The Vasa Race
Vasa race week featuring the Tjejvasa - exclusively for women, Kortvasa - the short version popular with families, Halvvasa - half the distance, Open Track and finally the Vasa race itself is, all in all, an impressive show of logistics from the organisers much appreciated by the skiers.
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| Photo: Bosse Lind |
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All the officials seem to be in a permanent state of good spirits whatever the weather or skiing conditions. The local community living in the vicinity of the tracks have an enthusiasm level that is unsurpassed when compared to other audiences in Sweden at least. Competitors are literally carried forward by the encouragement and applause given along the entire track. Celebrities including TV show hosts, political leaders and ministers, pop stars and even the King together with ordinary Swedes and foreigners make a veritable melting pot of competitors.
Before the extremely well-organised start, the competitors warm up in the starting pens to onomatopoeic music. Under the course of the race, the competitors' kitbags are transported by the thousand to different schools. The exhausted competitors are then transported with meticulous planning to these schools where they can retrieve their personal belongings without the need to queue.
At strategic distances along the track where you may start to feel that you are a little in need of some blueberry soup, checkpoints are stationed for the relief of the skiers. Blueberry soup and sun buns are perfect, easily-digestible energy and fluid providing sources for keeping you in top shape.
Whatever the temperatures or amount of snowfall in the weeks prior to the Vasa race week, the organisers always manage to keep the tracks in perfect condition. Before, during and after the races a party atmosphere prevails the likes of which you will seldom witness anywhere else.
Nowadays, people who do not compete can simply key in the start number of a competitor in their mobile telephone and receive a text message each time a checkpoint has been passed along with an estimated time of arrival at the finish.