(Swedish for 'the Vasa race') is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The course starts in the village of Berga, just south of Sälen in western Dalarna, Sweden, and ends in the town of Mora in the central part of the province. It is the oldest cross-country ski race in the world, as well as the one with the highest number of participants.
The race was inspired by a notable journey King Gustav Vasa made from Mora to Sälen when he was fleeing from Christian II's soldiers during the winter of 1520–1521. According to legend, he fled on skis. The modern competition started in 1922 and it has been a part of the Worldloppet events since 1979.
Origin
In 1520, the young nobleman Gustav Ericsson Vasa was fleeing from the troops of Christian II, king of Denmark, Sweden and Norway (the Kalmar Union). Much of the Swedish nobility was in opposition to the king, and had nicknamed him Christian the Tyrant. In a move to silence the opposition, Christian invited the Swedish aristocracy to a reconciliation party in Stockholm, only to have them, including Gustav's parents, massacred in what came to be known as the Stockholm Bloodbath.
No races were held between 1942 & 1945, however, 2021 did hold a smaller race.
Women's participation
thumb|left|Kransmas Erik Smedhs and [[Vibeke Skofterud, 2012]]
Women winners in Vasaloppet have received awards since 1997. Before that, in 1922–23 and 1981–96, women were allowed to race, but did not receive awards. The first woman to participate was Margit Nordin from Grängesberg in 1923, at 10:09:42. Falu Kuriren wrote about the event: "... an incredible ovation greeted the only lady competitor, Miss Margit Nordin. Miss Nordin was lifted high on strong arms and she received flowers and cheers".
Through the years following the first race, there were many heated debates about women's participation. A majority of officials, mostly male, within sports organizations as well as in society in general, were opposed to women in the race. This led to women being banned from the race from 1924 until 1980. The ban was introduced because it was considered bad for women's health to participate in such a competition. The ban was criticized, especially after 1960. Some defended the ban saying that allowing women would diminish the race's reputation as a tough challenge. Several women did nevertheless participate during the ban, disguised as men. Westhed was interviewed by TV during the race, which put women's participation higher on the media agenda.
Motto
thumb|Finish portal
The motto of Vasaloppet ('In [our] fathers' tracks for future victories') is written on a portal erected over the finish line in Mora. At the first race, the finish line was simply marked with white board between two flag poles with the word ('Finish') on it. The second year a more stately portal with the motto was fashioned. In 1986, the portal was made permanent and has since become a significant landmark in Mora.
Kranskulla and kransmas
A tradition connected to the race is the custom to choose a . This is a woman who is given the honor of hanging a laurel victory wreath around the neck of the winner of the race as he crosses the finish line. She is dressed in the traditional folk costume of Dalarna. With the introduction of the women's race, Tjejvasan in 1988, a male is also appointed. During the year, those who have been appointed as and serve as ambassadors for the race.
The race
Organization
The race is organized by the non-profit organization Vasaloppsföreningen Sälen-Mora that was registered with the Swedish Companies Registration Office in 1992 and is owned by two local sports clubs, IFK Mora and . The organization has approximately 35-year-round employees who work with planning, preparing and developing the events.
Stations
Traditionally since 1958, ('bilberry-soup') made by Ekströms food company, is served at the stations along the course. The Swedish word for bilberry, , literally means 'blueberry'. About 50,000 liters are served during the Vasaloppet week. In addition, sports drinks and "Vasaloppet buns" are also served. Coffee is served at the Eldris station.
For a number of years, Ekströms had the logo for their printed on the number tags worn by the participants in the race. The word was printed in large bold letters, which resulted in the participants being called — a double meaning and pun since the word is also used to describe a "rookie".
Vasaloppet stations
thumb|A cup of blåbärssoppa
thumb|[[Assar Rönnlund as blåbär 108 in 1967]]
- Berga by,
- Smågan,
- Mångsbodarna,
- Risberg,
- Evertsberg,
- Oxberg,
- Hökberg,
- Eldris,
- Mora,
Track profile
{| class="wikitable"
! Location
! Distance
! Elevation
! Coordinates
|-
| Berga
|
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|-
| Sprängsbackarna
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|-
| Smågan
|
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|-
| Långheden
|
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|-
| Mångsbodarna
|
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|-
| Tennäng
|
|
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|-
| Risberg
|
|
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|-
| Lyttran
|
|
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|-
| Evertsberg
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|
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|-
| Björnarvet
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|-
| Kvarnbäcken
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|-
| Oxberg
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| Hökberg
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| Eldris
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| Mora
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|}
The Rope
The Rope, also referred to as "The Dreaded Rope", The ropes in Vasaloppet are drawn at seven of the stations: Smågan, Mångsbodarna, Risberg, Evertsberg, Oxberg, Hökberg and Eldris. The race starts at 8:00 a.m. and the finish area is closed at 8:15 p.m. just before the prize ceremony. There is artificial light from Eldris, but skiers should not go in darkness before that place, which also sets a limit for the rope times.
