Vikingarännet
Encyclopedia
Vikingarännet, is a long distance ice skating race and Tour skating
event between Uppsala
and Stockholm
in Sweden
. The race length is about 80 km. The first race was in 1999 when about 4000 skaters participated. There is also a
shorter 50 km event called Vikingaturen.
The event had to be cancelled in 2000 and 2002 due to poor ice conditions on the planned race date, and again in 2008 due to nearly complete absence of ice all through the winter along the planned route.
Beginning in 2003, the race date is only set a few weeks beforehand,
depending on short term predictions of ice conditions.
Beginning in 2006 most of the 80 km course, called
Vikingaslingan, was kept ploughed for the entire 3 month skating
season, not just for the race event.
The event is named because it follows historical water transportation
routes on Lake Mälaren
which have be used since the so-called
Viking times, ca 1000 CE.
Tour skating
Tour skating is a sport and recreational form oflong distance ice skating on natural ice.The Nordic style of tour skating is popular in the Nordic countries,especially Sweden, but increasingly in...
event between Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The race length is about 80 km. The first race was in 1999 when about 4000 skaters participated. There is also a
shorter 50 km event called Vikingaturen.
The event had to be cancelled in 2000 and 2002 due to poor ice conditions on the planned race date, and again in 2008 due to nearly complete absence of ice all through the winter along the planned route.
Beginning in 2003, the race date is only set a few weeks beforehand,
depending on short term predictions of ice conditions.
Beginning in 2006 most of the 80 km course, called
Vikingaslingan, was kept ploughed for the entire 3 month skating
season, not just for the race event.
The event is named because it follows historical water transportation
routes on Lake Mälaren
Mälaren
Lake Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west...
which have be used since the so-called
Viking times, ca 1000 CE.
External links
- http://www.vikingarannet.se/en/ Official site in English
- http://xray.bmc.uu.se/~alasdair/sport/ice/SKATING/vikingarannet/index.html Description of 2003 event