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Saturday 1 June 2013 | Start: 12.00 | Today 13 days left!
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How the Stockholm Marathon began
An article about the New York City Marathon in the American magazine Sports Illustrated inspired Anders Olsson to create the Stockholm Marathon.
Olsson, a former sport journalist and dedicated representative of the Hässelby Athletics club, recalls the founding year of the marathon that take place across the Swedish capital.
– On my long journey home on the subway, one gloomy November day in 1978, I was dazzled by an article in Sports Illustrated. It was about the New York City Marathon, 12,000 runners paving the streets across the Big Apple. I was really inspired. What a contrast to the lukewarm and isolated Swedish running scene! This was a race to attend, indeed. But I had second thoughts. Why should you have to go to New York to experience a big event, a marathon, cheered on by hundreds of thousands? Couldn’t we replicate the success story in Stockholm?
Early next morning I persuaded two other athletics enthusiasts that this was an achievable idea.
A few small races
In 1978 marathon running was something out of the ordinary. A few races in Sweden attracted a small number of eccentrics. Generally they ran on dusty country roads with no spectators apart from some loyal wives and a few amused bystanders.
Planning the course was the first thing to do. It needed to be not too difficult and attract a lot of spectators, but without causing problems for the traffic and public transport. We spent the winter examining all possible routes. All the permits were granted by February. The first race day was to be Saturday, 4 August. We decided on a Saturday as the participants needed a rest day before they returned to work. A June date would have been preferable, but we required six months for preparation.
We needed a success
The key to success was to reach out to the runners. We couldn’t afford to have a minor first ever event. There was no way the police would agree to close down Stockholm City a second time if the first attempt did not turn out to be a big hit.
Luckily there was great interest from the start. One of Sweden’s leading dailies, Aftonbladet, became a sponsor, and the marathon attracted even more interest. Everything grew out of proportion and took its share of time, but we managed to solve all the problems that arose.
A unique event
In the end we received 2 155 entries. No one could have imagined the impact Stockholm Marathon had on the city. The crowds took to the streets in large numbers. The lead vehicle could barely make its way through the tightly packed spectators.
The inaugural winners were Jukka Toivola, Finland, and Heide Brenner of West Germany. The 51 female runners who finished received extensive media exposure. 1799 runners finished the race and they were all proud to have participated in a unique event. We realised that this race would keep on.
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ASICS Stockholm Marathon. E-mail: info@marathon.se Phone: +46 (0)8-545 664 40, Fax: +46 (0)8-664 38 22
Address: Stockholm Marathon, 15124, SE-167 15 Bromma, Sweden
This website is produced by Jomsborg AB
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Great races in Sweden 2013:
The 35th ASICS Stockholm Marathon will be an exiting race in a beautiful city with 21,500 runners from all over the world. Enthusiastic spectators line the route in the Swedish capital. At the finish in the classical 1912 Olympic Stadium thousands of fans greet the runners.
www.StockholmMarathon.se
The first ever Stockholm Ultra Marathon will be on Sunday 4 August 2013. The race will have two distances; 50 km and 100 km. The course will run in the central parts of Stockholm.
www.StockholmUltra.se
This is the biggest sporting event in Sweden for women with 33,000 female runners and joggers of all ages. The 30th Tjejmilen will be staged on Saturday 7 September 2013.
Everyone loves the scenic course through the royal park ”Djurgården” in central Stockholm. The distance is 10,000 metres.
www.Tjejmilen.se
Welcome to the DN Stockholm Half Marathon. Start and finish at the Royal Palace. 17,000 runners from all over the world. Inspiring course through the central districts of the Swedish capital.
www.StockholmHalfMarathon.se
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