Nutri-bay.com, sponsor of Raphaël Amato & Sophie Drofiak at Ötillö: 2018 “swimrun” world championship
- 2 victories at the Amphiman (Belgian swimrun) in 2015 & 2017 (2nd in 2018)
- Ötillö World Serie 1000 Lakes – Germany (2016): 4th and qualification for the 2017 world championship
- Ötillö World Serie Isles of Scilly – UK (2018): 4th and qualification for the 2018 world championship
- Ötillö World Serie Engadin – Switzerland (2018): 6th
- Raphaël is currently ranked 18th in the world rankings, having won the Authieman (French swimrun) with a male partner on July 1.
What is “swimrun” ?
“Swimrun” is an outdoor sport originating in Sweden. It combines open-water swimming and trail running. Unlike triathlon, it is practiced in pairs and is not limited to a single sequence in each discipline. In fact, participants must run, swim, run again, swim again, and so on... Nor is changing equipment an option: swimrunners swim in their sneakers and run in wetsuits.
Although swimrun is becoming increasingly popular, it is considered an extreme sport. Indeed, the world championships consist of 10 km of swimming and 65 km of running through the Stockholm Archipelago. The weather conditions there are often far from favorable. The “Ötillö” (meaning “from island to island” in Swedish) is considered one of the most difficult races in the world. Few athletes have the opportunity to participate because the conditions are strict: they must finish among the best in a qualifying event (World Series).
Introduction
Raphaël, 31, is a police officer by profession (dog handler with the Comines-Warneton Police Zone) and is passionate about endurance events and a fierce competitor. He constantly knows how to push his limits. He competes in triathlon at a high level. His record includes four appearances at the triathlon world championships. His best result was 13th place in Canada in 2014. Recently ranked 17th at the Police Triathlon European Championships.
Sophie, 28, is a physiotherapist for the Hopale group in Bailleul. 2016 was her best “triathlon” season, with three regional championship titles and her first qualification for the triathlon world championships. She finished 40th in Australia. Also highly competitive, she nevertheless places her full trust in Raphaël to manage the events.
