A team of four active Swedish military officers won the Adventure Racing World Series in Gallaecia, Spain. The team ran, biked, paddled, and navigated for over 97 hours — and slept for a grand total of 4 hours.
After a grueling 4 days of racing on just 4 hours of sleep, the Swedish Armed Forces Adventure Team (SAFAT) this week stood atop the Adventure Racing world. The four officers crossed the finish line Wednesday with a final time of 4 days, one hour, and 55 minutes to win the 379-mile race. It’s the country’s first win since the World Series started in 2001.
John Karlsson led the team, which included Oskar Svard, Emil Dahlqvist, and Malin Hjalmarsson. Karlsson was jubilant in a post-race interview, despite enduring a difficult race personally:
This feeling is amazing! I never thought I would achieve this and it has taken me 20 years of racing to do it. Now, here we are. To be honest, I’ve had a terrible race. I have suffered the whole way and the team have been amazing, taking my gear and pulling me through. I just tried not to interrupt their flow and stay with them. Emil and Malin have many years of experience, like me. Oskar is quite new to the sport — it’s his fourth race I think — and his navigation is world class. Really I don’t think anyone could do it better.
Adventure Racing World Series: 3 Days of Lead Changes, Brutal Racing
On Oct. 2, 90 teams from 29 countries gathered at Monforte de Lemos, Spain, to start the 2021 Adventure Racing World Series Championships. The event was the series’ first in 3 years, after delays due to COVID-19 and other complications.
Down to the Wire
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