New sport involves both swimming and running
Portugal’s National Swimrun Championship is returning to Lagoa for the first stage of this year’s championship on May 8.
The event will be divided into a ‘Standard’ 27km race starting in Porches, and a ‘Sprint’ 12km race starting in Carvoeiro, both of which will end in Ferragudo.
Lagoa Council says the championship’s organisers selected this route again this year after last year’s stage was described by all participating swimrunners as one of the best in the championship.
Adds the council, Lagoa is a municipality that allows swimrunners to “cover trails which are considered the best in Europe, observe countless cliffs sculpted in the most varied shapes and also explore a handful of idyllic beaches and caves, some of which are only accessible by sea like the Benagil cave.”
“It is with satisfaction that we see Lagoa being chosen for big events and national competitions – even more so when the decision is based on the quality of our territory, on the way we welcome (visitors) and on the capacity of our services to organise and co-organise big events,” said Lagoa Mayor, Luís Encarnação.
Swimrun is a new sport which involves stages of running and swimming along a pre-marked course. Also known as Ötillö, it was born in Sweden from a “drunken bet” late one night in 2002 between a group of friends who challenged each other to a race across local islands the next morning. In 2006, two of those friends – Michael Lemmel and Mats Skott – were asked if they could make a commercial race out of their “crazy challenge”.
https://www.swimrunportugal.com/lagoa
By Michael Bruxo
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