World cup race
Since 1978, Vasaloppet is included in the Worldloppet Ski Federation, a series of long-distance cross-country skiing races. In 2006, the Vasaloppet was included in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup; a large complement of World Cup racers joined the men's field for the full distance. Owing to the distance— longer than the longest race usually skied in the World Cup—as well as the proximity to the just-concluded Olympic Games in Turin, the race was again dominated by long-distance specialists rather than World Cup racers. Daniel Tynell won the race, just ahead of Jerry Ahrlin, while Anders Aukland – who has skied on both the Norwegian national World Cup team and in marathons like the Vasaloppet – finished third. The women's World Cup Vasaloppet was held over the previous day, rather than being integrated with the full Vasaloppet. Marit Bjørgen from Norway won, though the field included only World Cup racers, since the marathon specialists chose to race in the full-distance event the next day.
Vasaloppet week
thumb|Kortvasan start in [[Oxberg, 2006]]
The week preceding Vasaloppet is known as Vasaloppet week. Races held during this week include:
- (short – )
- Tjejvasan (ladies – )
- (half – )
- (9–16 years old – )
- (non-competitive – )
- (relay – )
- (two-person teams make the original race at night in darkness – )
- Vasaloppet (original – )
Statistics
thumb|One of the earliest Vasaloppet [[Award pin|pin badges.]]
Multiple winners
Men
Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson has the most titles, with 9. Janne Stefansson (7), Jan Ottosson (4), Arthur Häggblad (4), Bengt Hassis (3), Oskar Svärd (3), Daniel Tynell, Jörgen Brink (3) and John Kristian Dahl (3) are the only other racers with more than two titles. Six men have two titles.
Women
Sofia Lind has the most titles, with 4. Four women have two titles.
Time
The average winning time is 5:11:38 (a per-kilometer average of 3:28). The record winning time is 3:28:18 (2:19 per kilometer), set by Tord Asle Gjerdalen of Norway in 2021. Only 17 winners have finished in less than four hours.
Konrad Hallenbarter from Switzerland, is the first to win a Vasaloppet under four hours,3:58:08, in 1983.
The ten fastest times include six Swedes and four Norwegians. Of the ten fastest times, one occurred in the 1980s, one in the 1990s, two in the 2000s, two in the 2010s and four in the 2020s.
In 2021 course records were set for both men and women. Before that the fastest year was 2012, also with course records for both men and women.
Ten fastest times
- 2021: Tord Asle Gjerdalen (NOR) – 3:28:18
- 2025: Alvar Myhlback (SWE) - 3:28:45
- 2022: (NOR) - 3:32:18
- 2023: (SWE) – 3:37:43
- 2012: Jörgen Brink (SWE) – 3:38:41
- 1998: Peter Göransson (SWE) – 3:38:57
- 2004: Anders Aukland (NOR) – 3:48:42
- 1986: Bengt Hassis (SWE) – 3:48:55
- 2013: Jørgen Aukland (NOR) – 3:50:49
- 2005: Oskar Svärd (SWE) – 3:51:47
Average times
Average times per decade have declined in each ten-year span, with the sharpest drop between decade averages occurring in the 1960s, for which the average winning time was 31:45 faster than the average winning time of the 1950s. The average winning time in the 1970s was 16:07 faster than the 1960s, the 1980s average was 24:09 faster than the 1970s, and the 1990s average was 13:06 faster than the 1980s. The average winning time in the 2000s is only 2:18 faster than the 1990s, however. As of 2011 the average winning time so far in the 2010s is 12:12 faster than the 2000s.
Winners' nationalities
Sweden is the most prolific producer of winners, with 74 titles (including two all-Sweden ties, in 1928 and 1988), or 90% of the 82 contested races. (The race was canceled in 1932, 1934, and 1990). Norway has produced seven winners: Ole Ellefsæter, 1971; Anders Aukland, 2004; Jørgen Aukland, 2008 and 2013; John Kristian Dahl, 2014, 2016 and 2017, Petter Eliassen, 2015, Andreas Nygaard, 2018, Tore Björseth Berdal, 2019. Two countries have produced two winners: Finland (Pekka Kuvaja, 1954; Pauli Siitonen, 1973) and Austria (Walter Mayer, 1980; Mikhail Botvinov, 1997). Five countries have produced one winner: East Germany (Gert-Dietmar Klause, 1975), the Soviet Union (Ivan Garanin, 1977), France (Jean-Paul Pierrat, 1978), Switzerland (Konrad Hallenbarter, 1983), and Estonia (Raul Olle, 2000).
