One of the most exotic and exciting adventure races in the world recently took place in the Stockholm archipelago. In the Ö till Ö Swim Run Championships the racers faced a grueling 75-kilometer course on island trails, slippery rocks and in cold waters. In calm conditions the race winners Lelle Moberg and Daniel Hansson of Team Milebreaker of Sweden crushed last year’s course record by 19 minutes with a winning time of 8 hours 16 minutes and 19 seconds. The Baltic Sea Action Group Swim Run Team, who were previously featured on the Suunto Sport pages managed to break their record in their second Ö till Ö race. “We were much better prepared and also the equipment we had was improved thanks to the experience from last year. It really made a big difference,” says BSAG team member Armin Hummel. “The Suunto Ambit2s that we had really helped us to keep track about what was ahead of us and how we were doing. Overall this helped in pushing harder when needed and planning the next stages of the race.”  The Baltic Sea Action Group’s Hummel and his teammate Juha Lindfors finished in 12th place overall and were very happy with their time of 9:49:10. “This was even slightly better than we expected. We also have to admit that the weather was on our side. The conditions were ideal.” With the race Hummel and Lindfors wanted to raise awareness over the state of the Baltic Sea and get more people and organizations to commit on actions to save it. You can learn more about Baltic Sea Action Group here. All images: Nadja Odenhage / ÖTILLÖ14

After winning XTERRA UK, the Suunto ambassador Conrad Stoltz now has Denmark in his sights. Is there any stopping him? It's been a bit of a disappointing season for Conrad Stoltz so far. “It's been a bit of a roller coaster with unfortunate injuries, sickness and mechanicals,” he tells us. But the so-called 'caveman' put all that behind him after triumphing at the UK course. “I finally did my form justice and put together a phenomenal race. It's what I love best!” he says. “XTERRA UK is a race with real mountain biking and trail running – true XTERRA terrain, so I was super excited to race this course. This year I have been really disappointed with a lot of the courses which weren't technical. They were 'roadie courses’ – mostly fire roads which has been super frustrating.” “XTERRA UK put up a great event with very technical bike and run courses,” he adds. The running course saw athletes having to leap across ditches and jump over trees, for example. Check out this video to see Conrad running the route.“I was out of the swim 1min behind the leader and came off the bike with a 5 minute lead and a silly grin on my face,” adds Conrad. “It was adventurous and fun. I hope other organisers take note and make sure their routes include actual mountain bike trails!”Next on the calendar is Denmark this weekend and Conrad is as focused as he's ever been. “I hope to repeat my performance here,” he says. All images ©lighttrapper.co.uk

UPDATED ON MARCH 29, 2022. Follow these swimming drills on your Suunto! With the help of SuuntoPlus Guides, you can now follow these swimming drills on your Suunto watch. Before starting a swim exercise on your watch, go down to exercise options and select ’Swim drills’ from the SuuntoPlus Guides menu. Start the workout and you will see step-by-step guidance on one of your watch screens. Swipe left until you see it. Press lap (lower right button) to advance from one step to the next one. Read on to learn the drills! Fingertip drag Having a high elbow is essential to extend your reach and improve efficiency in the water. There are a few variations you can practise. One of the simplest is the fingertip drag. Let the tips of your fingers brush the top of the water as you reach forward with your recovery arm. You can also make it even harder by having your whole hand in the water. Fists Nothing reveals the magic power of your pulling hand better than trying to swim without it! For this exercise, swim with your fists clenched. This is a great drill to appreciate the role your forearms play. And when you then repeat using your hands as usual, you'll discover a new-found understanding of hand and forearm position. Zippers If you're looking to improve your swim technique, sooner or later you need to work on your rotation. This is a great way to get your body used to rolling from side-to-side. It also helps to keep your recovery hand close to your body. For this drill, roll on your side and run the thumb of your recovery arm – the one that's out of the water – from your hip, all the way up your side before placing. Can be used with fingertip drag as well. Catch-up In order to speed up, you need to slow down. Fewer strokes also means less energy expenditure, which is crucial in triathlon. This drill works on your reach to ensure you're getting the maximum power from your strokes. Instead of going straight from recovery into pull, let your recovery arm touch your other hand, and then reach forward before beginning the opposite pull. The goal is to make every stroke as long as possible. Kicks Oh yes, these are among the most feared and unloved exercises for swimmers but also some of the most important. In triathlon, your legs should do the bare minimum to save their strength for cycling and running. In fact you shouldn't look to get any propulsion from your legs. But you need them for good body position and to ensure they don't drag. One of the best drills is to use a kick board. Point your toes, kick from the hips and whatever you do, don't bend your knees. All images ©zooom.at/Markus Berger

