How much do participants in Vasaloppet’s Summer Week train?

Over 3,000 participants responded to the survey (a response rate of 42%) that forms the basis for the results on questions about training and health. The participants included those who took part in Cykelvasan 30, Cykelvasan 45, Cykelvasan Öppet Spår, Cykelvasan 90, and the five running events: Trailvasan 10, Trailvasan 30, Ultravasan 45, Ultravasan 90, and Vasastafetten.

Here are the questions – and the responses we received:

1) Over the past three months, how many times per week have you exercised on average?

10% reported that they train nearly every day, while most train 3–5 times per week (51%) or 1–2 times per week (29%). About 10% train very little (less than weekly or hardly ever). The average participant exercises around 3.2 times weekly, with runners (excluding Vasastafetten participants) generally training more than cyclists.

2) How many hours per week have you trained in the last three months?

More than 7 hours per week: 16%
About 5–6 hours per week: 27%
About 3–4 hours per week: 31%
About 2–3 hours per week: 20%
About 0–1 hours per week: 6%

The average participant trains around 4.7 hours weekly, with 5–6 hours or 3–4 hours per week being the most common responses. Participants in Ultravasan 90 train the most, averaging 6.9 hours per week. Broken down by category, cyclists average 4.5 hours per week, while runners average 4.9 hours.

Thus, runners (except for Vasastafetten participants) trained more than cyclists in both frequency and hours per week.

Men train 4.8 hours weekly, while women train 4.5 hours.

The youngest participants train the most:

15–25 years: 5.3 hours per week
26–35 years: 4.4 hours per week
36–45 years: 4.4 hours per week
46–55 years: 4.8 hours per week
Over 56 years: 4.8 hours per week
3) What types of exercises did you do in preparation? (multiple answers allowed)

Unsurprisingly, participants tend to practice the type of exercise specific to their event: 95% of cyclists trained in cycling, and 94% of runners practiced running. But cycling, running, and strength training form the foundation for most participants. Here’s how the responses varied between cyclists and runners:

Cyclists:
Cycling: 95%
Running: 35%
Strength training/gym: 39%
Group training (spinning, etc.): 14%
Swimming: 6%
Racket sports (paddle, badminton, tennis, etc.): 5%
Ball sports (floorball, football, etc.): 3%
Other: 16%
None: 1%

Runners:
Cycling: 40%
Running: 94%
Strength Training/Gym: 53%
Group training (spinning, etc.): 15%
Swimming: 10%
Racket sports (paddle, badminton, tennis, etc.): 6%
Ball sports (floorball, football, etc.): 4%
Other: 20%
None: 0%

4) How often do you participate in recreational races (e.g., cycling, running, cross-country skiing, orienteering, etc.) in an average year? Answer based on the last three years.

The average participant takes part in approximately 2.6 races per year. Most do 1, 2, or 3 races in a typical year. Runners (3.3 races) participate in more events than cyclists (2.3 races), which could partly be due to the greater availability of running events.

5) If you were to self-assess your current physical capacity on a scale of 1 to 10, where would you place yourself?
1 = very unfit, 10 = very fit

30% of all participants rated their physical condition in the 8–10 range (highly), with a total average of 6.6 (scale 1–10). Among cyclists, 27% rated themselves highly, with an average of 6.4, while in the running group, 38% gave high ratings with an average of 7.0. Unsurprisingly, Ultravasan 90 participants rated their physical condition the highest, with an average of 7.7.

6) If you were to self-assess your current health experience on a scale of 1 to 10, where would you place yourself?
1 = very unfit, 10 = very fit

51% of participants rated their health between 8–10 (highly), with an average of 7.5 (scale 1–10). Among cyclists, 49% rated their health highly, averaging 7.3, while among runners, 56% rated their health highly, averaging 7.7. Those with the highest health ratings were Ultravasan 90 participants, scoring an average of 8.2.

Note: The last time Vasaloppet surveyed participants on their training was in 2015–2017. Since then, several shorter races have been added, making comparisons challenging; therefore, these earlier figures are not included here.