After all the preparation for OWR, it was almost a relief when the race finally started in the early hours of Tuesday morning. For our team, it’s not just six months of preparation — we have been preparing mentally and physically for all aspects of this race for years now. Every year, learning and adjusting our preparation in an attempt to put together the best performance we can come race week.
This year the start field was the best we had seen. Personally, we thought there would be more teams than ever who would likely make it to Landsort — and of those, 3–4 who would fight to be the first there.
The first day this year was extremely cold, with a north wind (although at our backs) that kept us cold on land every time we stopped. We often like to start controlled and have a strong second half of the race, but this year was different — it’s a race, and with that comes times when you might have to burn a few matches to keep in contact with other teams. Team 5 pushed the pace during the first day, and we did our best to stay within a comfortable distance. When night fell, Daniel took control for our team. Instantly when darkness came, we relaxed, knowing Daniel was increasing our lead over the other teams with his flawless navigation. By the time the sun rose on the second day, we were in a comfortable position and were able to bring the pace down — a welcome relief, as we were all struggling in our own different ways.
The second day rolled on, and we found a comfortable rhythm. The team worked well together, constantly helping each other when needed to keep moving. Johan really came into play here — not only helping us make good decisions but ensuring we were fueling properly throughout the day so we would roll into day three with good energy levels.
Night fell again, and with that came the march toward the inevitable and infamous Danziger Gatt swim. We were swimming well, and we got word that the gap to the ever-strong Australian team was growing, giving us a surprisingly relaxing feeling as we jumped into the darkness of the long swim. However, this didn’t last long. When the sun started to rise, we were in the middle of the shipping channel, and after swimming continuously for close to two hours, we faced a current that made it feel like we were hardly moving forward. This was confirmed when we stopped for energy and noticed how quickly we drifted 100–200 meters backward. The only option was to put our heads down and not stop. With the stress of being stuck in the shipping channel, we were given a 30-minute window until the first ship would pass through — after which we would either be forced to swim backwards out of the channel or be pulled from the water. Fortunately, our hard work paid off, and although sore and tired, we crawled up the rocks on Stora Rammklov to checkpoint 19 to receive the final map of the race.
The final maps showed that we had at least 8 km of swimming remaining. The team wasn’t thrilled, but there wasn’t much to do except keep moving. After two more long swims and a run, we were prepared for our last long 5 km swim toward Landsort. Just then, we received reports that the wind was picking up and might get worse. The decision was made to scrap the swim and, although it would add 1.5 hours, run around instead. This was of course a tough decision but much safer if the weather turned bad. The other downside was the stress we put on ourselves knowing that Team Australia would be forced to take the swim — would this give them enough time to close the gap? At this stage of the race, not everyone is thinking clearly, and even with a three-hour gap, it somehow felt like they were suddenly breathing down our necks. The upside was that Daniel knows this section of the race well, so we just pushed to the finish. Kristin ensured we held a solid pace all the way to Landsort.
It’s such an indescribable feeling — that last 3 km (which feels like 10 km) gravel road toward Landsort’s lighthouse and the green door we had focused on touching for a year. We are fortunate enough to be the first team to touch that door now for the third time — a feat made possible because of our families, sponsors, the amazing OWR organisation team, Daniel and Kristin’s extremely meticulous preparation, and most importantly, our unwavering commitment to each other as a team.
