Low Tide Boyz, a Swimrun Podcast

Welcome to episode ninety of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!On the show this week we have a long-time friend of the show, Mel Bartow, on to chat. She is part of the California Swimrun crew and she recently traveled to Sweden to race ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship with her race partner, the one and only, Andy Hewitt. She shares her amazing experience with us on the show!But first... Training UpdateIt’s race week!!!! Ödyssey Swimrun’s Orcas Island is this Sunday and we can’t wait to get up to Orcas Island and take on the super challenging long course. We’re as trained up as we’re going to get but we feel ready to take on the challenge.ShoutoutsThis week we’re shouting out our wives. We literally wouldn’t be able to do this show and/or travel to races without their support. We know that it’s tough on them to handle everything around the house and deal with the kids while we are out in the woods tethered together and whatnot and we are full of gratitude for their support and love.Feats of EnduranceThis week’s winner is Bas Bood from The Netherlands. He raced Swimrun Lauwersoog over the weekend and put in a really good effort out there. Strong work Bas!Bonus winner this week is our friend Carolyn for running her first half marathon since giving birth to her beautiful daughter. Awesome job!Check out and join our Strava Club and join Swimrunners from around the world as they train for Swimruns and stuff.This Week in SwimrunWe’ve got something new for everyone this week. We’re calling it “Race Director Reports” and our first installment is with our friend and co-founder of EX Swimrun, Nicholas Roman. He joins us to talk about last weekend’s EX21 event.In other Swimrun news, the 5th edition of the Urban Swimrun Challenge took place over the weekend in Düsseldorf, Germany. It’s cool to see this type of urban format and the race looked like it was a lot of fun.The Folkhälsan Swimrun went off without a hitch on Saturday in Finland. This event is an ÖTILLÖ merit race and took place about 40km outside of Helsinki. Shoutout to friends of the show Nicolas Remires and “Beek” Tarayao (of Team Envol Baywatch) for winning the race! Finally, Backwaterman Swimrun took place in Austria. The races start and end in front of ​​Ottenstein Castle looks awesome! Shoutout to friends of the show Åsa and Henrik (A.K.A., the Swimrun Pappa) for finishing first place in the mixed team category of the 36km Marathon course. Strong work!That’s it for this week. Be sure to tip us off if there’s any news that you would like for us to share on the show.UpdatesOur new merch is here! Check out our latest ways for you to show your Low Tide Pride in our shop!If you’re racing Orcas Island and aren’t sure what to do kit-wise, make sure to check out our latest episode of Gear Talk with the Swimrun Labs where we discuss gear considerations and tactics for the race.Mel Bartow’s Epic Swedish AdventureIt was awesome to get Mel’s experience of her trip to Sweden for the World Championship. Her enthusiasm for Swimrun is infectious and she got us even more stoked to try to qualify for the original Swimrun. This interview is solid gold! Enjoy.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and on YouTube. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.Thanks for listening and see you out there!-  Chip and Chris

23 Sep 202159min

Welcome to Gear Talk with our friends Annie and Brooke from Swimrun Labs.In this episode, the gang talks through the various gear considerations for the upcoming Ödyssey Swimrun Orcas Island race in beautiful Orcas Island, Washington. This is the first time that they will all be racing the same event since Casco Bay 2018. Annie and Brooke share their wealth of knowledge of the course as previous participants to help Chipper and Chris dial in their race kit for their first time racing Orcas. That’s it for this week’s Gear Talk show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback, suggestions, and/or meme ideas. Finally, you can also support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

