's a great idea with a swim cap and a pair of good, wide swim- or diving goggles. The swim cap makes you faster in the water, while the goggles protect your eyes, and makes it easier to orientate yourself in the water. All the swimming takes place in open water, which can be anything from rivers to streams. Because of this, there is often a lot of current in the water, which makes it difficult to see. Since the route in the water isn't predetermined, it's important to have a good orientation, so you don't swim more than necessary.

Apart from this, the wetsuit must be suitable for both running on land, and swimming in the water. It's a difficult balancing act, since water cools the body significantly more than the air. Because of this, it should keep you warm while swimming, but not be too hot when you're running.

Because of this, they are typically neoprene suits with a certain thickness, where most people choose a swim run suit in a short version. You can choose to have extra thick neoprene calf warmers, which both provide you a good compression, keeps your calf warm and provides you with good buoyancy.

The last one is particularly important, since you're often swimming in water with current, and since you have to swim in shoes, this means that the legs will "drop" when you swim. As such, it's hard to do crawl and pretty much impossible to do breast strokes - at least with effective leg kicks. Thus, many people bring pull bouys, since they provide you with great buoyancy and stabilises the legs in the water.

As such, you will lack some propulsion in the water, which is also why many people use hand paddles. This makes everything a bit harder - since you basically propel yourself forward by using your hands - but with the right technique, practice and the right gear, you can get fit and ready for swimrun!

Find your swimrun gear here at Watery.ie

Swimrun is a pretty new discipline, and as such it's pretty unknown. But it won't be long before it picks up, and in Ireland you can find swimrun exercise runs every year.

And the popularity is not for no reason, because it's a much more different way to do swimming and running. Particularly when compared to triathlon, where it's more split up, whereas in swimrun you constantly alternate between the two disciplines.

If you buy your swimrun gear here at Watery.ie, of course you also get:

• Free shipping on orders over €79
• 3-5 days delivery
• Our customer service is ready all weekdays from 8 AM to 10 PM.

This way you can get dressed just right, for your next swimrun.