Hanna Skårbratt

– Race experience

I grew up in the United States training high-level gymnastics 20+ hours per week until I was 18. After starting college I found the sport of triathlon and began my development in endurance athletics. I ran my first marathon at age 20 and my first 50 miler at 23. I moved to Sweden at age 25 and found the sport of swimrun, which has been my primary focus for the last 10+ years. I raced my first ÖtillÖ WC in 2016 and have raced many times since then, finally winning last year for the first time after two consecutive years in second place. I believe that my many years of dedicated training make me fully ready physically to complete the swimrun task. When it comes to the mental part of One Water Race, I have not done as long of a race before, but I have always challenged myself in life and pushed through to succeed. Some things outside of sports that I believe show my resilience are my PhD in Materials Science and having two sets of twins while still being able to train and compete at a high level.

– Why do you want to participate in One Water Race?

I want to challenge myself and see if I can push through an edge of pain that I have never experienced before.

– Have you taken a similar challenge before?

Nothing is like OWR! I have been doing ultrarunning and swimrunning since I was in my 20s, but I have never done events over several days.

– What are your strengths?

The athletics. I am one of the strongest female swimrunners in the world.

– What are your weaknesses?

Not knowing how my mind and body react after nights without sleep, but if our team is accepted I plan to test a few overnight sessions to get used to how to handle the challenge.

– What would be your biggest challenges in this race?

Without having done the race before it is difficult to know what will be the biggest challenge, but I anticipate that coming up with and sticking to a good nutrition plan, having gear that can handle the temperatures without causing chafing, and handling the mental part of sleep deprivation will be the hurdles to get through to reach the finish line.

– Have you been to the Stockholm archipelago and what do you know/think about the terrain?

Yes, I have raced ÖtillÖ WC several times. I have no problems transporting myself through tough archipelago terrain.

– What are you most looking forward to, if you would participate in One Water Race?

To see how I can push myself through mental and physical pain that I have never experienced before.