21 Sep 202152min

Welcome to episode eighty-nine of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!On the show this week we have our course preview for Ödyssey Swimrun Ludington. We're joined by special guests Aaron Palaian and John Stevens from the Ödyssey crew to talk us through their newest race and share some great training tips for this unique course. Trust us, this race sounds like it's going to be dope!PURE MICHIGAN MAKES FOR PURE SWIMRUNNINGMuch Like Ödyssey Swimrun Mackinac Island, Ludington offers Swimrunners an opportunity to explore a very cool part of the state of Michigan. Aaron shared with us how he settled on the coast of Lake Michigan to host a Swimrun and why Ludington will be an awesome venue for athletes and families.Travelling to Ludington is pretty straightforward with several airport options. Lodging is also straightforward as Ludington has a lot of options.SAND IS YOUR FRIEND (or at least keep telling yourself that)We are lucky to have the only person to have actually ran and swam on the course, John Stevens, to walk us through each leg of the race for both the long and short course. The short course meets up with the long course at Swim 4 (of the long course) and follows the same course to the finish line so we will only mention Run 1 of the short course separately.The long course clocks in at 19.33 miles with 16.2 miles of running and 3.13 miles of swimming with 1,500ft of elevation gain. The short course is 10.68 miles long with 8.55 miles of running and 2.13 miles of swimming with 750ft of elevation gain.Both courses feature a variety of terrains that should make for a super fun event. As you listen to the leg by leg breakdown, we recommend looking at the course map to help orient yourself and visualize what you will experience on race day.Annotated Leg By Leg BreakdownLONG COURSERun 1 (1.45mi)“Urban running” through the downtown LudingtonThere will be some sidewalk traffic involvedSwim 1 (650m/711yd)Coldest swim of the day (Mid to upper 50 degrees Fahrenheit) Pretty straight forward swim along the beachRun 2 (2.15mi)First half is on roadsBack half of the run is a paved trail through the woodsSwim 2 (565m/618yd)The lake is really darkRun 3 (2.05m)Last run on the roads for a whileSand dune climb at the end of the runSwim 3 (400m/437yd)“Steven’s Lake”Swimming though an old quarryRun 4 (3.75mi)Aid station at the start of the runRunning on trails and then on sand towards the endSHORT COURSE Run 1 (1.75mi)This first run is a doozyThere are some wooden platforms at the start that can be very slippery when wetThere are some sand trails towards the middleA “crazy” sand dune climb at the end of the runSwim 4 (1,365m/1,493yd)You swim under a bridge near the startIt’s a pretty shallow swim on the second halfRun 5 (.40mi)Straight up a 200 meter sand dune at the start of the run“Embrace the suck.” -- John StevensSwim 5 (200m/219yd)Nice and short!Run 6 (3.25mi)This run has it all! It goes from woods to sand to the oceanLots of sand hereYou’ll run through some shallow poolsAwesome climb at the end over a ridge that will give you a cool view of the Big Sable Point LighthouseSwim 6 (250m/273yd)This swim is around the Big Sable Point LighthouseThis swim might be cancelled if the conditions are too gnarlyÖdyssey will make the call on race dayRun 7 (3.0mi)Dirt road runIt’s exposed so it could be hot if the sun is outDefinitely hit the aid station at the start of the runSwim 7 (1,610m/1,761yd)This swim is down river so it should be pretty fastNear the end of the swim you go under a low bridge that can be a little nerve rackingRun 8 (.15mi)Sweet little beach run to the finish lineDO IT FOR THE ICE CREAM!John Stevens shared a couple key workout sessions that will help athletes prepare for the demands of the Ludington course. He recommends some high tempo running mixed with some hill work such as a running workout consisting of 6-8x 30 second hard uphill into an extended 4-5 minute tempo effort. The swims are pretty straight forward so being comfortable with the distance and being able to apply some power will serve athletes well.As far as a key Swimrun workout, John recommends doing a couple of rounds consisting of a 300yd swim at race effort with a fast transition into a hard 1-2 minute uphill and then settle into some race effort tempo running for a 1 mile.CLOSING THOUGHTSThis race looks great and we give major kudos to Aaron, John and the rest of the Ödyssey crew for finding such an awesome location to host a Swimrun. All the different types of terrain that this event offers is very unique and will make for a great adventure for everyone that will toe the line. Huge thanks for Aaron and John for taking the time to help us put this course preview together. These episodes are an iterative process so please let us know what you think about this evolving format.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and on YouTube. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.Thanks for listening and see you out there!-  Chip and Chris

