- Vikingarännet
Vikingarännet, (The Viking Run), is a long distance ice skating race and
Tour skating event betweenUppsala andStockholm inSweden . The race length is about 80 km. The first race was in 1999 when about 4000 skaters participated. There is also ashorter 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, calledVikingaslingan, was kept ploughed for the entire 3 month skatingseason, not just for the race event.
The event is named because it follows historical water transportationroutes on Lake
Mälaren which have be used since the so-calledViking times, ca 1000 CE.ee also
*
List of sporting events in Sweden External links
* http://www.vikingarannet.se Official site
* http://www.s3.kth.se/~giese/viking/ Photos of 2003 event
* http://members.valley.net/~ice/viking/index.html Description of 1999 event
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