This month is Orcas Island month, and we are kicking it off with someone who is, safe to say, super stoked on swimrun. Julia Dinesen is a multi-discipline endurance athlete from British Columbia who found the sport via an Ötillö Instagram ad, signed up for the World Series distance at Whistler on her first ever attempt, and has been hooked ever since.

Before we get to Julia, we share a few tips for getting the most out of your swimrun practice sessions as we head into race season. Have a plan before you show up. Decide what you are testing. And do transition drills — the Boston Wet Sox, the best US team in history, are still doing them deep into long practice sessions, which tells you everything you need to know.

Julia found swimrun the way a lot of people do — an Instagram ad showing someone running off a cliff in their running shoes into the water. She saw it, looked up Ötillö Whistler, realized it was an hour and a half from her house, signed up, and loved it. In this conversation she shares what that first race was like, what she learned from it, how the 859-day running streak actually works, what it is like to be a swimrunner in Western Canada where nobody has heard of the sport, what gear changes she is making for Orcas, and what she would tell anyone who is on the fence about signing up.

One moment worth flagging for anyone who has ever talked themselves into finishing something: Julia once rode 25 kilometers on a flat tire at a triathlon in the Okanagan, finished an hour after everyone else, and ended up qualifying for age group world championships in Australia on the roll-down. Her take on getting through hard things — it is more embarrassing to quit than to come last, the training is where you get all the benefit, and crossing the finish line is just the proof that you did the thing.

FORM Goggles are sponsoring us all month as we build toward Orcas. The new Smart Swim 2 LT is their entry-level goggle — $149 for the heads-up display and full access to their training platform. Send us a DM if you have questions about it.

We will see Julia — and a lot of you — at Orcas Island at the end of the month.

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 rating and review since that's the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube. Check out our website for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page @thelowtideboyz on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at lowtideboyz@gmail.com. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon...if you feel so inclined.

Thanks for listening and see you out there! Chip and Chris

Welcome to episode 331 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

Four months out from the 20th anniversary of Ötillö, the Swimrun World Championship, and we are leaving no stone unturned. The physical training is building nicely. Chris just finished the London Marathon in 3:37 and downing 90 grams of carbs per hour, and Chipper has been stacking consistent weeks. Orcas Swimrun is at the end of the month. The build is very much on.

This episode is about training the thing most people ignore until it is too late — the mind. We brought back Dr. Erin Ayala, sports psychologist and host of the Feisty Women's Performance Podcast, who joined us last year right after Ötillö to help us process the other side of the mountain. This time we asked her to come back four months out and answer the harder question — how do you actually prepare mentally for a race like this before you get there?

Here is what we covered. If there is one thing you take from this episode, Dr. Erin says it is mindfulness and meditation — and she has the numbers to back it up. The effect size for consistent mindfulness practice on sports performance is 1.35 standard deviations, which puts it well above most physical interventions. Three times a week, five to ten minutes at a time, is enough to start. Her top free recommendation is the Healthy Minds app out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which removes all decision fatigue and walks you through a structured user journey.

On visualization — the number one mistake people make is visualizing success. What actually works is visualizing reality. The anxiety at the start line, the chaos of a mass start swim, the moment three quarters through a long run when you want to walk. You plan for those moments, visualize your response to them, and on race day it is easier to execute because you have already been there. For Ötillö specifically, that means the jellyfish at the first swim, the cold water on your face, the sighting into the sun, the sharp rocks coming out of the water. Make it vivid and make it real.

On team psychology — communication is everything. Dr. Erin walks through the pre-race conversations every swimrun team should have, including what you each need on race morning, transition quirks, how you want to be supported when things get hard, and what your partner's body language looks like when they are struggling. The hive mind Chip and Chris describe at their best races is a skill you build, not something that just happens.

On navigating the noise — the athletes and coaches worth following are the ones who say it depends, who are willing to be wrong, and who are not selling you a system. Major in the boring. Consistency with hydration, nutrition, sleep, and strength training is 95 percent of the work. Everything else is optional.

Follow Dr. Erin at @scattisportspsychology on Instagram and check out the Feisty Women's Performance Podcast.

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 rating and review since that's the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube. Check out our website for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page @thelowtideboyz on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at lowtideboyz@gmail.com. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon...if you feel so inclined.

Thanks for listening and see you out there! Chip and Chris

Welcome to episode 330 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast.

A few weeks ago we did our in memoriam for Max Andersson. This week we are going back to the vault to share our first solo conversation with him, originally recorded on June 30th, 2022 — just a few months before he and Hugo Torment would go on to win every single ÖTILLÖ World Series race that year, set a course record of 7 hours and 1 minute at the World Championship, and become the first team ever to run the table in a single season.

This conversation is from Episode 130. Max talks about how he first got into swimrun in 2017 on a dare with a friend, at a time when he had never swum a proper freestyle stroke in his life. He talks about the process of going from complete beginner to world class athlete through consistency, coaching from Ko Lundin, and guidance from Oscar Olson. He shares what it was like to partner with Hugo, what draws him to the sport beyond the results, and how he sees swimrun continuing to grow.

What comes through in every minute of this is exactly what so many people have shared since we lost him in April. He was warm, generous, funny, and genuinely in love with this sport and the people in it. Competitive as anyone, but always in it for the right reasons.

We are grateful we got to know him. We hope this gives anyone who never got the chance a sense of who he was.

In memory of Max Andersson. Gone too soon. Our thoughts remain with his family and the entire swimrun community.

That's it for this week's show. If you have questions or want to reach us, send us a dm or an email at lowtideboyz@gmail.com. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube, and check out our website for swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more.