16 Sep 202147min

Welcome to Gear Talk with our friends Annie and Brooke from Swimrun Labs.In this episode, we have a roundtable discussion regarding the different tiers of Swimrun wetsuits (entry-level, mid-range, and high-end) and what features you typically get for the money.Make sure to check out our companion video on YouTube to get a closer look at the different tiers of wetsuits.Gear UpdatesAnnie tested out the HOKA ONE ONE Torrent 2 shoe. She wanted to really like them but they didn’t work out for her for Swimrun. She also recently tried the Saucony Switchback 2 shoe for Swimrun and found that the shoe did not drain water very well. She plans on drilling little holes and reporting back if that solves the draining issue.Annie has also been practicing in the Ark Sports Korp and has been very happy with its durability. She also went commando for a Swimrun practice and is now a convert.Chipper wanted to shout out the new Precision Hydration PF 30 Energy Gels. Chipper, Chris, and Annie have all tried them and think they are great!Wetsuit Suit-OutWe get questions every week asking us for recommendations for wetsuits. Our answer is always “depends.” There are a lot of considerations in deciding what wetsuit to settle on. Free SuitsIf it’s your first Swimrun and you have a triathlon or surfing wetsuit hanging around, you can totally use that with either zero or a few modifications by cutting the legs above the knees and the arms above the elbow. You can also check out the Swimrun Swap Meet on Facebook for a used suit.Entry LevelThese suits cost on average under $250. They have few bells and whistles but there are some really great options out there including the Synergy Swimrun Wetsuit and the Ark Sports Korp. (We have full reviews on both!)Mid-RangeThese suits run on average under $450-500 and offer a lot of upgrades from entry-level suits including thinner neoprene, different materials, and sometimes come with arm sleeves. The Ark Sports VIGG and HEAD My Boost suits are great examples of this range.High-EndThese suits will offer premium everything and you definitely get something special for the price. They are lighter, they wick water away better, and generally more flexible. The Ark Sports ORNO X is a great example of what is available at the pointy end of things.DiscussionWe all agreed that there are some features that we love and features that we can live without. We all thought that having Gen 2 bottoms, suits with good shoulder mobility, toothy zippers, a comfortable neckline, and removable arm sleeves are essentials for us. Chipper also really likes having a kangaroo pocket in the back.Annie really loved having a thermal core panel in the suit. If you tend to not lead the swim legs then something a bit warmer might be a good idea.We all thought that internal pockets in a suit, cargo pockets on the bottoms, Three-quarter leg length, dual zippers to help with cabbing down, mini pockets for a whistle (or a joint), and Gen 1 neoprene bottoms weren’t things that would entice us towards purchasing a suit. Brooke likes zippers that end at the waist so that they don’t get tangled up with the pull buoy and/or tether belt.Closing ThoughtsAll in all, there’s a Swimrun wetsuit for every budget. We hope that this episode has helped lay out what features you get for the money and, more importantly, what features you will find most important. Make sure to check out our companion video on YouTube to get a closer look at the different tiers of wetsuits.That’s it for this week’s Gear Talk show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback, suggestions, and/or meme ideas. Finally, you can also support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

