90 kilometers on cross-country skis through the Swedish winter: The Wasalauf is considered the toughest cross-country ski race in the world. Every year around 16,000 people take part in this spectacle.
This sound is unique: when 16,000 cross-country skiers start moving at the same time, when 16,000 pairs of ski poles stick into the snow and 16,000 pairs of skis begin to glide. This rush after the starting signal at the Wasa Run in Sweden creates a very special energy, and the participants need it: they have 90 kilometers ahead of them and a maximum of twelve hours. The fastest people reach their destination after 3.5 to 4.5 hours – depending on the weather. The Vasaloppet, as the Swedes say, is the largest cross-country skiing race in the world. It will take place for the 100th time on Sunday (March 3rd).
One of the top runners is Thomas Bing from Bad Salzungen in Thuringia, who is starting in the elite group and wants to finish among the top 15, as he told the German Press Agency. The 33-year-old is Germany’s best ski marathon runner and knows the Wasa feeling. “You feel the pressure of the 16,000 cross-country skiing enthusiasts behind you. There is a brutal energy when you arrive at the start area.” The importance of the race is “huge”. If you can shine with a good result anywhere, it would be with the Wasalauf result. But that is extremely difficult to achieve.
How will be the weather?
Not only is the competition fierce, the weather is also an important factor. Some years it is bitterly cold with minus 15 degrees, other years the snow is slushy, it rains or snows non-stop. Cross-country skiing national coach Peter Schlickenrieder, who ran the Wasalauf in 04:57:10 hours in 2015, says: “There is a difference whether the snow is frozen and you have a fast trail – or whether there is fresh snow, which slows you down , and the route therefore quickly feels twice as long.” It’s about adjusting to the conditions and waxing the skis properly.
In addition to the right equipment, runners need fitness and a lot of patience. According to the organizers, the starting field is around 600 meters long. Around 50 cross-country ski trails are lined up side by side. Shortly after the start, the route narrows and leads up a steep climb. There is a dense traffic jam. Broken ski poles in the snow are evidence of the crowds. It can easily take an hour for the runners behind to pass this bottleneck – and the clock is running relentlessly.
What a professional advises recreational runners
Thomas Bing advises recreational runners: “Keep calm!” In the end, it doesn’t matter whether you lose ten or 15 minutes in traffic in the first half hour. “Because everyone is stuck in traffic.” Only the elite don’t get stuck in traffic, they run ahead and – depending on the weather – have top cross-country trails. The more people go through the trails, the less of the tracks remain. The amateur runners at the end sometimes have to run over long distances without cross-country ski trails.
But even if the focus is on the winner, the mass of amateur athletes is what makes the Wasalauf so special. “Many amateur runners take forever, and it is a nice ceremony that the last person is accompanied to the finish by a torch runner and celebrated there by the spectators,” says Schlickenrieder. The performance of those who spend twice or three times as long as the elite cannot be overestimated. “These are real hardships.” The Wasalauf pushes you to your limits – also mentally. He calls the race “the Ironman of cross-country skiers” and a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
“Never again!” – and then yes
Carsten Albrecht from Zingst on the Baltic Sea also took part in this unique experience in 2019. He grew up in the Harz Mountains and learned cross-country skiing there. The Wasalauf was always a goal for him. At the age of 55, he thought to himself: “If I don’t do this now, it won’t work,” he says. Then he started training “like crazy”, on roller skis due to the lack of snow on the Baltic Sea. He crossed the finish line after 07:58:01 hours. His first thought afterwards: “Never again!” But then the Wasa fever didn’t let him go. In 2024, at the age of 60, he will be competing for the fifth time.
Sven Kaltofen from Sayda in Saxony also had the Wasalauf as a goal in mind when he was a teenager. The older club colleagues would have raved about it. He was there for the first time in 2000. In 2024, the 46-year-old wants to complete the legendary 90 kilometers for the 25th time. He wants to complete 30 Wasa runs in total. It won’t be boring and he won’t be really nervous anymore. It’s always exciting to see how he gets through it. “The body gets older, the material gets better. That should balance out,” he says with amusement. His fastest time was 04:59:09 hours, but it also took him just over seven hours.
So far only one German has won
For Carsten Albrecht as well as Sven Kaltofen, it’s what’s around that really creates the Wasa feeling. The atmosphere, the many participants. “You suffer alone. But you see others suffering too, and that’s a little bit of comfort,” says Albrecht. The two traveled to Sweden a few days before the race to collect more kilometers on the cross-country ski trails. Kaltofen says he can cover between 500 and 1000 kilometers in preparation. Due to the lack of snow, it was only around 100 kilometers this winter.
The surroundings include enthusiastic spectators handing out chocolate and fruit. Helpers can be found at seven refreshment stations and serve the famous blueberry soup. There are also dry rolls, broth and energy drinks. 3,500 volunteers work around the Wasalauf. State of emergency.
Former world-class cross-country skier Axel Teichmann also wants to face this experience for the first time, ten years after his time as a competitive athlete. His fitness will “hopefully be enough for me to get from A to B,” he says. For him, the result is not the priority.
Gerd-Dietmar Klause from Vogtland is the only German to have won the Wasalauf. In 1975 he completed the distance in 4:20:22 hours. He describes the fact that 49 years later he is still the only German winner as a “small sensation”.