Göteborgsvarvet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Göteborgsvarvet |
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Runners at the 2010 edition of the race
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| Date | May |
| Location | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Half marathon |
| Established | 1980 |
| Course records | Men's: 59:35 (2016) Richard MengichWomen's: 1:07:58 (2017) Fancy Chemutai |
| Participants | 39,221 (2019) |
The Göteborgsvarvet is a very popular annual running race held in Gothenburg, Sweden. It's a half marathon, which means runners cover a distance of about 21 kilometers (about 13 miles). Many people call it the Gothenburg Half Marathon in English.
This race is super big! It's actually the largest annual running event in the world when you count how many people sign up. For example, in 2016, over 64,500 people entered the race. Runners of all ages take part, from teenagers as young as 17 to older participants in their 80s.
The name "Göteborgsvarvet" is a fun word play in Swedish. The word "varv" can mean two things: a "lap" (like a lap around a track) or a "shipyard." Gothenburg has a long history as a city with many shipyards, so the name is a clever nod to both running and the city's past.
About the Race Course
The Göteborgsvarvet race happens every May and has been organized yearly since 1980. It begins and ends near the old athletics stadium called Slottsskogsvallen, which is located in the beautiful Slottsskogen park.
The race route is quite exciting! Runners start by heading north and crossing the huge Älvsborg Bridge. Then, they follow the northern bank of the Göta älv river. After that, they cross back over the Hisingen Bridge and run through the inner city of Gothenburg before finally reaching the finish line back at Slottsskogsvallen.
Important Races and Cancellations
The Göteborgsvarvet has been chosen several times to host the Swedish national championship race. This means it's where Sweden's best runners compete to become national champions in the half marathon. This happened in 1995, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Unfortunately, the races in 2020 and 2021 had to be cancelled. This was because of the Coronavirus pandemic, which made it unsafe for large groups of people to gather.
Past Winners
Here are some of the amazing athletes who have won the Göteborgsvarvet over the years.
Key: Course record Swedish national championship race
| Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 |  Göran Högberg (SWE) |
1:06:17 | Midde Hamrin (SWE) |
1:15:50 |
| 1981 | Göran Högberg (SWE) |
1:05:44 | Evy Palm (SWE) |
1:17:47 |
| 1982 | Mats Erixon (SWE) |
1:02:54 |  Grete Waitz (NOR) |
1:09:57 |
| 1983 | Tommy Persson (SWE) |
1:04:40 | Jeanette Nordgren (SWE) |
1:14:54 |
| 1984 | Mats Erixon (SWE) |
1:03:14 | Midde Hamrin (SWE) |
1:10:46 |
| 1985 | Mats Erixon (SWE) |
1:04:35 | Jeanette Nordgren (SWE) |
1:13:44 |
| 1986 | Mats Erixon (SWE) |
1:03:41 | Evy Palm (SWE) |
1:12:11 |
| 1987 | Mats Erixon (SWE) |
1:03:37 | Midde Hamrin (SWE) |
1:13:24 |
| 1988 | Håkan Börjesson (SWE) |
1:05:13 | Evy Palm (SWE) |
1:14:19 |
| 1989 |  Francis Naali (TAN) |
1:03:35 | Elisabeth Johannesson (SWE) |
1:17:16 |
| 1990 | Francis Naali (TAN) |
1:01:54 | Midde Hamrin (SWE) |
1:12:45 |
| 1991 |  Andrea Nade (KEN) |
1:04:38 | Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) |
1:12:30 |
| 1992 | Onesmo Ludago (TAN) |
1:03:24 |  Suzanne Rigg (GBR) |
1:13:26 |
| 1993 | Francis Naali (TAN) |
1:03:37 |  Ritva Lemettinen (FIN) |
1:13:30 |
| 1994 | Onesmo Ludago (TAN) |
1:03:08 | Ritva Lemettinen (FIN) |
1:13:04 |
| 1995 | Richard Nerurkar (GBR) |
1:02:39 | Ritva Lemettinen (FIN) |
1:13:18 |
| 1996 | Wilson Musto (KEN) |
1:03:12 |  Aniela Nikiel (POL) |
1:14:29 |
| 1997 | Martin Ojuku (KEN) |
1:01:44 | Joyce Chepchumba (KEN) |
1:09:50 |
| 1998 | Fred Ntabo (KEN) |
1:03:28 |  Nadesjda Iljina (RUS) |
1:12:31 |
| 1999 |  Rachid Aït Bensalem (MAR) |
1:02:18 | Nadesjda Iljina (RUS) |
1:11:47 |
| 2000 | Phaustin Baha (TAN) |
1:02:42 | Stine Larsen (NOR) |
1:09:28 |
| 2001 |  Pavel Loskutov (EST) |
1:03:00 | Stine Larsen (NOR) |
1:11:07 |
| 2002 | Mustafa Mohamed (SWE) |
1:03:35 | Lena Gavelin (SWE) |
1:13:03 |
| 2003 | Benjamin Rotich (KEN) |
1:03:43 | Meriem Wangari (KEN) |
1:13:27 |
| 2004 | Mustafa Mohamed (SWE) |
1:04:03 | Leah Kiprono (KEN) |
1:18:06 |
| 2005 | Silas Sang (KEN) |
1:03:19 | Susan Kirui (KEN) |
1:12:34 |
| 2006 | Abdelkader El Mouaziz (MAR) |
1:02:14 |  Helena Javornik (SLO) |
1:12:34 |
| 2007 | Sylvester Teimet (KEN) |
1:04:03 | Kirsten Otterbu (NOR) |
1:12:38 |
| 2008 | Sylvester Teimet (KEN) |
1:01:21 | Kirsten Otterbu (NOR) |
1:10:19 |
| 2009 | Nicholas Kamakya (KEN) |
1:01:55 |  Ana Dulce Félix (POR) |
1:11:27 |
| 2010 | Sammy Kirui (KEN) |
1:01:10 |  Amane Gobena (ETH) |
1:11:40 |
| 2011 | Albert Matebor (KEN) |
1:00:52 | Joyce Chepkirui (KEN) |
1:09:04 |
| 2012 | Victor Kipchirchir (KEN) |
1:00:25 |  Hilda Kibet (NED) |
1:09:27 |
| 2013 |  Jackson Kiprop (UGA) |
1:03:13 | Isabella Ochichi (KEN) |
1:11:29 |
| 2014 |  Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (ERI) |
1:00:36 | Worknesh Degefa (ETH) |
1:10:12 |
| 2015 | Richard Mengich (KEN) |
1:00:44 | Worknesh Degefa (ETH) |
1:08:13 |
| 2016 | Richard Mengich (KEN) |
0:59:35 | Violah Jepchumba (KEN) |
1:08:01 |
| 2017 | Geoffrey Yegon (KEN) |
1:00:19 | Fancy Chemutai (KEN) |
1:07:58 |
| 2018 | Shadrack Kimining (KEN) |
1:01:31 | Meseret Tola (ETH) |
1:09:06 |
| 2019 | Shadrack Kimining (KEN) |
1:00:38 | Tabitha Gichia (KEN) |
1:08:18 |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic | |||
| 2021 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic | |||
| 2022 | Amos Kipruto (KEN) |
1:00:50 | Tigist Assefa (ETH) |
1:08:20 |
| 2023 | Edmond Kipngetich (KEN) |
1.01.46 | Susan Chembai (KEN) |
1.10.40 |
| 2024 | Moses Koech (KEN) |
1:02:56 | Janet Ruguru (KEN) |
1:11:35 |
| 2025 | Suldan Hassan (SWE) |
1.03.39 | Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (NOR) |
01.08.33 |
