Mountain marathon week in Åre, Sweden 2019
Mountain marathon week in Åre has grown into a real running festival with lots of races and activities for both runners, friends and family. The event took place in Åre, Sweden, July 27 – August 3, 2019.
Åre is a small little cute town located in the north of Sweden, famous for its beautiful nature and varied mountain environment.
It’s almost become a family tradition spending our summer vacation in the mountains of Åre, Sweden, as I like to attend the mountain marathon race “Kia Fjällmaraton, 43 km, 2100D+” in the end of the week.
Here are some of activities that me and my family did together during the week.
Mountaineering at Åreskutan
My daughter Matilda says she wants to become a Skyrunner. So, she loves to come around with me in the mountains doing some easy mountaineering. We also use to bring a lunch pack eating it while enjoying the fantastic scenery together.
Running above the clouds
Combining our family vacation with training is for us perfect! Åre offers a great variety of running trails and you can find lots of running routes above tree level.
Hiking in the beautiful nature
Great hiking in Åre for you and your family! We experienced some of the hikes and there is something for everyone. Ullodalen offers very easy hikes and beautiful rivers.
“Ullån” had a temperature around 19 degrees and we spend a whole day here sunbathing. The kids just loved the river and the waterfalls, and it kept them busy for hours.
Lundhags minimaraton – Kids race
Lundhags minimaraton is a fun race for kids of about 1500 meters located in Edsåsdalen next to Åre.
My kids Tom and Matilda run the race for the third year in a row now and they just love being a part of the mountain marathon week, racing in the same way as their mother do.
Välliste runt – Mountain race for families, 13 km, 500 D+
Välliste runt it’s a great mountain race to start with if you are beginner or a “younger family member”. Unfortunately there was about 30 degrees warm this day and it was very hard for Tom and Matilda (my twins) that are only eight years old. A lot harder than they expected actually.
To Mathilda’s biggest disappointment we didn’t make it in time. We were taken of the track and we had to go down in a 4-wheel vehicle the last 4 km downhill to the finish line.
Horseback riding in Ottsjö
Rest days before and after races is perfect for some outdoor family activities!
We experienced horseback riding with Iceland horses in Ottsjö. In a tough and rough mountain environment the horses took us safely both up and down the mountains, and the kids just loved it.
Peak Performence Vertical K race
Peak Performance Vertical K is 5 Km, and 1 000 meters in vertical climb from Åre square to “Åreskutan” top. Part of it is so steep, that you have to climb with ropes.
This was my first time doing the race and it was great! I did it in time 1:15 which is quite good, I think.
Swimming in Åre lake
The weather was quite good this summer, so we did a lot of swimming in Åre lake, just outside our apartment at Holliday Club.
Mountainbike in Åre Björnen
Åre Björnen have made some new mountain bike tracks that is a little bit easier than doing the downhill biking from Åreskutan.
Indoor activities
In the evening or if it is bad weather there are also some nice things to do in Åre. At Holliday Club they have an inhouse Swimming pool area, restaurants, Kids lab, bowling and pool. Kids lab is by the way a great place for the kids to hang out while I’m doing my daily training 
Here we are at O’learys playing some pool.
“Kia fjällmaraton 43 Km, Åre”
Finally, the best part of the week, “Kia fjällmaraton Åre”. A mountain marathon race of 43 km, 2100 vertical meters.
The conditions this year were quite good, and the trail wasn’t that muddy as the year 2017, if anyone remembers that.
This time I was also so much more prepared than the year before, and I knew what it was all about. I started to train more seriously in January this year, and I also took some help from a trainer in Spain from the middle of April. If you like you can follow my training program here https://arduua.com/2019/05/07/my-mountain-marathon-training-online-program-week-1/.
The race was great, and it went quite well. I almost accomplished my goal and finished the race at 6:48 (which was an hour better than the year before).
Now it’s just to recharge till the next race, “Bydalens Fjällmarathon” 50km, 2900 D+, the 24 of August, which will be my greatest challenge ever.
Summary of the week
It was a great week and I will definitely recommend other Skyrunners and their families to come here and enjoy the beautiful Swedish mountains.
Happy SkyRunning!
/Katinka Nyberg