From Jonas…
Hopefully he will do a full race report at some point.
clm
ENGLISH SUMMARY
My team Red Bull Ironman, with me and Martin Flinta managed to win the brutal and beautiful Island to Island race in the Stockholm Archipelago today. With water temperature dropping to 9-12 degrees celsius I was unable to lift my arms sometimes…I can tell you - it was cold!
We broke the course record and finnished in sub nine hours for the total 64 km that included 37 km running, 10 km swiming and 16 km of biking.
Yes. They are carrying swimming paddles in both pictures.
I wonder if fins were also legal. Not as easy to hold / run with as paddles I guess and I’m sure Jonas would have used them (a) if they were legal and (b) if he thought they’d be the quickest option.
Those are definitely paddles. The rules state you can use anything you want, but you have to finish with what you start. There were people with huge flotation devices, fins, all sorts of stuff.
That said, Jonas has got it sorted with a more minimalist approach. Basically, modified wetsuit (cut just above the knees and short sleeved), paddles, racing flats, waistpack (have to carry a waterproof cell phone, whistle, GPS device, pressure bandage), compression socks (the underbrush tears your calves up if you don’t cover them), googles and swim cap.
Fun to see Jonas in his environment…he is definitely a Swedish Rockstar!!!
Once again anytime you think you have found something that challenges you to your limits, there is another challenge topping the list, congrats to Jonas for the win and all finishers, studly event for sure!!! I will never complain about running in soggy shoes again as I obviously don’t have a clue!?!?!?!?
That’s hilarious. I hit the link, and literally after the first note, my daughter exclaimed - “That’s Jonas Bros.!”
I’ve 2 daughters myself. I’m a real proud Dad this week as my older daughter raced my club’s sprint tri Saturday, and my younger daughter raced our 2nd tri race of the weekend on Sunday. They both just finished our local Labor Day 5K with their cross country teammates.
The Survival of the Shawangunks (SOS) is an eight stage triathlon sponsored annually by the New York Triathlete Association.
Cycle country roads and scenic highways circling the northern ridge of the Shawangunk Mountain Range. Ascend the western face. At the entrance to Minnewaska State Park leave your bike for a combination run/swim journey through some of Americafs most beautiful cross-country trails and spring fed lakes. Dear Prospective Survivor:
Congratulations for considering participation in one of the most unique triathlons in the world. The course is as follows:
A 30 miles bicycle climb (1000Œ) will lead you from the historic town of New Paltz into the heart of the Shawangunk Mountains to the Lake Awosting Parking lot of Minnewaska State Park. From there, you will run 4 miles on forest trails to Lake Awosting and swim 1.1 miles along the northwestern shore. Following this first swim, you will run 5.5 miles of rough trail overlooking the valley of beautiful Lake Minnewaska where you will swim .5 miles along the southeastern shore. Next you will run 8 miles over the trail to Lake Mohonk where you will be met with your final swim. During the last third of this .5 mile swim, if you breathe to your left your exhaustion will give way to awe as you catch glimpses of the famous Mohonk Hotel built into the cliff alongside the lake shore. Following the final swim, you will face a .7 mile sprint-climb to the finish (260Œ). At the finish enjoy the historic Smiley Memorial Sky Top Tower (1542Œ) and excellent views of five states.
During each swim contestants are required to carry their running shoes and any other gear needed as no contestant will be returning to the starting point of any of the swims. If you decide to accept this survival challenge you will spend time developing a system to carry your gear through the water. Whatever system you develop, remember you will have to carry it with you during all parts of the run, and its effectiveness must last through three swims.
The wilderness setting of this race makes for inconvenient triathlete support. Each entrant is required to bring one crew member who will meet his/her entrant at the bike-run transition and at the end of the race. We sincerely hope that if you do enter this event you will do your best to respect the mountain environment. Due to the dangers and environmental factors involved with this type of triathlon, this yearfs field size will be limited to 150.
