Göteborgsvarvet () is an annual

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

competition in Gothenburg, Sweden (often called the Gothenburg Half Marathon in English). It is the largest annual running competition in the world in terms of entries, with its 62,000 entries for the Göteborgsvarvet competition on 18 May 2013. In 2016, 64,500 people entered the race. The youngest runner was 17 years old and the oldest female runner 83 and male runner 87. Its name is a

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, pho ...

; the Swedish language-word "varv" has a double meaning and can mean both ''lap'' and ''shipyard'' (" keppsarv"), as Gothenburg historically has been known as a shipyard town (Gothenburgers also particularly enjoy word-play-humour). The race takes place in May, and has been organised annually since 1980. It starts outside, and finishes in, the old athletics arena Slottsskogsvallen in the

Slottsskogen Slottsskogen (, "Castle Forest") is a 137-hectare park located in central Gothenburg, Sweden. History When Gothenburg was founded in the 17th century, the area of Slottsskogen was a forest that belonged to the Old Älvsborg fortress. In the ...

park. It takes off northwards over the large suspension bridge

Älvsborg Bridge The Älvsborg Bridge ( sv, Älvsborgsbron) is a suspension bridge over Göta älv in Gothenburg, Sweden, connecting the island of Hisingen with the mainland. It was designed by Sven Olof Asplund, and inaugurated on 8 November 1966 by Swedish c ...

, follows the north bank to the

Göta älv The Göta älv (; "River of (the) Geats") is a river that drains lake Vänern into the Kattegat, at the city of Gothenburg, on the western coast of Sweden. It was formed at the end of the last glaciation, as an outflow channel from the Baltic Ic ...

river, and returns over the Göta Älv Bridge, goes through the inner city, before reaching the finish. The race has hosted the Swedish national championship race on five occasions (1995, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2017). The 2020 and 2021 editions were both cancelled because of the

Coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

Past winners

Key:

References

*Hultman, Hans & Monti, Dave (24 May 2011)
Göteborgsvarvet Half Marathon
Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 30 July 2011.

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goteborgsvarvet Half marathons International sports competitions in Gothenburg Recurring sporting events established in 1980 International athletics competitions hosted by Sweden 1980 establishments in Sweden May sporting events Spring (season) events in Sweden Athletics in Gothenburg