14 Sep 202146min

Welcome to episode eighty-eight of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!On the show this week we have someone who really has no business being on our show...but that just lets you know how awesome of a person he is. We are super lucky to have author, speaker, and coach Brad Stulberg on the show this week. His latest book, The Practice of Groundedness: A Transformative Path to Success that Feeds--Not Crushes--Your Soul, was just published this week and we chat with him about all things human performance, sustainable success, and well-being.(Full Disclosure: Chris is Brad’s speaking agent and the COO of his media company, The Growth Equation)But first... Training UpdateÖdyssey Swimrun’s Orcas Island is 3 weeks away! We’ve got a couple of weeks of hill work left before heading to the Pacific Northwest and we will be doing a couple of long-ish Swimruns to get our transitions dialed in.  It’s safe to say that our stoke level is very high for this race!ShoutoutsThis week we’re acknowledging a couple of folks. First, big shoutout to our newest Patron on Patreon, Miriam Fendler. She trains at the same pool as us and she’s super stoked on Swimrun. Thank you so much for helping support the show and we can’t wait to hear how Ödyssey Swimrun Ludington goes for her and her partner Sarah, A.K.A., Team PB and Bananas.We’re also shouting out Mårten Westlund. He left us a DM over the weekend letting us know how much he’s been enjoying our memes. To quote him: “The sheer amount of incredibly funny content is too much to even take in. So damn great!” Thank you for that! Finally, shoutout to Mark Sealy from Oxfordshire by way of Zimbabwe. He reached out to let us know that he and his partner David have been enjoying our brand of Swimrun content and they’ve signed up for their first race at the Lock to Lock Swimrun Oxford happening on September 19th. Super stoked for you guys and let us know how it goes.Feats of EnduranceThis is a tough week for Feats of Endurance because there was an overabundance of feats that took place in Sweden this week. So we thought that we would give a global combo award to everyone that lined up in Sandhamn on Monday for ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship. A special shoutout to our Strava Club members that raced: Max V., Annika, Maire, Sabina (2nd place Mixed Division), Beek, Philip, Sean, Mel, Ben, Jonathan, Tim, Anders, Max A., and Per. Check out and join our Strava Club and join Swimrunners from around the world as they train for Swimruns and stuff.This Week in SwimrunThere’s so much to cover this week that we released a special bonus edition of This Week in Swimrun to discuss the results of the 15th edition of ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship. Check that out wherever you are listening to this episode.In other Swimrun news, Zêzere Swimrun took place over the weekend and it looked like a magical day for Swimrunning in central Portugal.Over in the U.K., Breca Swimrun hosted the UK National Swimrun Championship at their Jersey race over the weekend. The competition was tough but the course was lovely and made up for everything else. 220 Triathlon Magazine had a great write up on the race so head over there to check that out.In the bummer portion of the show, Swimrun Georgia might be postponed to 2022 due to permitting issues. We’ll share more updates as we get them.Swimrun Costa Brava is scheduled to take place next weekend on September 18. This race is 100% on our bucket list after hearing about how awesome it is from the Boston Wet Sox and Mia and Fanny from Wild Swimrun.That’s it for this week. Be sure to tip us off if there’s any news that you would like for us to share on the show.UpdatesOur new merch has arrived! Check out our latest ways for you to show your Low Tide Pride in our shop!We would also like to share that we have surpassed 50,000 total downloads! We can’t thank you all enough for tuning in and listening to our super-niche content. Brad Stulberg InterviewWhat can we say about today’s guest? Brad is the co-author of Peak Performance, The Passion Paradox, and author of the newly published, The Practice of Groundedness. His books have sold more than 250,000 copies and have been translated into more than 15 languages. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wired, New York Magazine, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, and other national and international outlets. If that wasn’t enough, he’s also a contributing editor at Outside Magazine, where he writes a regular column on the science and art of success and well-being. He also has a coaching practice where he works with executives, entrepreneurs, physicians, and athletes and gives keynotes and workshops across the country. Finally, he’s the co-founder of The Growth Equation, an online platform dedicated to defining and attaining a more fulfilling and sustainable kind of success.We asked Brad to come onto the show to talk about his new book and share his insight on sustaining peak performance in Swimrun but also in life. Okay, mostly in life but still. He’s awesome and we really appreciated him doing us a solid to come on our show. You can learn more about Brad on his website and make sure to order his new book!That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and on YouTube. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.Thanks for listening and see you out there!-  Chip and Chris

