American Champion to Ultravasan 2024

The big running day of Vasaloppet’s Summer Week 2024 will be Saturday, August 17. It’s been called Christmas for ultrarunners, with four major running races in the Vasaloppet Arena on the same day: Ultravasan 90, Ultravasan 45, Trailvasan 30, and the popular relay race Vasastafetten.

However, the running weekend starts the day before, on Friday, August 16, with the second edition of Funkisvasan (the race for people with disabilities), as well as Barnens Vasalopp for children, and the recreational race Trailvasan 10 on Friday evening. ”Mr Ultravasan” Jonas Buud is registered for Trailvasan 10. He holds the course record for Ultravasan 90 but will run UTMB in Chamonix in August and has chosen Trailvasan 10 this year. Malin Barrulf, who recently competed in the European trail running championship (and finished third in Ultravasan 90 in 2023), is also registered for Trailvasan 10.

Ultravasan 90
33-year-old Californian Rajpaul Pannu, who now lives in Denver, Colorado, and works full-time as a teacher, became the American 100-mile (161 km) champion in February 2024, and he is the third American ever to run the distance in under 12 hours. This was road running, it should be noted. It was the first time he ran further than 100 km, and his sights were set on the world record…

In April, he won the 100 km Desert Rats Trail Running Festival in Fruita, Colorado, and shortly thereafter he registered for Ultravasan 90. This will be his second race in Europe, after representing the USA at the 100 km World Championship in Berlin in 2022. Besides this, he has run various American ultramarathons since his ultra debut in 2020.

”The goal is to win and run in about 5 hours and 50 minutes,” says Rajpaul Pannu.

Rajpaul Pannu will face tough international competition from Poland’s Andrzej Piotrowski, who finished second in Ultravasan 90 in 2023, and Norway’s Didrik Hermansen, who finished third in Ultravasan 90 in 2018.

The Swedish elite will also be present at Ultravasan 90. Not least last year’s winner Olle Meijer, who won the 100 km Swedish Championship this year with a new Swedish record time of 6.20.51, and who is already selected for the 100 km World Championship in Bangalore, India, this December. The other two Swedish men selected for the World Championship, Anton Gustafsson and Mikael Ekvall, are also registered. (The final selection day for the World Championship is tentatively September 1.)

Other strong representatives in Ultravasan 2024 include Viktor Stenqvist (who won Ultravasan 90 in 2022), Erik Anfält (second in the Swedish Championship 100 km in 2024), Fritjof Fagerlund (winner of Ultravasan 90 in 2018 and third in the Swedish Championship 100 km in 2024), Joacim Lantz (second in Ultravasan 90 in 2022 and 15th in Comrades 2024), and Sebastian Sundius (sixth in Ultravasan 90 in 2023). Torbjörn Gyllebring, the Swedish record holder in 24-hour running (272,086 metres), is also registered, as is Andreas Lundegård, who won a race in the UTMB World Series at the end of May.

On the women’s side, World Championship-selected Madeleine Lundell and Hanna Aho are registered for Ultravasan 90. They finished second and third respectively in the Swedish Championship 100 km in 2024. Swedish Champion Nikita Steiner is still considering participating. However, Sophia Sundberg (second in Ultravasan 90 in 2023) and Sofia Smedman (fifth in Ultravasan 90 in 2023) are already registered. As is Frida Södermark, who has six top-ten finishes in Ultravasan 90.

Two prolific skiers are also registered for Ultravasan 90: Laila Kveli (who won Vasaloppet in 2013 and 2014) ran the Stockholm Marathon this year in 2.57.06 and finished 19th. Anna Jönsson Haag, who will complete Vasaloppstrippeln 90 in 2024, ran the Stockholm Marathon in 3.06 and finished 29th.

Ultravasan 45
A new duel awaits between Jesper Lundberg (who won Ultravasan 45 in 2023) and Kristofer Låås (who won Ultravasan 45 in 2021 and 2022). Hauke Timme is coming from Germany and Kristian Ulriksen from Norway; a prolific runner and host of the podcast ”breakingmarathonlimits”.

Last year’s champion Erika Lech is registered, as is Malin Starfelt, who was the second-best Swedish runner in the Stockholm Marathon in 2024, now making her Ultravasan 45 debut. They are joined by Jenny Björnberg (who won Trailvasan 30 in 2023) and Liselotte Hellsten (who won Ultravasan 45 in 2021).

Barbro Fjällstedt Oljans (who won Ultravasan 45 in 2022 and finished second in 2023) finished ninth in the European trail running championship in early June. She will participate, though it remains to be seen whether it will be Ultravasan 45 or Trailvasan 30 this year.

Trailvasan 30
Last year’s winner Martin Nilsson finished ninth in the European trail running championship in 2024 and he’s a favourite to win if he starts again this year.

Carolina Johnson, who won Lidingöloppet sensationally in 2023, will participate but has not yet decided on which distance to run on Saturday.

Notably, former skier Anna Dyvik is registered for Trailvasan 30. Also registered is Lovisa Modig, who transitioned from skiing to athletics last year.

Other notable participants:
Ultravasan 90:
Birger Fält, former national team walker, Vasaloppet expert
Clara Henry, comedian, author, actor, and TV host

Ultravasan 45:
Sara Thunebro, former professional football player, World Cup bronze in 2011

Trailvasan 10:
Kjell Enhager, mental coach and lecturer

FACTS/
All top-ten placements in Ultravasan 90, Ultravasan 45, and Trailvasan 30 from 2014–2023 are collected in a PDF >