And This Year We’re Fully at Pace Bend
Every year when we wrap up Swimrun Camp, Trista and I take a hard look at what worked, what didn’t, and how we can make the experience better for the athletes who trust us with their time and training.
This will be our fourth year running a Swimrun Camp in the U.S. and the the third in Austin, Texas, and it feels like everything we’ve learned over the past two years in Austin is coming together in the right way.
When we first started the camp, it was really just a group of friends coming together, not only for the chance to spend time with each other, but to focus on building solid swimrun fundamentals as we prepared for a variety of races that season, including ÖTILLÖ The Swimrun World Championships and Rockman. That first camp took place in North Carolina, and we even convinced Nico Remires to come over from Sweden to join us and share some of his extensive coaching knowledge. The focus was simple: time on the trails, improving swim technique, and learning from each other.
When we brought the camp to Austin for the first time, we opened it up to anyone who wanted to attend. We kept the same approachable, skill-focused mindset, but also introduced more structured informational sessions around gear, training, and race prep. That combination helped make the camp accessible to a wider group of athletes while still giving everyone a strong foundation to build on.
Last year, we decided to test something new. We took a day trip out to Pace Bend Park and trained directly on the ÖTILLÖ Austin swimrun course. That single day changed the tone of the camp. Open-water swims, real shoreline entries and exits, and technical trail running gave everyone a much clearer picture of what swimrun actually feels like on race day. The feedback was immediate and consistent: this needs to be more than just a day trip.
So this year, we made the leap.
For the first time, Swimrun Camp ATX is fully based at Pace Bend Park, with everyone staying at a conference center located right on the course. That means less driving, fewer transitions between locations, and a lot more time training, learning, and recovering in the same space. Instead of fitting swimrun into the schedule, the entire camp revolves around it.
Coaching throughout the camp is led by an experienced group of coaches, all bringing different perspectives but sharing the same approach: efficiency, smart decision-making, and leaving ego out of the equation. Together, we’ll focus on open-water swimming, trail running flow, and transitions that actually save energy, along with learning how to think during a race, not just how to suffer through it. I’ll be leading the coaching and drawing on my own years of racing and coaching swimrun, but the goal is always the same: create an environment where athletes can learn, ask questions, and leave with skills they can confidently apply on race day.
One of the biggest improvements this year is how we’re using downtime. We’ve added more focused learning sessions, scheduled intentionally when people aren’t physically cooked. That gives us space to talk through gear choices, pacing, race strategy, and lessons learned from real events, without cramming everything into exhausted moments at the end of the day.
As always, Trista Mennen is the reason this all runs smoothly. She’s been part of Swimrun Camp from the beginning, and her ability to manage logistics, flow, and athlete experience allows the camp to feel structured without being rigid. It’s a big part of why people keep coming back.
This year, we’re also excited to be running the camp alongside Lars Finanger from ÖTILLÖ. Trista and I built this camp over the past three years, but having Lars involved adds another layer of perspective, especially when it comes to course philosophy, race mindset, and the bigger picture of swimrun as a sport.
The camp is open to all levels. Whether you’re brand new to swimrun, training for ÖTILLÖ Austin, training for ÖTILLÖ, The Swimrun World Championship or just looking to sharpen your skills, the sessions are designed to keep everyone together, with optional extensions and plenty of regrouping along the way. No one gets left behind, and no one is pressured to prove anything.
For me, this year’s camp feels like the most complete version yet. We’re training where it matters most, using our time better, and staying true to what swimrun is really about, shared effort, learning, connecting with nature and community.
If you’re looking to train on the actual ÖTILLÖ Austin course and spend a few days immersed in swimrun with good people, we’d love to have you join us.
https://runsignup.com/swimruncampatx
Speedy Lizard 