Tjejvasan is approaching – Jenny Larsson gears up with a new record and training tips

“Winning Tjejvasan was an incredible feeling. It was like everything came full circle that day; it was actually after skiing Tjejvasan eight years earlier that I decided to focus on long-distance racing,” says Jenny Larsson.

Last winter she stayed in the leading group all the way. Approaching the finishing stretch, six skiers were still in contention for the win.
“It got crowded at the Aukland bridge, and I wanted to secure a good position for the final sprint, so I started earlier than I’d planned. When the course bends slightly with about 50 metres to go, I switched tracks and thought, if anyone’s stronger, they would have caught me by now.”

Jenny Larsson crossed the finish line jubilantly in 1:17:35, just one second ahead of runner-up Louise Lindström. Third place went to Julie Kvale Støstad from Norway.

In January 2021, Jenny won her first, and so far only, victory in the international long-distance cup Ski Classics; La Diagonela in Switzerland. A week later, she fell and sustained a hand injury that kept her out of competition for 20 months.

Throughout her rehabilitation after several surgeries, one image stayed with her during nearly every training session.
“I’ve visualised that finishing stretch in Mora countless times. Whether it was Tjejvasan or Vasaloppet didn’t matter. I saw myself succeeding there, and that’s why this Tjejvasan victory means so, so much to me,” says 29-year-old Larsson.

It was, in fact, Tjejvasan that first led Jenny into long-distance skiing.
“In 2017 I was struggling with motivation. My dad and I came up with the idea to go to Mora and ski Tjejvasan. It really felt like an adventure, I was very nervous about poling technique. It seemed impossible to double-pole for 30 km. My only goal was to manage the whole way. But it went really well. I finished tenth, beat many skiers I’d never beaten before, and after that several long-distance teams reached out to me. That race is what set me on the path to long-distance skiing,” explains Jenny Larsson, who now has her sights set on winning Vasaloppet itself.

Last winter, Jenny finished fourth overall in Ski Classics. But Vasaloppet did not go her way and she crossed the finish line, disappointed, in 14th place:
“There were several reasons. My form was declining; I’d peaked at the end of January. A few miles into the race I realised it wasn’t my day, and mentally it slipped away from me. But whether I finish fourteenth, sixth or third doesn’t matter when it comes to Vasaloppet. I want to win,” says Jenny Larsson, who enters the new winter season as the world record holder on the SkiErg.

At the SkiErg Open by Craft Arena in September, she broke her own SkiErg world record over 5,000 metres, finishing two tenths of a second faster than her previous time.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to call yourself a world record holder. And the SkiErg is a fantastic training tool for everyone, I’d say. It’s easily accessible and comes with a fatigue guarantee,” Jenny Larsson laughs.

This spring, she extended her contract with Lager 157 Ski Team for two more years, until 2027. The Ski Classics 2025/2026 season begins on December 13 in Austria.

Jenny’s training tips
Planning to ski Tjejvasan? Here are race champion Jenny Larsson’s training tips for recreational participants:

1. Build your skiing experience. One or two roller-ski sessions per week are excellent training.

2. If possible, plan a day trip once a month with your friends to the nearest snow-covered trail. It’s a perfect way to combine training and fun with friends.

3. Don’t be afraid of interval training on the SkiErg! It’s incredibly useful for Tjejvasan. A good workout is 40-20 intervals (40 seconds hard, 20 seconds rest or very easy), done in five- or ten-minute blocks. Do two to four sets. You can make it as tough as you want, and you can try other versions like 45-15 or 30-30.

FACTS: THE 38TH TJEJVASAN
Saturday, February 21, 2026: Tjejvasan, 30 km, start in Oxberg, finish in Mora
Tjej means girl in Swedish, Vasan is short for Vasaloppet. Tjejvasan is a true classic. The world’s largest ski race exclusively for women started in 1988, and over 200,000 participants have now crossed the finish line in Mora. Elite and recreational skiers share the same course, with both competitive (senior and junior) and recreational classes. Girls can now take part in the recreational class from the year they turn 11. Tjejvasan also serves as a seeding race for Vasaloppet. The long-distance Ski Classics cup has now designated Tjejvasan as a “Challenger” race, giving it even higher status. Tjejvasan is broadcast live by Sveriges Television (SVT), and the atmosphere along the course is festive, with live music and activities. The race is also part of both Vasaloppstrippeln 30 and En Svensk Klassiker Tjej.
Read more about Tjejvasan >

New for 2026
Participants in Tjejvasan 2026 can purchase a personalized number bib vest with their first and last name printed on it.
Read more >

Want to see what it’s really like to ski Tjejvasan?
Watch 30 kilometres of slow TV as SVT’s reporter Therese Bosta skis Tjejvasan 2025, filmed by award-winning TV cameraman Adam Karlsson.
Watch here (only in Sweden) >