Pippa Middleton celebrates 32nd birthday with a Swedish swimrun race

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Pippa Middleton is celebrating her 32nd birthday with a Swedish 'swimrun'
ÖTILLÖ race takes place on Monday and involves completing a 50m route
Will have to swim and run across 26 islands in the Stockholm archipelago
She will be joined by Swede Jöns Bartholdson, a long-standing friend
Had been expected to celebrate birthday with family and boyfriend Nico

Published: 02:35 EST, 5 September 2015 | Updated: 06:36 EST, 5 September 2015

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Pippa Middleton might be turning 32 on Sunday but instead of celebrating with her family and boyfriend, she will be in Stockholm preparing to take part in a gruelling endurance race.

But the Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister won't be alone on her big day - with her in Sweden is old friend Jöns Bartholdson who will be her teammate for the ÖTILLÖ race on Monday.

One of the most gruelling 'swimrun' events on the planet, it involves running and swimming a 50-mile route across 26 of the Stockholm archipelago's 1000 islands.

Sporty: Pippa Middleton will be spending her 32nd birthday taking part in a gruelling 'swimrun' race

Contestants must run wearing a wetsuit and are not allowed to remove their trainers for the swimming sections - all of which involve a dip in the notoriously chilly Baltic Sea.

Miss Middleton, who is thought to have arrived in the Swedish capital to make final preparations for the race, is no stranger to fitness challenges and says she is 'inspired' by the idea of taking part.

'I'm inspired by the scenery, the sense of adventure and sheer distance that's involved - running 65km in a wetsuit and swimming 10km in trainers with hand paddles,' she told news agency Reuters.

'It's relentless. Almost three Ironman swims and one and a half marathons. Much of the running is trail running on uneven ground, hopping over rocks on the shore line, dipping in and out of bays.'

During the race, Miss Middleton can be no further than 50m on land and 5m in the water from Mr Bartholdson who also joined her for the Race Across America in 2013.

Teammate: Miss Middleton will be spending her birthday - and doing the race - with old friend Swede Jöns Bartholdson, seen here with her in London last year, who also took part in the Race Across America

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Tough: The race involves swimming and running across 26 of the Stockholm Archipelago's 1000 islands

Tough: Competitors pictured taking part in the 2014 race in a photo posted on the ÖTILLÖ Instagram page

The pair, who are not expected to be joined by the Middleton family or Miss Middleton's boyfriend Nico Jackson, 37, for the event, are hoping to raise funds for the Michael Matthews Foundation.

It was founded following the death of Mr Matthews, then 22, in a mountaineering accident on Mount Everest in 1999 and builds schools in poverty-stricken locations around the world.

The charity is run by members of the Matthews family, among them James, an ex-boyfriend of Miss Middleton's, and Made in Chelsea lothario Spencer.

James Matthews was also with the Middletons in St Barts, where his family owns the Eden Rock Hotel, and was seen splashing around with Miss Middleton and her brother during the trip.

Her trip to Sweden looks set to be considerably less relaxing, with the race due to start at 6am and Miss Middleton telling Reuters that she expects to take around 12 hours to complete the course.

Dab hand: Pippa is no stranger to sporting events and is seen here taking part in the Highland Cross Race

On the go: Pippa competing in the Highland Cross Race (left) and in the Vasaloppet Cross Country Ski Race

Getting involved: Pippa also did the London to Brighton bike ride for the British Heart Foundation in June

'For our team, we estimate it will take us at least 12 hours non-stop swimming and running in unknown territory and conditions,' she concluded.

'We won't give up unless we risk long-term injury, so it will be a huge test of our resilience and grit, managing our highs and lows throughout the day.'

Miss Middleton certainly has plenty of experience of that, having completed a number of sporting challenges in recent years.

Along with the Race Across America, she has also taken part in the gruelling Engadin Ski Marathon and the Bosphorous Cross-Continental Swim.

Most recently, she cycled the 54 miles between London and Brighton on behalf of the British Heart Foundation, of which she is an ambassador.