Event draws 30 athletes

The second edition of the Varua Solo Survivor swimrun event took place on Sunday at the motu Ovini site in the commune of Teva i Uta, drawing nearly 30 athletes. The race required participants to complete each lap within a set time to continue, making it particularly challenging.

Race structure and difficulty

The race began at 9 a.m. with the first loop of 3.65 km (2.5 km running and 1.1 km swimming). While this initial segment was generally manageable for all participants, the overall event proved to be a significant endurance test. The concept of the race was inspired by similar events in the United States and is a unique format compared to traditional swimrun competitions, which typically involve two people.

Challenging time constraints

The race consisted of ten laps, with the allocated time decreasing by five minutes every two laps, ultimately leaving only half an hour for the last circuit. During the inaugural edition in December, 22 competitors completed the race. However, after nine rounds this year, fewer than ten competitors remained in contention. Despite the challenges, five out of the 28 starters managed to finish the race after about seven hours of effort.

Weather and results

The sports association Varua Swimrun, which organized the competition under the auspices of the Tahitian Triathlon Federation, noted that the current affected a portion of the swimming route, contributing to fewer finishers this year. Solène Bernagout retained her "survivor" status by finishing the race. Among the male competitors, Heimanu Sichan achieved the best time. The podium was completed by Tehono Sandras and Thomas Mourier.

Other aquathlon events

In the aquathlon races, Axel Choumiloff and Marjorie Vermeulen won in the S category, while Nuuroa Iro and Cézanne Paillard-Brunet won in the XS category. The results for various age groups and categories were also announced, with winners in the 9-11 years and 6-8 years age brackets.