OtillO Cannes 2022

OCTOBER 2022
OtillO Cannes truly is a race of two halves. A brilliant first half of fast trail running, open water crossings and an unforgettable start from the castle. Then a slightly more convoluted second half mixing the streets of Cannes with some adventurous ascent and descent behind the town.

It's one of the most well-attended swimrun event in Europe, helped by the fact it is well serviced by Nice airport, and the fact that swimrun is booming in France. It's timing in October may also suit a lot of people.

Racing with Paul Skipper once again we tried something we'd not done before - alternating the lead on each swim. Our swimming speed was pretty well matched so we thought it would make sense, this worked well.

We probably went off a bit hard on the runs, which we felt in the second half of the race. We also felt several jelly fish stings - the worst I have ever had by far. However don't let this put you off, it's just proof that you are getting close to nature.

There were a few British teams on the start line which was great to see, including Jon & Fred of swimrun.com. 

It was great to race with Paul again, and little did we know, this race would be the foundation of our  qualification spot for the OtillO World' Championships in 2023.

Would I do it again? It wouldn't be first on my list, but if you are looking for a race in mid-October in a pretty spectacular setting that's easy to get to then I would recommend it.