Helén Runger is a 44-year-old Swedish open water swimmer won the 42 km Viking Swim in 2021 in 15 hours 26 minutes in the most famous Vidösternsimmet race across Lake Vidöstern in Småland, Sweden.
Now she is doubling up her challenge and tackling the first – and unprecedented – edition of the 84 km Vidösternsimmet – or 4 laps across Lake Vidöstern. She will be joined by 58-year-old Niclas Renman on August 8th and 9th where the water temperature can range from 17°C to 21°C.
Runger and Renman have also completed the 25 km Menorca Marathon in 2019 (non-wetsuit) as well as the 21 km Vidösternsimmet in 2019 and 2024, the 42 km Vidösternsimmet in 2021 and 2023, the Vansbro 10K in 2023 and 2024, and the 22 km Around Onsala Peninsula in 2024. “I was looking for a really long challenge, so I contacted Vidösternsimmet in May 2024 to see if we could make this crazy idea a reality,” says Runger. “Swimming long distances is fantastic fun, and doing it with your training buddy makes it even more enjoyable.” Renman added, “We will be swimming for over 30 hours. The Double Viking consists of 28 Vansbro Swims in a row. It’s a real ultra-challenge.”
It is a large undertaking with 90 volunteers, 30 on land and 60 in boats on the lake monitoring the swimmers who past 22 numbered buoys placed approximately 1 km apart along the 21.5 km long Lake Vidöstern.
The ambitious duo will also be joined by the athletes who will challenge themselves on the 500 meter LiLLa Vidösternsimmet, the 6 km Vidösternsimmet on August 9th and the 42 km Vidösternsimmet on August 8th.
42 km swimmers include Adam Svensson, Christer Abrahamsson, Henrik Gustafsson, Klaus Ade Johnstad, Svante Ramsthaler, Jaime Vega, Thomas Viktorsson, Annica Wallin Gyökeres, Robert Berg, Frank Jensen, Jon Deliv, Marcel Poodt, Sean Montem, Keld Hagen Jørgensen, and Johan van Steen.
On August 9th, the swimmers start the Viking and have to swim through the night. The 42 km requires swimming the length of Lake Vidöstern two times in groups of two or three participants, guided by kayaks. By dawn, they arrive at the Osudden beach at the northern end of the lake with a turn-around planned at 7:00 am, simultaneously with the start of Vidösternsimmet’s 21 km distance.
21 km swimmers include Marlies Vreeswijk, Tim Tipple, Marit Boots, Winnifred Noorlander, Benjamin Lindahl, Marcoline Leen, Barbara Resch, Marlies Schoonen, Martin van Gool, Stefanie Eschenburg, Aleksander Leesment, Dirk Hermans, Nadja Joy Tønnesen, Bengt Erlandsson, Lloyd Tabing, Joanne Clarke, Bettina Hausmann, Werner Roest, Kevin Jansen, Marcel Stroet, Ruben Langenhuizen, Diana Varanavičė, André Berg, Danielle Vides, Martha Desmond, Conny Prasser (MSF bio here), Niclas Stensson, Thorsten Ullrich-Stegemann, Peter Lamottke, Sander Komen, Felicity Carnell, Anke Tinnefeld (MSF bio here), Hugo Ringblom, Jerwin Tholen, Gustaf Stawåsen, Agnė Agafonova, Rob Houghton, Martyn Webster (MSF bio here), Kenneth Clausen, Helle Søgaard, Terje Granås, Joseph Hess, Mårten Westlund, Martin Dahlqvist, Rune Karlsen, Lars Grønbæk Poulsen, Rene Spaans, Julie Newton (MSF bio here), Roger Lindberg, Mette Gydemand, Katarina Erixon, and Tommie Åkesson.
Registration to the races closes on August 3rd.
On August 9th, the 15th edition of Vidösternsimmet +21 km will be held with over 100 swimmers expected. The start is on the beach at Osudden beach just outside Värnamo at 7:00 am. The swimmers will swim up to 10 hours in the lake en route to Ljungby as they ll swim along the eastern side of the lake checking in at Funtabo (1), Tånnö beach (2), E4 Camping (3), Ekens Camping (4), and Gyllene Rasten (5). There, the swimmers must come ashore at stations 2, 3, and 4 to have their time registered and be checked by medical personnel.
Ted Molin [shown below on left] holds the course records for the 21 km Vidösternsimmet in 5 hours 10 minutes 3 seconds and the 42 km Vidösternsimmet Viking in 12 hours 23 minutes 40 seconds.
“We really hope that Vidösternsimmet will become the folk festival that the event has the potential to be. We look forward to seeing residents of Värnamo, Ljungby, and visitors come to Sundet to see all the swimmers finish,” wrote one of the event directors Christer Ringblom [shown below on right]. “The participants truly deserve the public’s appreciation for the enormous achievements performed in Vidösternsimmet.”
In addition to the longer races, the event has includes a 6 km swim starting from Toftaholm Manor that can serve as a first step towards participating in the longer swims. The 500 meter LiLLa Vidösternsimmet and Öppetvattenlyftet are for swimmes who have not previously swum in open water. For LiLLa Vidösternsimmet, the 40 swim clubs of the East Swedish Swimming Federation are invited to participate for free through the Open Water Lift initiative.
Top 10 Marathon Swimming Competitions (by distance)
- 193 km 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, a 7-day stage swim down the Hudson River in New York
- 91 km 40 Bridges Manhattan Island, a double circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island in New York
- 88 km Maratón Acuática Hernandarias-Paraná, a professional marathon swim down the Río Paraná in Argentina
- 84 km Vidösternsimmet, a four-way crossing of Lake Vidöstern in Småland, Sweden
- 81 km India National Open Long Distance Swimming Championship down The Ganges in West Bengal, India
- 70 km Vuelta a nado Isla de Ibiza, 5-day stage swim in Ibiza, Spain
- 60 km Messinian Gulf Open Water Swimming Marathon, a 2-way crossing of the Messiniakos Gulf in Greece
- 57.9 km Extreme North Dakota Watersports Endurance Test (END-WET), down the Red River in North Dakota and Minnesota
- 57 km Maratón Acuática Internacional Santa Fe – Coronda, down the Coronda River in Argentina
- 45.9 km 20 Bridges Manhattan Island, a single circumnavigation swim around Manhattan Island in New York
“to educate, enthuse, and entertain all those who venture beyond the shoreline“
A World Open Water Swimming Federation project.