Sweden won every race until 1954, when Pekka Kuvaja of Finland won the race. The next non-Swede to win was Ole Ellefsæter of Norway (1971), who kicked off a decade in which Sweden won just five titles and racers from five other countries won the five other titles. Sweden won 8 of the titles in the 1980s (Austria [Mayer, 1980] and Switzerland [Hallenbarter, 1983] each won one title in that decade), and 8 more in the 1990s (Austria won one more title in that decade [Botvinov, 1997], and the race was canceled once [1990]). In the 2000s, Sweden won seven races, Norway won twice (Anders Aukland, 2004; Jørgen Aukland, 2008), and Estonia won once (Olle, 2000).
Winners
Men
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Name
! Club/Nation
! Time
|-
| 1922
| Ernst Alm
| IFK Norsjö, Sweden
| 7:32:49
|-
| 1923
| Oskar Lindberg
| IFK Norsjö, Sweden
| 6:32:41
|-
| 1924
| John Lindgren
| IFK Umeå, Sweden
| 6:53:26
|-
| 1925
| Sven Utterström
| Bodens BK, Sweden
| 6:03:55
|-
| 1926
| Per-Erik Hedlund
| , Sweden
| 5:36:07
|-
| 1927
| Konrad Pettersson
| Luleå SK, Sweden
| 6:19:32
|-
| valign=top|1928
||Per-Erik Hedlund and<br />Sven Utterström (tie)
| Särna SK, Sweden<br /> Bodens BK, Sweden
| align="center" | 5:33:23
|-
| 1929
| Johan Abram Persson
| , Sweden
| 6:38:22
|-
| 1930
| Verner Lundström
| Arvidsjaurs IF, Sweden
| 6:56:30
|-
| 1931
| Anders Ström
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 6:37:47
|-
| 1932
| colspan=3 | Cancelled
|-
| 1933
| Arthur Häggblad
| IFK Umeå, Sweden
| 5:57:09
|-
| 1934
| colspan=3 | Cancelled
|-
| 1935
| Arthur Häggblad
| IFK Umeå, Sweden
| 6:08:55
|-
| 1936
| Sven Hansson
| Lima IF, Sweden
| 6:31:55
|-
| 1937
| Arthur Häggblad
| IFK Umeå, Sweden
| 6:05:56
|-
| 1938
| Elias Nilsson
| , Sweden
| 5:48:28
|-
| 1939
| Alfred Lif
| Orsa IF, Sweden
| 5:35:59
|-
| 1940
| Arthur Häggblad
| IFK Umeå, Sweden
| 6:23:57
|-
| 1941
| Mauritz Brännström
| IFK Norsjö, Sweden
| 6:51:12
|-
| 1942
| Olle Wiklund
| IFK Bergvik, Sweden
| 5:31:50
|-
| 1943
| Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 5:47:10
|-
| 1944
| Gösta Andersson
| IFK Umeå, Sweden
| 5:18:43
|-
| 1945
| Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 6:27:59
|-
| 1946
| Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 6:08:42
|-
| 1947
| Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 5:59:35
|-
| 1948
| Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 5:35:13
|-
| 1949
| Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 5:44:09
|-
| 1950
| Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 6:08:25
|-
| 1951
| Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 5:27:20
|-
| 1952
| Sigfrid Mattsson
| Skarpnäcks IF, Sweden
| 5:09:45
|-
| 1953
| Nils 'Mora-Nisse' Karlsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 5:01:55
|-
| 1954
| Pekka Kuvaja
|
| 6:22:51
|-
| 1955
| Sixten Jernberg
| Lima IF, Sweden
| 5:27:28
|-
| 1956
| Sigvard Jonsson
| Rossöns IK, Sweden
| 5:23:36
|-
| 1957
|
| Oxbergs IF, Sweden
| 6:23:40
|-
| 1958
|
| Oxbergs IF, Sweden
| 5:31:50
|-
| 1959
| Sune Larsson
| Oxbergs IF, Sweden
| 5:13:28
|-
| 1960
| Sixten Jernberg
| Lima IF, Sweden
| 5:13:26
|-
| 1961
| David Johansson
| Delsbo IF, Sweden
| 4:45:10
|-
| 1962
