The title of this article is ambiguous. An article on the fun run of the same name in downtown Celle can be found under Celler Lauf .
Start of the women's run in 2006
The Wasalauf ( Swedish Vasaloppet ) is one of the largest cross-country skiing events in the world and a run in the Worldloppet series. The main run is held every year on the first weekend in March between the towns of Sälen and Mora in the Swedish Dalarna countryside on the Vasaloppsleden over 90 km in classic technique. The race has been held since 1922.
The Wasalauf is part of the combination “ A Swedish Classic ” (En svensk Klassiker) and has been part of the Ski Classics racing series since 2011 . The motto of the run "In the track of the fathers - for the victories of the future." (I fäders spår - för framtids segrar.) Is on a banner above the finish line.
The Wasa run was an idea of the newspaper editor Anders Pers. He wanted to commemorate the historical flight of Gustav I. Wasa on skis from the soldiers of the Danish King Christian II in 1521.
In Sweden in 1520 there was great dissatisfaction with the union with Denmark under the leadership of the Danish king. The nobleman Gustav Eriksson Wasa openly called for resistance and was then taken prisoner. But he managed to escape. So he came to the province of Dalarna . In Mora he received news that his father, his brother and 80 other followers had been beheaded in the Stockholm bloodbath . But even now the farmers were still skeptical. Gustav Wasa was forced to continue his flight west.
Shortly afterwards further acts of violence by King Christian's soldiers became known in Mora. The people regretted their reluctance to face Gustav Wasa and sent the two best skiers in town to catch up with Gustav. They had reached their destination in the Sälen area. They persuaded Gustav Wasa to return and lead the fight. After more than two years of war, Sweden made itself independent from Denmark.
The modern Vasa run
history
A forerunner of cross-country skiing competitions was a ski running competition from Jokkmokk to Kvikkjokk and back, a total of 220 kilometers, which started on April 3, 1884 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, organized by polar researcher Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld . The winner was the rag hunter Lasse Tuorda in 21 hours and 22 minutes.
The first modern Wasalauf on the 90 km long route took place on March 19, 1922 with 119 participants, according to information from the Vossische Zeitung with 136 participants. The event has also been broadcast on the radio since 1925, initially commented on by the Swedish radio legend Sven Jerring . The interest in the run increased steadily, in the 1970s there were already high four-digit numbers of participants.
For a long time women were not allowed to take part in the Wasalauf. Only Margit Nordin took part in 1923. After that, the run was closed to women and only opened again in 1981.
Despite the Second World War , the competitions continued to take place regularly in the 1940s, but probably without German participants and to a lesser extent.
In 1990, the Wasalauf had to be completely canceled for the first and only time. Back then, the lack of snow made the start impossible. The start was made in 1932 and 1934, but it was abandoned due to lack of snow.
Target alley
Wasa run from 1990
In the meantime, tens of thousands of people take part in the various runs during the Wasalaufwoche . For the Wasalauf 2014, 33,800 skiers had already registered for the three 90 km runs in October 2013. Only a short time later, all the shorter distances of the Wasalauf winter week were fully booked, which corresponded to a new attendance record. In addition to the main run (Vasaloppet), the events open track (Öppet spår) , girls run ( Tjejvasan ) , half distance (Halvvasan) , skating runs (Skejtvasan) , short run (Kortvasan) , relay run (Stafettvasan) as well as children's and youth runs ( Barnens Vasalopp) , Ungdomsvasan ). The competitions begin on the weekend before the main run, with the main run taking place on the first Sunday in March each year as the highlight and conclusion of the Wasal running week.
During the run, the participants will be served traditional blueberry soup as food . In the 2010s there were seven refreshment stations and a total of 3,000 helpers for the 15,000+ participants in the main run.
Records
The record time of 3: 38.41 hours for the 90 kilometers was set in 2012 by the Swede Jörgen Brink . The run starts in all weathers, so there are differences in the winning times of several hours depending on the temperature. Nils “Mora Nisse” Karlson from Mora has won this race nine times and is thus at the top of the record list.
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