Midnattsloppet

So this is what I did with my Saturday evening; run 10 km with nearly 25 000 other people! It was a novel experience for me I can say, although good fun. Midnattsloppet (Midnight run) is a yearly spectacle has now been running in Stockholm for the last 30 years. Races also take place in Gothenburg on the 27th August and Helsingborg on the 3rd September.

The name is actually a bit misleading, and the first running groups (the ones that run the fastest) actually starting at 21.30, so very few of the runners are actually running at Midnight unless you are in one of the last groups. There were also two races earlier in the day for kids. So it was genuinely a spectacle that took up the whole of the Saturday.

For my part I was very unfit, and managed to get myself round in 1:02:07. This could have had something to do with the beers that I had had beforehand too of course! However, with all Swedish races it doesn't really feel like the time was all that important. There were fireworks, live bands around the course and crowds of supporters. Everyone also had the same Orange shirts on, although there was the odd runner in fancy dress or in shirts from other years who clearly could not be bothered to pay the entrance fee (these do not get timing chips and timed officially). This meant a truly fun atmosphere. I will most definetly be running again next year.