Event Details - Sword Beach
Our Sword Beach event on Day 1 is conducted in the SwimRun (Otillo) format, with teams of two dressed to run and swim covering the course stages and staying at all times within 10 meters of one another. Transitions between run legs and swim legs in this format are conducted without equipment changes or other support, and all equipment needed for the duration of the event must be either worn or carried from the start. The Day 1 event starts with a 7.5km stage that runs along the River Orne and Caen Canal from the landing beach to Pegasus Bridge, a stage followed by an educational walk around and over the bridge itself. The second SwimRun stage passes over an 8k course through the upland behind Sword Beach and is exclusively running. A short educational walk will be held at the British Cemetery at Hermanville-sur-Mer, and then participants will head on on the final SwimRun stage. This final stage covers 5.5km, first running out to the landing beach then alternating between swimming and running short segments along the beach all the way back to the start at the Flame Memorial to Free French Soldiers and to the Kieffer Commando Battalion that played a key role in the success of the Sword Beach landing.
The map on the main event page will walk you visually through the course.
Event Day Logistics - Sword Beach
You'll get yourself to the start at the water's edge in Ouistreham. There near the massive steel flame that marks the Free French sSoldiers and Commando Kieffer monuments you'll find sufficient public parking in the event you plan to leave a vehicle there while the event is in progress. We'll have pop-up changing tents there if you need them, and the site has restroom facilities nearby. Give us a bag with special food and any extra gear you might need and we'll ensure these bags follow you during the day and are available at the stage transitions. The course is a loop so you'll end your day where you started, back in Ouistreham.