| Janne Stefansson
| , Sweden
| 5:07:46
|-
| 1963
| Janne Stefansson
| , Sweden
| 4:56:25
|-
| 1964
| Janne Stefansson
| , Sweden
| 5:32:07
|-
| 1965
| Janne Stefansson
| , Sweden
| 4:35:03
|-
| 1966
| Janne Stefansson
| , Sweden
| 5:52:38
|-
| 1967
| Assar Rönnlund
| IFK Umeå, Sweden
| 5:20:22
|-
| 1968
| Janne Stefansson
| , Sweden
| 4:39:49
|-
| 1969
| Janne Stefansson
| , Sweden
| 4:50:07
|-
| 1970
| Lars-Arne Bölling
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 5:08:38
|-
| 1971
| Ole Ellefsæter
|
| 5:12:56
|-
| 1972
| Lars-Arne Bölling
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 5:35:19
|-
| 1973
| Pauli Siitonen
|
| 4:42:11
|-
| 1974
| Matti Kuosku
| Högbo IF, Sweden
| 5:06:23
|-
| 1975
| Gert-Dietmar Klause
|
| 4:20:29
|-
| 1976
| Matti Kuosku
| Högbo IF, Sweden
| 4:09:07
|-
| 1977
| Ivan Garanin
|
| 4:30:34
|-
| 1978
| Jean-Paul Pierrat
|
| 5:20:12
|-
| 1979
| Ola Hassis
| Orsa IF, Sweden
| 4:05:58
|-
| 1980
| Walter Mayer
|
| 4:08:02
|-
| 1981
| Sven-Åke Lundbäck
| IFK Råneå, Sweden
| 4:29:32
|-
| 1982
| Lasse Frykberg
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 4:28:50
|-
| 1983
| Konrad Hallenbarter
|
| 3:58:08
|-
| 1984
| Hans Persson
| Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 4:14:14
|-
| 1985
| Bengt Hassis
| Orsa IF, Sweden
| 4:45:43
|-
| 1986
| Bengt Hassis
| Orsa IF, Sweden
| 3:48:55
|-
| 1987
| Anders Larsson
| , Sweden
| 4:20:20
|-
| valign=top|1988
| Anders Blomquist and<br />Örjan Blomquist (tie)
| IFK Lidingö, Sweden<br /> IFK Lidingö, Sweden
| valign=top|4:47:04
|-
| 1989
| Jan Ottosson
| Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 5:09:33
|-
| 1990
| colspan=3 | Cancelled
|-
| 1991
| Jan Ottosson
| Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 5:07:11
|-
| 1992
| Jan Ottosson
| Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 3:57:04
|-
| 1993
| Håkan Westin
| , Sweden
| 4:02:10
|-
| 1994
| Jan Ottosson
| Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 4:06:19
|-
| 1995
| Sven-Erik Danielsson
| Dala-Järna IK, Sweden
| 4:11:09
|-
| 1996
| Håkan Westin
| , Sweden
| 4:01:15
|-
| 1997
| Michail Botvinov
|
| 4:11:41
|-
| 1998
| Peter Göransson
| Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 3:38:57
|-
| 1999
| Staffan Larsson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 4:31:37
|-
| 2000
| Raul Olle
|
| 4:14:38
|-
| 2001
| Henrik Eriksson
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 4:01:22
|-
| 2002
| Daniel Tynell
| , Sweden
| 3:58:52
|-
| 2003
| Oskar Svärd
| Sollefteå SK, Sweden
| 3:58:23
|-
| 2004
| Anders Aukland
|
| 3:48:42
|-
| 2005
| Oskar Svärd
| , Sweden
| 3:51:47
|-
| 2006
| Daniel Tynell
| Grycksbo IF, Sweden
| 4:34:09
|-
| 2007
| Oskar Svärd
| , Sweden
| 4:43:40
|-
| 2008
| Jørgen Aukland
| Team Xtra Personnel, Norway
| 4:13:45
|-
| 2009
| Daniel Tynell
| Grycksbo IF, Sweden
| 4:10:56
|-
| 2010
| Jörgen Brink
| , Sweden
| 4:02:59
|-
| 2011
| Jörgen Brink
| , Sweden
| 3:51:51
|-
| 2012
| Jörgen Brink
| , Sweden
| 3:38:41
|-
| 2013
| Jørgen Aukland
| Team Xtra Personnel, Norway
| 3:50:49
|-
| 2014
| John Kristian Dahl
| , Norway
| 4:14:33
|-
| 2015
| Petter Eliassen
| , Norway
| 4:01:48
|-
| 2016
| John Kristian Dahl
| , Norway
