While there will always be great photos of classic triathlons like Kona, Lanzarote and Zell Am See, adventurous swim-run and triathlon contests held in the Scandinavian archipelago, Scotland and Alpine lakes and forests of Switzerland offer dramatic new vistas. Timothy Carlson picked 20 of his favorite action shots that appeared in Slowtwitch stories in 2015.

All photos © by the photographers identified in the captions.

Scandinavian swim-run events in rugged and strikingly beautiful coastal settings awaken a sense of Viking adventure. This shot of the Ötillö SwimRun Championship in Sweden was taken by Nadja Odenhage.

Regular pavement races like UltraTri Sweden feature clean, flat geometric lines like this shot by Daniel Gaul of a rider powering past wind turbines.

Some of our favorite shots bypass the surrounding beauty to focus on the competitive intensity. Here Tim Don races out of the swim at the Island House Invitational Triathlon in the Bahamas. Photo by Nils Nilsen.

Herbert Krabel captured the passionate fans cheering the inspiring Team Garwood up the Solarer Berg climb at Challenge Roth.

The talented Wagner Aráujo captured the beautiful mystery and noirish colors of a runner passing a church at Ironman Brazil.

This photo credited to the GerardmerTri photo staff captures the agony and ecstasy of Gerardmer XL 3rd-place finisher Robin Moussel.

One of the most beautiful finish lines in the sport is this courtyard at the Vitoria-Gasteiz long course in Spain. Photo by the Vitoria-Gasteiz photo staff.

Levi Maxwell of Australia cools off with a cup of water on the run at the GoPro Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. Slowtwitch photo by Herbert Krabel.

A septet of triathletes in wetsuits stand on a tiny foothold near a lighthouse at Ultra Sweden. Photo by
Daniel Gual.

Swimmers approaching land at the Ötillö qualifier, the Alpine Engadin SwimRun in Switzerland. Photo by Jakob Endholm.

Cyclists riding through a magical valley in the Celtman Extreme Scottish Triathlon. Photo by
Colin Henderson.

Competitors scrambling through rocks in a mountain valley at the Engadin SwimRun. Photo by Jakob Endholm.

This photo by Jakob Endholm puts viewers in the midst of the action as swimmers surge toward another island at the Ötillö SwimRun Championship in Sweden.

Photographer Jakob Endholm captures a team member helping a partner arrive at a precarious foothold at the Ötillö SwimRun Championship.

Photographer Jakob Endholm captures two-time winners Björn Englund and Paul Krochak at the Ötillö SwimRun Championship in Sweden.

A wet, rocky landfall at the Ötillö SwimRun Championship. Photo by Jakob Endholm

The Norseman Extreme begins with a pre-dawn jump off the ferry in the deep, dark fjord surrounded by snow capped mountains. Photo by Kai-Otto Melau / NXTRI.

Cyclists ride a test event for the Arctic Triple Test in the Norwegian archipelago of Lofoten located within the Arctic Circle. Photo by Kai-Otto Melau.

Runners take a spring pre-run on the magnificent wilderness of the Loch Gu Loch, the site of the midsummer SwimRun Scotland. Photo by Colin Henderson.

Winner Kirill Kotsegerov and runner-up Matt Chrabot lay exhausted after their finish line sprint at Ironman Chattanooga. Photo by Ironman.com.