Viking race
The Viking Race ( Swedish : Vikingarännet ) is a sporting event in which participants use ice skates to cover a longer distance on the ice of Lake Mälaren .
The race is scheduled to run over 80 kilometers, with the starting point near Uppsala and the finish in the Stockholm district of Hässelby . Due to the sometimes unsafe ice conditions, the race had to be shortened several times over the past few years or even stopped entirely. The time of the annual event can also be changed at short notice by the organizers.
The first Viking race took place in 1999 and was inspired by the Dutch canal runs . The participants mainly use modern touring ice skates and also use cross-country ski poles. In January 2006 a 50-kilometer section of the racetrack was inaugurated under the name " Vikingaslingan " as the longest ice rink in the world. This is kept permanently snow-free by the neighboring communities as long as the ice conditions allow it. New to the 2003 race was a short distance of 50 km, while the 2006 race featured a “taster course” over 22 km.
The fastest time over the entire distance was set in 2005 by the Swede Johan Håmås from Jönköping with 2 hours, 44 minutes and 7 seconds .