| 4:08:00
|-
| 2017
| John Kristian Dahl
| , Norway
| 3:57:18
|-
| 2018
|
| Norway
| 4:24:36
|-
| 2019
|
| Norway
| 4:39:15
|-
| 2020
| Petter Eliassen
| Norway
| 4:25:14
|-
| 2021
| Tord Asle Gjerdalen
| Norway
| 3:28:18
|-
| 2022
|
| Norway
| 3:32:18
|-
| 2023
|
| Sweden
| 3:37:43
|-
| 2024
|
| Norway
| 3:52:43
|-
| 2025
| Alvar Myhlback
| Sweden
| 3:28:45
|-
| 2026
| Oskar Kardin
| Sweden
| 4:14:45
|}
Women
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Name
! Club/Nation
! Time
|- ----
| 1997 || Sofia Lind || Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 5:06:35
|- ----
| 1998 || Kerrin Petty || IFK Mora, citizen of United States
| 4:17:02
|- ----
| 1999 || Sofia Lind || Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 5:04:50
|- ----
| 2000 || Svetlana Nageykina || Russia
| 4:52:35
|-
| 2001
| Ulrica Persson
| SK Bore, Sweden
| 4:31:05
|-
| 2002
| Svetlana Nageykina
|
| 4:38:47
|-
| 2003
| Ulrica Persson
| SK Bore, Sweden
| 4:32:57
|-
| 2004
| Sofia Lind
| Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 4:20:28
|-
| 2005
| Sofia Lind
| Åsarna IK, Sweden
| 4:24:09
|-
| 2006
| Cristina Paluselli
|
| 4:59:24
|-
| 2007
| Elin Ek
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 4:48:29
|-
| 2008
| Sandra Hansson
| Uddevalla IS, Sweden
| 4:47:16
|-
| 2009
| Sandra Hansson
| Uddevalla IS, Sweden
| 4:43:13
|-
| 2010
| Susanne Nyström
| IFK Mora, Sweden
| 4:33:07
|-
| 2011
| Jenny Hansson
| , Sweden
| 4:25:30
|-
| 2012
| Vibeke Skofterud
| Slitu IF, Norway
| 4:08:24
|-
| 2013
| Laila Kveli
| , Norway
| 4:22:22
|-
| 2014
| Laila Kveli
| , Norway
| 4:31:57
|-
| 2015
| Justyna Kowalczyk
| Poland
| 4:41:02
|-
| 2016
| Kateřina Smutná
| Czech Republic
| 4:17:56
|-
| 2017
| Britta Johansson Norgren
| Sollefteå SK, Sweden
| 4:19:43
|-
| 2018
|
| Åre Längdskidklubb, Swedensv
| 4:41:50
|-
| 2019
| Britta Johansson Norgren
| Sollefteå SK, Sweden
| 4:54:24
|-
| 2020
|
| Åre Längdskidklubb, Sweden
| 4:41:02
|-
| 2021
|
| Åre Längdskidklubb Sweden
| 3:52:08
|-
| 2022
| Astrid Øyre Slind
| Norway
| 3:50:06
|-
| 2023
| Emilie Fleten
| Norway
| 4:04:08
|-
| 2024
| Emilie Fleten
| Norway
| 4:23:06
|-
| 2025
| Stina Nilsson
| Sweden
| 3:54:00
|-
| 2026
| Emilie Fleten
| Norway
| 4.24.26
|}
Sister races
- Vasaloppet USA, held annually on the second Saturday of February in Mora, Minnesota, USA (prior to 2015, the race occurred annually on the second Sunday of February)
- Vasaloppet Japan, held in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, since 1981
- Chinese Vasaloppet, held in Changchun since 2003
- Botniavasan, Finland, since 2006
- Vasaloppet de la Sergerie, Jonquière, Quebec, Canada, since 2007
- , summer cycling race using the Vasaloppet course.
Notable participants
thumb|Prince Frederik of Denmark, 2012
Vasaloppet has been called a rite of passage for Swedes. Aside from the winners, some of the noted people who have completed the race are:
See also
- Finlandia-hiihto
- List of Swedish sportspeople
- Skiing
- Tjejvasan
- Tourism in Sweden
References
External links
- Vasa That! – A participant's story
- Winners trhoguh the years
- 3D animation of race – Google Earth software required
- Vasaloppet 2013 photos
- The event at SVT's Open Archive