Suunto ambassador Jill Heinerth has undertaken some extraordinary diving expeditions over the years, but none are quite so unique as the Sedna EPIC Expedition. In her own words below, she describes the team's bid to snorkel across the Arctic. I had my eyes trained on my Suunto Ambit, watching for the approaching landmark. The latitude ticked slowly upwards as the excitement heightened to a fever pitch. The deck was a hive of activity with ten women, scrambling into their drysuits, preparing to leap into the water in unison and swim as a team over the precise location that marks the Arctic Circle. Merino long underwear, a heated vest, a Thinsulate undergarment and finally a cozy drysuit all layered up to protect us from the water that hovered around 2°C. ©SednaEPIC.com – Jill Heinerth Each girl repositioned her Ambit and D4i diving computer on her wrist when suddenly, the positive energy took a startling turn. From above, on the bridge, a voice bellowed an angry retort, “Who’s in charge of this chaos?” he screamed. “I want to know who thinks they are in charge of this fiasco?” The talking stopped instantly and we all craned our heads towards the two figures on the bridge that were backlit by the late night Arctic sun. Whatever they were angry about, it sounded serious. But as soon as we saw them, the deck erupted in laughter. The Captain was wearing a spaghetti strainer on his head. A blonde dish towel appeared like golden locks while he embraced the boat owner Milos, who was wearing a sheep skin vest, large pillow and some women’s clothing. They chanted a traditional welcome to seafarers crossing the Arctic Circe and then finished with, “Now get off my ship!”Giddy with schoolgirl enthusiasm, we leapt into the water to herald this momentous part of our expedition. With my underwater camera, I captured the celebration, relief and excitement of reaching this far north. ©SednaEPIC.com – Jill HeinerthThe 2014 Sedna EPIC Expedition aimed to bring a remarkable team of women together to undertake a long range snorkel relay with a goal to raise awareness of global climate change, loss of sea ice — and the indomitable power of the human spirit. Led by Expedition Founder, Susan R. Eaton, the ultimate goal of the Sedna EPIC Expedition is to snorkel the Northwest Passage. This year, teamwork, technology and outreach techniques were practiced for a longer project that is slated for 2016.It was an honor to photograph and work with such a formidable team of women who will undoubtedly make their mark as environmental advocates, scientists and thought leaders. All images ©SednaEPIC.com – Jill Heinerth

On the first Monday in September one hundred teams of two will stand on the shores of Sandhamn in the Stockholm archipelago. They will face one of the toughest endurance challenges in the world, the Ö till Ö Swim Run Championship. Ö till Ö (island to island) is a unique race in which teams of two swim and run 75 km across 26 islands. One of the teams this year is The Baltic Sea Action Group Swim Run Team. “About 65 km of the total distance is running and 10 km openwater swimming. This means that about a quarter of the race time is spent swimming,” Juha Lindfors, a Baltic Sea Action Group Swim Run Team member says. Finnish Lindfors and his German teammate Armin Hummel are both experienced swimmers. Both have won multiple national championship titles in swimming. Last year they took part in Ö till Ö for the first time. “The race last year came as a surprise with only a three weeks’ notice as one of my friends who originally came up with the crazy idea of participating in the race could not make it. There was really no time to get prepared. However, we made it and the event itself was magnificent.” “One of the most fascinating things in the race is experiencing the nature in the beautiful Stockholm archipelago and in the Baltic Sea. First feeling after the race was that we must come back again – and maybe with some more preparation.” This year the team has two goals: to break the 10-hour barrier and most importantly to increase awareness about the state of the Baltic Sea. “Already after the race last year I had the idea that we could also increase general awareness of the work of the Baltic Sea Action Group and get more people and organizations to commit on actions to save the Baltic Sea. “For me this is very important as I live by the sea, sailing on it, and especially when going for a dip in the sea. I really hope that my children can keep on enjoying the same privileges.” An important part of the swim run event are the transitions in and out of the water. “A one minute loss in each transition adds up to a whole hour in the end,” Lindfors says. To make the challenge even bigger, the competitors have to carry everything they need with them through out the race, which results in some interesting and novel gear solutions – they swim with their running shoes and run in wetsuits. Teams will also use hand paddles and pull buoys. Swimming in shoes is particularly tricky.  “They slow us down about 5–10 seconds per 100 meters.” To compensate for the added drag of the shoes, many of the teams use pull buoys to improve buoyancy. But that too comes with a price: you will then have to find a way to carry the buoyancy aid during the run stages. Also choosing the right shoes can be tricky: they have to be superlight even when wet but also have a good grip for the wet and slippy beach rocks. “Last year I wore orienteering shoes. This time I have chosen to race in ultralight trailrunning shoes,” Lindfors reveals. Ö till Ö Swim Run Championships will take place in Sweden on September 1st. More info and live tracking can be found at www.otillo.se More info about the Baltic Sea Action Group can be found here. All images © Jakob Edholm/ÖTILLÖ13

Getting your recovery right is almost as important as the training itself – especially if you have a packed race diary. It’s also particularly true as you get older when the body is less forgiving of strains, bruises and stiffness. So what’s the approach of the pros? Triathlete and XTERRA champion Conrad Stoltz is known as ‘the Caveman’ for his warrior spirit and ability to take hits – just the man in other words to offer some advice. He is famous for being hard on himself and his gear and in his younger days used to sleep on benches and once (willingly) in a police station before races. These days, looking after his body is the number one priority. “I believe in a good warm up and cool down after racing,” he says. “Plus regular massage and self massage on the foam roller.”Gone are the days when Conrad would blast through injuries. These days he listens to his body. “If I have even a small injury, I’ll try to get it resolved as quickly as possible,” he says.He adds that one of the most important things after a hard ride, run or swim is to take on fluids right away. “When I get back from a hard training session I’ll have a drink with carbs and some protein right away to get the recovery process started.”This is in line with the latest advice from sports nutritionists who recommend taking on fuel and fluids during a 30 minute window after exercise, or even within 15 minutes. “Within 30-40 mins I will sit down to a good meal,” says Conrad. “Caveman style – meat, potatoes, vegetables and maybe some chocolate or ice cream.”But some habits die hard. There’s no cross-training for Conrad. “I’d like to say I ride my enduro motorbike for cross training in the off-season,” he adds, “but I race all year round!”