Summary of Vasaloppet's Winter Week 2020 – registration for 2021 opens on Sunday, March 15

Despite a largely green winter in Sweden and Dalarna, Vasaloppet managed to complete the entire Vasaloppet Winter Week 2020.

– The 13 races in Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2020 (including Barnens Vasalopp in Sälen and in Mora) attracted 59,522 registered participants this year. It’s a slight dip compared to these last years, probably explained in large part by the bad snow conditions that have made ski training difficult in many parts of the country. Registration numbers since 2008 have looked like this:

47,636 in 2008
48,184 in 2009
57,560 in 2010
59,161 in 2011
63,142 in 2012
66,212 in 2013
67,435 in 2014
67,126 in 2015
68,024 in 2016
66,582 in 2017
65,955 in 2018
62,951 in 2019
59,522 in 2020

– 49,036 of those registered came to the start and 93.3 percent of these, 45,769 participants, got to the finish (including the five Stafettvasan sections).

– The tough, snowy Vasaloppet Sunday of 2019 repeated itself this year. On March 1, 85.8 percent, about as large a share as in 2019, of the 13,915 starting participants got all the way from the start in Berga by to the finish in Mora.

– The 11,937 who finished in Mora in Vasaloppet on March 1 made it so there are now 600,116 registered finishes in the 96 Vasaloppet since 1922. Combining all winter and summer races the total number of finishes is now over 1.6 million.

– The average and median times in Vasaloppet 2020 were 8.47.18 and 8.44.23 respectively. Looking back all the way to 1922 the average and median of all races, including this year, is now 7.58.34 and 7.54.18.

– 1,712 men and 116 ladies were awarded achievement medals in Vasaloppet 2020. Those who complete their races within the winning time plus 50 percent get the achievement medal. The medal time for men was 6.37.52 and for women 7.01.33. New for this year all participants who finished in all races were awarded medals for completing their race.

– Participants in Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2020 came from 64 nations. (The record is 70 nations in 2018.) 86.5 percent of this year’s participants were from Sweden, meaning that 13.5 percent were from other nations. Most were from Norway with 4 percent, Denmark 2.2 percent, Finland 1.6 percent and Germany 1 percent. Last year, 2019, 90 percent of the participants came from Sweden.

– About 36 percent of the starting participants in Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2020 were women and about 64 percent men. In Vasaloppet 2020, 16.6 percent of those who started were women and 83.4 percent were men.

– Sveriges Television’s Vinterstudion broadcast from a studio constructed at the finish line in Mora. The five-hour long live broadcast of Vasaloppet 2020 on SVT1 was viewed by 3.5 million viewers (the average viewership was 1,717,000 viewers). (At the same time as the broadcast from Vasaloppet, the ladies’ relay race in Lahtis was shown on Kunskapskanalen.) In SVT Play the Vasaloppet broadcast had 687,000 play starts.

Even the introductory half hour in Berga by, starting on SVT1 at 07:30, was viewed by 716,000 early risers. The Sunday afternoon summary was watched by 573,000 viewers.

The over 12-hour long SVT Play broadcast from the track with skiing reporters Clara Henry and Mattias Svahn had 527,000 play starts making it, with a wide margin, a new record for a skiing reporter broadcast from Vasaloppet. Unfortunately Clara Henry had to abort her race in Oxberg and Mattias Svahn continued on his own to Mora.

SVT also broadcast a preview in Vinterstudion on the Saturday, viewed by 486,000 people. The week before Tjejvasan was broadcast for the ninth year in a row. The rainy Tjejvasan was viewed on average by 472,000 people this year.

– Vasaloppet’s own streaming service Vasaloppet.TV had 289,362 views during Vasaloppet’s Winter Week February 21–March 1 2020.

– Number of bus trips with Vasaloppet’s buses to the start and from the finish: 22,956.

– Newlyweds at the ski-in weddings after the finish line: 12 couples (5 of which were on the Vasaloppet Sunday).

– Tattoos after the finish on the Vasaloppet Sunday: 15 (which was the tattoo artist had time for).

