Fossavatnsgangan is an annual ski marathon held in

Ísafjörður Ísafjörður (pronounced , meaning ''ice fjord'', literally ''fjord of ices'') is a town in the northwest of Iceland. The oldest part of Ísafjörður with the town centre is located on a spit of sand, or ''eyri'', in Skutulsfjörður, a fjord ...

, in the Westfjords of

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. The event has been a part of

Worldloppet The Worldloppet Ski Federation is a federation of long distance cross-country skiing events whose aim is to promote cross-country skiing through ski races. The federation was founded on 10 June 1978 in Uppsala, Sweden. Locations Only one and t ...

since 2014. It is the oldest ski race in Iceland, held since 1935. Although it was cancelled several times in the 1940s and 1950s, the race has been held every year since 1956. Initially a 20 km race, a shorter distance of 10 km was added in 1987, and in 1989 a 7 kilometre course followed to attract children and beginners. The currently longest race over the distance of 50 km has only been held since 2004 and due to its challenges and difficulties has increasingly attracted international professional skiers, particularly Norwegians. In 2005 this 50 km marathon was added to the

FIS FIS or fis may refer to: Science and technology * '' Fis'', an ''E. Coli'' gene * Fis phenomenon, a phenomenon in linguistics * F♯ (musical note) * Flight information service, an air traffic control service * Frame Information Structure, a Se ...

, and that same year Fossavatn became a founding partner of the

FIS Nordic Ski Marathon Cup FIS Nordic Ski Marathon Cup is an official skiing marathon cup held since 2005 and governed by the FIS. The cup consists of four locations, held several weeks apart in each of the Nordic countries. The first event is usually the Holmenkollen Skimar ...

, a series which includes the

Holmenkollen Skimaraton Holmenkollen Skimaraton is an annual ski marathon held in Norway. Held since 1974, in 2005 the race formally became one of the locations of the FIS Nordic Ski Marathon Cup, a series which includes the Holmenkollen Skimaraton, Tornedalsloppet in Swe ...

in Norway,

Tornedalsloppet Tornedalsloppet is an annual ski marathon held in Övertorneå, Sweden. Held since 1968, Tornedalsloppet is among the older long-distance ski-races in Sweden and the only one which commences in the Arctic Circle and finishes south of it. Traditi ...

in Sweden,

Oulun Tervahiihto Oulun Tervahiihto or Tervahiihto is an annual ski marathon held in Oulu, Finland. Held since 1889, it is the longest-running annual long-distance ski race in the world. Races include 40km and 70km in both traditional and skating styles, and the ter ...

in Finland and the Fossavatn Ski Marathon in Iceland. The most successful athlete of the marathon since its inception in 1935 is a local skier named Kristján Rafn Gudmundsson, 12 times winner of the Fossavatn Ski Marathon in the 1960s and 1970s. The most prolific competitor is another local named Sigurður Jónsson who first competed in 1938.

Winners

Men

Women

References

External links

{{Worldloppet
Official site
1935 establishments in Iceland April sporting events FIS Nordic Ski Marathon Cup Ísafjörður May sporting events Recurring sporting events established in 1935 Ski marathons Skiing competitions in Iceland Skiing in Iceland