Ångaloppet is probably the biggest swimrun race in the world today in terms of numbers, with more than 800 teams over the weekend. The course is beautiful and fun with lots of short swims and short runs. You really need to work on your transitions.
As it’s in the middle of the Swedish summer, there’s no mandatory wetsuit and most teams just go in their swim trunks. This is the ultimate Swedish summer experience!
In 2011, brothers Nils, 30, and Theo, 20, celebrated their combined years of existence with a 50th birthday party. To kick off the party at Ånga, they arranged a swimrun competition for invited guests. As Ånga is the name of the family farm, they named the race “Ångaloppet.”
This is the ultimate Swedish summer experience!
At first they had no intention to start a yearly swimrun competition. It was simply a reason to party. However, it turned into a tradition over the years, making it the second-oldest swimrun race in the world. Since the start, there have been more than 2,600 teams walking the parkway towards the farm with cows and horses alongside them.
The race turned into a swimrun weekend with the 3.3 km Ångaloppet Family, the Ångaloppet Sprint (11 km), and the original Ångaloppet, a distance of 22 km. The aim is to get people out to explore the beautiful scenery while they compete. No matter if you’re a beginner or an experienced swimrunner, the nature surrounding Ånga has a challenge for you and your teammate.
Most of the top Swedish racers come here to push each other hard at the front. Just seeing the first starting group of strong men and women running out of the farm is amazing.
You’ll find Ånga 100 kilometres south of Stockholm, Sweden, or 25 kilometres from the Skavsta Airport, which is the main hub for Ryanair.
So if you’re looking for a taste of a Swedish summer and Swedish Swimrun, look no further than Ångaloppet on Sunday, August 13, 2017.
Website: www.angaloppet.se
FB: facebook.com/angaloppet/
Article first published in Swimrun Life Magazine Issue # 1 (Feb/Mar 2017)
[…] It was Ångaloppet in 2012 followed by ÖTILLÖ that same year. Not many people were running around in wetsuits at […]