– Many participants will have the opportunity to complete Vasaloppstrippeln 2020 this summer. There are 22,570 who could complete Vasaloppstrippeln 90, since that’s the number of people who reached the finish line in one of the 90-kilometre races Öppet Spår Sunday, Öppet Spår Monday, Nattvasan 90 or Vasaloppet. 2,794 participants reached the finish in Vasaloppet 45 and can complete Vasaloppstrippeln 45. 9,601 participants reached the finish in Tjejvasan or Vasaloppet 30 and they (those over the age of 17) can complete Vasaloppstrippeln 30 with the new running race Trailvasan 30, premiering this summer.

The elite
– Petter Eliassen’s second win in Vasaloppet was Norway’s eight men’s class victory in a row and Norway’s eleventh men’s class victory in Vasaloppet history. It was also the third time (after 2016 and 2019) that the top four spots were all taken by Norwegians.

– The best Norwegian not to have won Vasaloppet: Stian Hoelgaard who came second this year was in the top three for the fifth year in a row.

– Second best Norwegian to have won Vasaloppet before: Andreas Nygaard, first in 2018 and sixth in 2020.

– Third best Norwegian to have won Vasaloppet before: Anders Aukland who came eighth. 46-year-old (!) Aukland, who won Vasaloppet as early as 2004, was in the top ten this year for the twelfth time!

– Best Swede: Klas Nilsson, coming fifth in his eleventh Vasaloppet.

– Best non-Norwegian and non-Swede and second best 46-year-old: Stanislav Rezák from the Czech Republic in 17th place. He has participated in Vasaloppet 22 times with a second place best. He’s been in the top ten 15 times.

– Best Dalarna man in Vasaloppet 2020: Gabriel Höjlind, IFK Mora, 27th.

– Best 50+ year old (H50): Audun Bakk, Norway, 156th.

– Best Dalarna woman, best woman overall and best payout in all categories during Vasaloppet 2020: Lina Korsgren, who won all seven spurt prizes and came first across the finish line. The compiled reward came to 136,000 SEK. Her second place in Tjejvasan also awarded her 30,000 SEK. Lina only had 56 men ahead of her in Vasaloppet, a new record for the women’s class!

– Second best woman and previous victor: Britta Johansson Norgren, second place this year, has now won two times and come second four times.

– Best non-Swedish woman: Katerina Smutná, Czech Republic.

– Best woman starting for the first time in Vasaloppet: Ida Dahl, fourth.

– Best Jerring Award-winner and woman over 50 (D50): Magdalena Forsberg, 39th in the women’s class.

– Best Ultravasan medallist: Jenny Ramstedt, 3rd in Ultravasan 90 last summer, came 42nd in Vasaloppet.

– Best Kikkan and best American: Kikkan Randall, USA, 43rd.

– Seven of the top ten participants in Tjejvasan 2020 also got top ten placements in Vasaloppet.

Veterans and others
– Five Vasalopp veterans skied their 50th race. Which means that there are now 43 gentlemen who have skied at least 50 races (one race per year may be counted).

– The week’s record man: There was hard competition but Börje Karlsson who completed his 60th race, thereby matching Bengt Eriksson’s record, probably takes the title. Börje has previously completed 59 Vasaloppet and this year he completed Öppet Spår Monday. Congratulations! Börje Karlsson is reportedly going to choose the slightly shorter races in the future.

– This week’s record woman: There was much competition here too but Carina Hammarstrand who skied nine of the races, completing 393 km, probably wins out this year too. She has completed over 190 races throughout the years in Vasaloppet’s Winter and Summer Weeks. Over 9,000 kilometres over 30 years. When she skied Öppet Spår Sunday this year she officially became a veteran too. Congratulations!

