The New Project...

... circulated in my head long before The Run was finished. I'll say before the run around The Big Lake even was a thought! This relay has been in my mind for a couple of years and I've always been thinking of running it all alone.

This new cause will be something else than The Run, when I did run 137,8 miles all alone. This time a very good friend and me will run a 4-day long relay between the Norwegian city Trondheim and the Swedish city Östersund. An Easy, Light and Smooth distance of 208,28 miles (335,2 km).

Well, this time I will try to run for a specific cause. When do The Run I only tried to spread the lifestyle of running and run #ELS.

Exactly what kind of cause it will be I’m not sure of yet but perhaps I can get help from some little bigger companies. My friend and me have to discuss this thru and find a cause we both want to struggle for.

Now, what kind of run are we going to do then? Well, I think I’ll begin with the history about the relay then about the competition it self. Last I will try to describe the strategy to come thru 4 days of competition with just 2 members in the team.

The history of St. Olavsloppet

King Olav dies in Stikklestad July 29, 1030...

... and was canonized in 1032.

St. Olavsloppet (race/relay) established in 1988 and is a road relay between Östersund and Trondheim, start alternating between the cities every two years. To participate in the St. Olavsloppet is an excellent target for keeping fit, keep in touch with friends and colleagues, all need to be trained and the most important thing is to socialize, enjoy and have fun. Little like #ELS I might say :-)

St. Olavsloppet is the goal of wellness and welding gang in companies, villages, associations, institutions, organizations and more.

The race follows the scenic St. Olafs trail of Alsen, Åre, Sandvika and Stikklestad and is named after the Norwegian king Olaf Haraldsson, who ruled between 1015-1030. King Olaf was killed in the Battle of Stikklestad July 29, 1030. At this very point, King Olaf became the Nordic holy saint.

2013 organized the race for the 26th time

The 4-day relay from Trondheim-Östersund is about 208,28 miles
and the first race was 1988.

The race consists of four daily stages over approximately 330 km and the majority of the race is run on paved road. The teams are both racing and exercise types, but the majority is exercise type.

The races starts in Trondheim June 25 and will finish in Östersund at my birthday June 28 :-)

The race is arranged by Jämtland-Härjedalen Athletic Association in Sweden and St. Olavsloppet A/S in Norway.

The race is also sanctioned by the Swedish and Norwegian athletics federations in a very close cooperation with municipalities and industry.

About the competition

Every day contains between 10-18 parts to run and I guess it would be the best to do two runs each per day. One in the morning and one after noon seems to be best. We will run two times each and then between 9,5 - 17,5 miles. Going to be very fun!

Tracks profiles below must be read from right to left as they are from this years race!

Day one is not that hard really. Quite #ELS one could say ;-) Couple of hills but not like day 2! A good first day I think.

Day 1
Trondheim - Levanger Norway
60,71 mi (97,7 km), 14 parts to run.

Day two is extremely hilly! Almost 1400 feet will be climbed... Guess we split the first part in two and also the second, hilly part, in two.

Day 2
Levanger - Sandvika, Norway
39,39 mi (63,4 km), 10 parts.

Day three we will have about 3,1 mi (5K) hill-run at start. Then we are in Sweden and a lot of running downhill :-)

Day 3
Sandvika - Järpen, Sweden
38,28 mi (61,6 km), 10 parts.

Day four will be running both uphill and downhill but nothing like day two!

Day 4
Järpen - Östersund, Sweden
69,90 mi (112,5 km), 18 parts

Our strategy

It's really not that much to say about the races but there are some "issues" to be resolved. Among other things:

• Run in the morning and/or afternoon
• Accommodation
• Sponsorship
• Run for a charity

Well, we will have a meeting about all this and also do some running together. But as The Run once, it's a lot of time left... ;-)

Please try to say Hello and Smile to the ones you meet out there when running or walking!

Easy,  Light and Smooth!
/Flexirun