How many training miles have you completed on skis?
– There was a lot of staking up until the New Year, it snowed a little here in Stockholm. But in the end it was fantastic, that is, absolutely wonderful. I was at Nacka Golf Club and Ågesta…we were very lucky. I think it was more like 30 miles.
– Then now you get nervous before the race and think, “Ah, but I should have done more.” But I ran the Engelbrektsloppet just under a month ago, four and a half miles, and it worked, so I think it’s a good value.
Are you nervous now before the start on Sunday?
– A little bit, but some of the friends (in the selected boss gang) chose the open track, so we tracked them on the app and you can see that they can do it.
– I’m a little nervous… I have to get food. I don’t really like eating while I’m working out, so I’m thinking about the fact that I really need to fuel up.
What are you most worried about?
– I’m afraid of the climbs. I’m terribly slow going uphill, so it’s a good thing that it’s very flat and downhill.
– I actually sat and watched a video yesterday, someone from Cykelvasan filmed the entire first climb, mainly to prepare me. And it ended, after a very long time, it ended.
What was the journey like to get here – were your managers able to support each other as you had hoped?
– Absolutely. Without this help this would not have been possible. In May I couldn’t run 500 meters because my condition was so bad. And now, nine months later, I’m pretty confident about starting the Vasaloppet. It wouldn’t have happened without the encouragement of others in the group or the help of the Vasaloppet trainers who helped us set up our training.
In May you asked yourself what you had gotten yourself into. Did you cross a threshold along the way?
– Until August it was difficult, I asked myself: “How will this work?” But at the same time, training went better and better in the first few months and in the fall things felt different since then. Training challenges that you take on and go far and that seemed unthinkable and insurmountable before no longer feel that way.
– It’s not quick. And it will probably take me at least ten hours to ride the Vasaloppet, but I know what level I can be and how I can ride.
Will you also become part of something historical that people follow year after year?
– I’ve sat in front of the TV on Sunday mornings over the years and memorized these controls. And now I can see what Mångsbodarna, Risberg and Hökberg look like in real life and… it feels incredibly cool.
– There is something incomparable about the whole arrangement. 3,000 to 4,000 officials who help from the clubs around the villages there, and it is homecoming week. This week people are going home to join and build a hugely strong people movement in Dalarna.
Read more:
The managers passed the first Vasa test: “I show that everyone can do it”
Twelve tired managers accepted the challenge of Vasaloppet: “Joy mixed with horror”
Guide for Vasaloppet 2026 – changed course and rope guide
