Swissman Xtreme Triathlon 2025 Recap: The Swim
Hi! I’m Michelle - founder of WYLD and triathlete (@ellelindqvist).
A week ago, I took on one of the greatest endurance events in the world: the Swissman Xtreme Triathlon in Switzerland.
If you’re reading this, you probably already know what Swissman is. But if not, here’s a quick recap:
The Swissman Xtreme Triathlon is a full-distance, point-to-point race that’s known for its breathtaking scenery, brutal elevation, and minimal outside support. It's part of the XTRI World Tour, and one of the most challenging long-course triathlons on the planet.
The race begins in Ascona, in Ticino - the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland - with a 3.8 km open water swim from the Brissago Islands to the shoreline of Ascona. After that, athletes jump on the bike for 182 km of climbing madness over three legendary mountain passes: Gotthard, Furka, and Grimsel, racking up over 3,800 meters of elevation gain.
And just when you think you’re done? You’re not.
You finish with a 43 km run from Brienz to Kleine Scheidegg, climbing over 2,000 meters, including a final hike up a ski slope... because why not end the day with your soul leaving your body?
Sounds like a good time? Great.
Keep reading to find out how it all went down, and what it's really like to race across Switzerland on your own two feet (and wheels)
The Start Line at 2AM
Race day kicked off brutally early, the alarm went off at 2:00 AM after just 5 hours of sleep. I managed to get some food in me and headed down to Ascona, where athletes set up T1 (transition 1) on the morning of the race.
By 3:00 AM, my support crew and I were laying out gear, prepping for what was originally expected to be a full 3.8 km swim.
The Ferry to Brissago Islands
At 4:00 AM, all the athletes boarded a ferry out to the Brissago Islands, the usual start point for the iconic point-to-point swim of the Swissman Xtreme Triathlon. The ride out took about 20 minutes, filled with nervous chatter and quiet rituals.
I bumped into Rickard, a fellow Swede, that I’d only met the day before, but whose presence made me feel a bit more relaxed on such a big morning. Another fun surprise: I met an athlete who had raced Iceland Xtri the same year I did (2019). Always fun when the endurance community crosses paths like that.
Swim Cancelled... Then Back On (Sort Of)
As we arrived at the island, we were met with unexpected news: the swim was temporarily cancelled due to forecasted thunderstorms. We had no idea whether we’d be running 10 km to start or if we’d get a shorter swim instead.
Luckily, we got the latter, the swim was shortened to 1.2 km. The boat dropped us off at the Piazza and we walked to the start of the piazza. There the mood was different: people were still out partying from the night before! Inviting us all for drinks.
We were all waiting trying to figure out what was going on, when all of a sudden a flare gun went off and signaled our improvised race start. No warm-up. No line-up. Just chaotic dive-in energy as everyone jumped into the lake and started swimming.
Swimming Along the Shoreline
Despite only having swum five times this year (yes, seriously and three of those were in the week leading up to Swissman), I managed to hold an average pace of 2:01 min/100m. Not exactly podium-worthy, but honestly? I’ll take it. The water temperature was perfect, the atmosphere was great, and for someone who came into this leg with minimum prep, I felt calm.
This was my first time swimming with a swim buoy, and to be honest, it was nothing like I expected. I thought I'd feel it tugging or floating around awkwardly behind me but I barely noticed it. What I did appreciate was how the neon orange buoys helped with visibility. During sighting, it was easy to spot where others were, and get a sense of my own position in the water, especially in the early-morning dark.
My goggles, however, had other plans. I didn’t have time to properly secure them before the mass jump-in, and they started leaking within minutes. Classic chaos. But at least it wasn’t salt water, and I didn’t get completely dropped... small wins.
After just 24 minutes, the swim was over, much faster than the 100 minutes I’d originally anticipated. As I made my way out of the water and toward T1, I suddenly felt hands reach around my waist - Vincenzo, my legend of a supporter, was already in full action mode. He helped unclip my swim buoy, opened up my wetsuit, and collected my goggles, cap, and most importantly: my SwimEars (I never swim without them!).
I had made the decision early on to do a full kit change for each discipline, which meant getting butt naked and wrestling myself into my WYLD pink cycling kit in the middle of transition. I'm not gonna lie, my neon pink bibs and my pink custom sponsor jersey really stood out.
Once I was finally zipped up and ready, I had a sip of herbal tea. I wasn’t as cold as I expected after the swim, but the warmth was nice. Then it was time to get on the bike for 182 km and 3,754 meters of climbing.
Shout-out to my amazing sponsors:
Fit Me Active / OTE Nutrition – use code WYLD for 25% off
Ventum House / Enve - try their wheels here