Anna Naylor, Founder of Smoc Smoc

Welcome to episode seventy of the Low Tide Boyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

We’re headed back to the U.K. this week (North Wales to be exact) to chat with Anna Naylor, founder of Smoc Smoc. Don’t know what Smoc Smoc is, well you’re about to get an education!

More on this interview later in the show.

Training Update

We did our first Swimrun practice of the year on Saturday! 

Went to our usual stomping grounds of Aquatic Park in San Francisco and had fun testing out the NU Orza pull buoy, Ark Sports KORP wetsuit, and Frank Paddles swim paddles in open water. (We will save our impressions for our Gear Talk show so stay tuned for that.) We did 6 runs and 4 swims with the runs increasing from 1 mile 3 and then back down with the swims staying static at around 400yds. The water was 56F (13C) so the shorter swims were just fine for our delicate bodies.

We were stoked to be back out there and it will start being a regular thing now that we are about three months away from Ödyssey Swimrun Casco Bay. 

Shoutouts

This week we’re shouting out everyone that’s headed to Boonsboro for Swimrun Maryland happening this weekend. The start list had some pretty funny team names so bonus shoutouts to: The Her-ricanes, Team Amphibilicous, Big Otter Energy, Please Bring Me My Whine, Grumpy Squared, This Tether’s For Strangling, Buoy oh Buoy, Doing This Again!, and We Put the F in Swimrfun.

Yet another race that we would love to race but alas, we’re trying to keep our happy marriages happy and Chris will be in Texas for work. 

Feats of Endurance

This week’s winner is Ben Kennedy from the U.K. Not only did he post a cool looking Swimrun workout this past week, the location was extremely British sounding. Ben ran in Druridge Bay County Park and swam in Ladyburn Lake that is located in Northumberland.

Make sure to join the LTBz Strava Club and get inspired by your fellow Swimrunners as they train all over the world.

This Week in Swimrun (Powered by Raceid.com)

We have a couple of updates to share this week.

The race reports are flying in from Swimrun Lake James. Check out a really great one by Team Adorkable on their website.

Our friends at Swimrun Portugal recently announced that it looks like everything will be a go for Swimrun Tamega Powered by HEAD Swimming due to a turn for the better in terms of the COVID situation in the Country. The race will be happening on June 6th so head out there if you’re able to. We know we would!

Finally, we heard about a cool Swimrun event happening in Ocean City, NJ in late July to honor fallen soldiers called The Ocean City Iron Soldiers Swimrun. This event is a 1.5K ocean swim followed by a 4K beach run. There is no entry fee and all donations go directly to the charity Philadelphia Treats for Troops. Make sure to check this event out if you’re in the area.

That’s it for this week. Feel free to email us to tip us off to any events or Swimrun news that you’d like for us to share on the show.

Updates

Head over to our store if you’re looking for ways to show your Low Tide Pride with a hat or shirt or both when you’re going around town and at races.

Looking new or used Swimrun gear but don’t know where to go? Check out our Swimrun Swapmeet Facebook Group to buy, sell or trade Swimrun gear.

Looking for a Swimrun challenge to do in June. Then you are in luck because Envol Coaching’s “The Big Battle” is happening in June. Individuals can join teams from all over the world to do as many Swimruns as possible during the month and “battle” for top honors and prizes. In case you missed our video, we have a team in the “battle” and everyone is welcomed to join if they pass the vibe check (being super stoked on Swimrun.)

This Week’s Interview

It was great to connect with Anna from Smoc Smoc. She has a super interesting origin story and her commitment to sustainability and protecting the oceans is infectious. We chatted with her about how she came up with the idea for Smoc Smoc, why she chose to keep production in the U.K. rather than outsourcing it, the magical properties of bamboo, and why she thinks that people love her products. We also chatted about her connection with two of our favorite people Mia and Fanny from Wild Swimrun. (Don’t know why they are our favorite people? Check out Episode 10 of the podcast.) Finally, we talked about what the future holds for Smoc Smoc.

You can learn more about Smoc Smoc on their website and on Instagram.

That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at [email protected] with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.