9 Sep 20211h 6min

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast! This week’s episode is a recap of the 2021 Ötillö, The Swimrun World Championship. We stayed up way beyond our bedtimes to watch as much as we could live and break down the 2021 edition of Otillo, The Swimrun World Championship.The live race production that Otillo had on their Facebook was solid. They featured a mix of live-action footage, on-course interviews, and a studio production which resulted in an entertaining broadcast.2021 Ötillö, The Swimrun World Championship ResultsHere are the podiums for each division of the 2021 Ötillö, The Swimrun World Championship. For the full results head to Ötillö’s results page.Women’s Division Race1st Place: ARK Swimrun Helena & Kristin | 9:00:472nd Place: Wild Swimrun West Coast | 9:11:27 +10:403rd Place: Head Swimming | 9:16:27 +15:40Mixed Division Race1st Place: Team Envol Head Swimming | 8:14:57 (Course Record)2nd Place: Team Envol Switzerland - HEAD | 8:32:36 +17.393rd Place: ARK Swimrun Marika & Alexander | 8:33:50 +18:53Men’s Divison Race1st Place: Team Simcoachen | 7:38:43 (Course Record)2nd Place: ARK Swimrun Fredrik & Lars | 7:44:55 +6:123rd Place: ARK Swimrun France | 7:49:08 +10:25Final ThoughtsWe are even more pumped about this race. It was really inspiring to see everyone give it their all in the Stockholm Archipelago. Special shoutouts to the team from the United States who made everyone back home proud. In the mixed division that was California Swimrun and in the men’s division It Be Me Me Me and Timothy, Team Envol Baywatch, and The Swimrun Monks.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and on YouTube. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.Thanks for listening and see you out there!-  Chip and Chris

7 Sep 202118min

Welcome to episode eighty-seven of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!Ödyssey Swimrun Mackinac Island 2021 is in the books and we welcome back to the show friends of the pod, all around amazing Swimrun ambassadors, and LTBz correspondents in the field Trista and Amy from Team Adorkable to give us their race recap from their weekend up in northern Michigan for the first edition of Ödyssey’s newest race. But first... Training UpdateÖdyssey Swimrun’s Orcas Island is 4 weeks away! (Make sure to use the code LOWTIDE15 for 15% off your registration to any/all Ödyssey Swimrun events.)  Unfortunately, the air quality has gotten pretty bad here due to wildfires to the north of us so we’ve had to bail on some big runs and take things indoors. We did manage to get in a mondo swim session in the books on Thursday which was “fun” and definitely LFG-esque.ShoutoutThis week we’re shouting out the fudge stores on Mackinac Island. No we didn’t have any fudge but it sure did look good!Feats of EnduranceThis week’s winner is Kathryn Meinhardt. She posted a workout this past week where she mentioned LTBz in the title which results in an automatic win in our book. (To recap, the current criteria for posts to automatically win include: workouts completed in Puerto Rico, workouts with a ton of elevation gain, and workouts that include LTBz in the title.)Check out and join our Strava Club and join Swimrunners from around the world as they train for Swimruns and stuff.UpdatesMake sure to check out this week’s special bonus ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship race prediction show with special guests Henrik Wahlberg and Jonas Ekman. It was super cool to get Henrik and Jonas’s insights and you should make sure to tune in to ÖTILLÖ's complete coverage of the event on Facebook Live where they will be commentating.We’ve got some new shirts and hoodies dropping in the LTBz store next week so stay tuned for the latest ways for you to show your Löw Tide pride!Ödyssey Swimrun Mackinac Island 2021 Race Recap w/Team AdorkableIt was really great to have Trista and Amy, a.k.a. Team Adorkable, back on the show (check out our interview with them on Episode 58) to talk about their race over the weekend. We chatted with them about their whole weekend adventure in northern Michigan. The conversation was really fun and their enthusiasm was 100% infectious (in a good way) and we don’t think that anyone had more fun at Mackinac Island than they did. Their finish line antics are becoming legendary so make sure that you check their Mackinac video out.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and on YouTube. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.Thanks for listening and see you out there!-  Chip and Chris

2 Sep 20211h

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!We’re super stoked to share our inaugural ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship Race Prediction show with special guests Henrik Wahlberg and Jonas Ekman. Henrik and Jonas aren’t just elite Swimrunners with a ton of experience racing ÖTILLÖ but they will also be providing commentary on the Facebook live feed that will cover the entire race on September 6th.  In this bonus episode, Henrik and Jonas walk us through the elite Women’s, Mixed, and Men’s fields and give us their takes on which teams are looking fit and their podium predictions for the 15th edition of the race that started it all. That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and on YouTube. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.Thanks for listening and see you out there!-  Chip and Chris

31 Aug 202145min