Chip and Chris

Welcome to episode 329 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

You have done a few swimruns. You have the basic kit sorted. Now you are starting to notice the fiddly bits. Episode 329 is our Swimrun 201 breakdown of all of them — the advanced topics that come up once you have done a couple of races and started asking better questions.

We go deep on tether management, kangaroo top organization, gel storage for races of every length, hydration on the move, sunscreen, eyewear, spare gear, and all the small things that separate a comfortable race from a chaotic one. A lot of this evolved from listener questions we get all the time, and all of it requires practice before race day. We share what has worked for us across 30-plus swimruns and what we are still iterating on heading into Orcas and Ötillö Worlds this year.

A few highlights from the episode: keeping the tether engaged for 90 percent of the race and why it works better than the alternatives, how to organize your kangaroo top so you always know exactly which pocket to reach for, storing 12 gels for a race like Ötillö using interior wetsuit pockets, rock tape, and a bandolier system, using a collapsible flask stuffed down your pant leg for hydration without the bulk, and why sunscreen is still the biggest unsolved problem in swimrun.

If you are new to the sport, start with our Swimrun 101 episodes — you can find them all in the LTBz Knowledge Base at lowtideboyz.com. This episode picks up where those leave off.

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 rating and review since that's the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on **Apple Podcasts**, **Spotify**, and on **YouTube**. Check out our **website** for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page **@thelowtideboyz** on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at **lowtideboyz@gmail.com**. Finally, you can support our efforts on **Patreon**...if you feel so inclined. Thanks for listening and see you out there! Chip and Chris

Welcome to episode 328 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast.

On April 6th, Max Andersson — two-time Ötillö World Champion, Otillo World Championship course record holder, and one of the most beloved people in swimrun — died tragically in an avalanche in Norway. He was in his mid-thirties.

This episode is our attempt to honor him. We talk about what Max meant to the sport, share our own memories of time spent with him, and try to put into words what so many in the swimrun community are feeling right now.

Max and Hugo Tormento of Team Ark Swimrun were the most dominant force the sport has ever produced. In 2022 they became the first team ever to win every ÖTILLÖ World Series race in a single calendar year, including the World Championship, finishing in 7 hours and 1 second — a course record that still stands. But anyone who knew Max will tell you the results were only part of the story. He was warm, generous, funny, and genuinely present with everyone he met. A fierce competitor and an even better person.

We were lucky enough to spend real time with him at Casco Bay in 2023 — lunch at our favorite spot, hours of conversation while the fog postponed the race. That time with him is something we will not forget.

He will be deeply missed. Our thoughts are with Max's family, Hugo, and the entire swimrun community.

Swimrun Shoes 101: Everything from the Knees Down | Episode 327

Welcome to episode 327 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

The most popular gear question we get is about shoes. Do you need a special swimrun shoe? Are you going to get blisters running in wet socks? We are busting every myth in this one.

Episode 327 is a full Swimrun 101 breakdown of everything from the knees down — shoes, socks, laces, modifications, how to test your gear at home, when it makes sense to upgrade, and how to retire a pair with dignity. It is a callback to one of our most popular episodes ever, the Swimrun Shoedown, recast for 2026 with everything we have learned since.

The short answer on shoes: you probably already own something that works for your first swimrun. Start with a trail shoe that drains well, do a bucket test to check, lace it snug, and pair it with a thin synthetic sock. Blisters are not actually a thing in swimrun — we have done 30-plus swimruns and countless training hours and it has never happened once.

For people looking to upgrade, we break down how to think about it — course type, race distance, technical terrain vs. fire roads — and what we are actually racing in heading into 2026. Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Trail Ultras have been our go-to for the last few years. The Hoka Tecton X3 is on our radar for Ötillö Worlds in September. We also cover lace swaps, the drilling holes debate, gaiters, dry bags for post-race travel, and the LTBz tradition of leaving your retired shoes at the race site.

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 rating and review since that's the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on **Apple Podcasts**, **Spotify**, and on **YouTube**. Check out our **website** for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page **@thelowtideboyz** on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at **lowtideboyz@gmail.com**. Finally, you can support our efforts on **Patreon**...if you feel so inclined.

Thanks for listening and see you out there!

Chip and Chris

Welcome to episode 326 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

The Countdown to Ötillö series is back. With five months to go until the 20th anniversary of the Swimrun World Championship, we are kicking off a monthly series tracking our build all the way to September. This one is packed.

First, super intern Dave Damer joins us to break down the 2026 Ötillö start list. 199 teams, 24 countries, and nearly half the field doing Ötillö for the first time. US participation has gone from 16 athletes in 2022 to 68 this year, and two new countries, Argentina and Zimbabwe, are on the start list for the very first time.

Then Coach Liz — Chipper's swimrun coach and Ötillö finisher — sits down with us to talk through what a five month build to a race like this actually looks like. Rest days, balancing training with family and summer schedules, open water swim prep, wetsuit practice, gut training for a race that can go all day, and the gear decisions you want sorted before you are standing at the start line in Sweden.

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 rating and review since that's the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube. Check out our website for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page @thelowtideboyz on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at lowtideboyz@gmail.com. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon...if you feel so inclined.

Thanks for listening and see you out there!

Chip and Chris

Welcome to episode 325 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

We’ve got a great show for everyone this week! We’re going back into the vault for our Throwback Mixtape series with a conversation from 2020 with the one and only Erika Rosenbaum. Not only is she an amazing Swimrunner, she launched the “short course” Swimrun movement, and if that wasn’t enough, she literally coined the name “Swimrun” and then gave it away to help grow the sport. She’s a legend and we’re excited to re-share our conversation with her.

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 rating and review since that’s the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and on YouTube. Check out our website for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page @thelowtideboyz on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at lowtideboyz@gmail.com. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

Thanks for listening and see you out there!

- Chip and Chris