– Some others who crossed the finish line during Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2020:
Vasaloppet 30:
Karin Håkansson Rabe, 4 orienteering World Championship golds, 1.58.22
Tjejvasan:
Maria Pietilä Holmner, 6 alpine World Championship medals, 2.08.12
Öppet Spår Sunday:
Stephan Wilson, TV host for Min Klassiker, 11.53.34
Öppet Spår Monday:
Emma Dahlström, gold medal for X Games slope style, 7.08.24
Gösta Lönnelid, skied her 58th race, 7.55.15
Stuart Stevens, American political consultant and author, 8.48.06
Vasaloppet 45:
Jenny Kallur, 1 hurdles European Championship silver, 3.33.18
Susanna Kallur, 3 hurdles European Championship golds, 3.33.16
Stafettvasan (relay):
Carl-Johan Bonnier, Chairman of the Board Albert Bonnier AB
Hans-Jacob Bonnier, Deputy CEO Bonnier Business Press
Jörgen Brink, three-time Vasaloppet winner
Torbjörn Eriksson, former sprinter ”Grycksboexpressen”
Joacim Ingelsson, orienteering World Championship winner
Nicklas Lidström, NHL legend
Sebastian Samuelsson, Olympic gold in biathlon
Karin Torneklint, national athletics team coach
Jon Wakefield, CEO of Volvo Cars
Nattvasan 90 (freestyle race with 2-person teams):
Anna Jönsson Haag, Olympic gold in cross-country skiing, 4.08.24
Anna-Karin Strömstedt, former cross-country skier and biathlon, 4.08.24 (skied with Anna)
Marcus Hellner, 3 cross-country Olympic golds, 4.20.06
Sven von Holst, former swimmer, 8.49.15
Lassi Karonen, former rower, 4.25.48
Oskar Svärd, three-time Vasaloppet winner, 4.25.48 (skied with Lassi)
Fredrik Lindström, Olympic gold in biathlon, 4.07.57
Gunde Svan, 4 Olympic golds in cross-country skiing, 6.21.54
Anders Södergren, Olympic gold in cross-country skiing, 3.53.25 (fastest of all!)
Niklas Wallenlind, former hurdler, 5.40.54
Blåbärsloppet:
Daniel Tynell, three-time Vasaloppet winner, 40.15
Vasaloppet:
Aron Andersson, adventurer and lecturer, 9.40.17
Melker Andersson, chef, 8.06.14
Fredrik Balkåsen, Swedish ski jumping champion, 7.50.05
Jürg Capol, Marketing Director for the International Ski Federation FIS, 9.29.29
Anders Daun, Swedish ski jumping champion, 11.48.47
Birger Fält, quiz show champion on the topic of Vasaloppet, 7.24.23
Christian Harding, ocean racer, 9.40.16
Tobias Karlsson, Let’s Dance dancer, 10.36.51
Kristin Kaspersen, TV show host, 10.56.03
Zebastian Modin, Paralympian medallist, 5.44.10
Mats Nilsson, enduro rider, 5.55.59
Bernhard Russi, Olympic alpine ski race gold medallist , 9.29.28
Ninni Schulman, crime author, 11.44.17
Calle Sterner, Let’s Dance dancer, 9.22.15
Mattias Svahn, SVT’s skiing reporter, 12.12.59
Magnus Wislander, two-time handball world champion, 11.12.28
Maria Zimmerman, Let’s Dance dancer, 10.36.52

Vasaloppet 2021 – 500 years after Gustav Vasa
For those who want to ski Vasaloppet next year – 500 years after Gustav Vasa’s adventure in Dalarna – registration opens for Vasaloppet 2021 on Sunday, March 15 2020 at 09:00 on vasaloppet.se. Vasaloppet 2021 will run on Sunday, March 7, 2021.

Register now and you have a year to train. There’s snow in the Vasaloppet arena and Vasaloppet will prepare tracks for as long as is possible this spring. Feel free to contact a ski club or coach to train. At vasaloppet.se you will find instructional videos online for ski training, snowless training, skiing machines, etc.
REGISTRATION >

FACTS/Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2020
Sponsor quotas / late registrations mean that the actual figure below is sometimes higher than the standard registration maximum.

Sveriges Television
VASALOPPET ON SVT SPORT >

Vasaloppet.TV
VASALOPPET.TV >

Even more facts about Vasaloppet 2020 can be found in Vasaloppet’s 132-page Facts Guide, which can also be read online (Swedish only):
vasaloppet.se/faktaguide >