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Göteborgsvarvet

Gothenburg, Sweden
Älvsborg Bridge
Älvsborg Bridge. Photograph by Claes Krantz from Gothenburg, Sweden, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

Race day
The 2027 race
Distance
21.1 km13.1 mi
Half marathon · Relay

The course

The half marathon starts on Margretebergsgatan beside Slottsskogen and finishes in the same park, on Slottsskogsvallen.

  • Start and finish in SlottsskogenThe course begins and ends in Slottsskogen, the 137-hectare city park.
  • Two climbs the organiser namesA tough hill in the first kilometres, and a rise up Avenyn with about 4 km to go.
  • Over Älvsborgsbron and along HisingenThe highest point, 52 m above sea level, is by Älvsborgsbron; Lindholmen is flat.
Course notes 4 short reads on the course
km 0 to 21.1GeometryStart and finish in SlottsskogenThe course begins and ends in Slottsskogen, the 137-hectare city park.

The start has been on Margretebergsgatan since 1982, next to the disc golf course on the edge of Slottsskogen. The organiser sends runners into the park straight away, towards the Natural History Museum, and back along Björngårdsvägen. The finish is the arena at Slottsskogsvallen, in the same park, with a last kilometre through Slottsskogen where the race began.

Sourced

km 1 to 18GradientTwo climbs the organiser namesA tough hill in the first kilometres, and a rise up Avenyn with about 4 km to go.

The first stage is the hilly one. Inside Slottsskogen runners climb Säldammsbacken, which the organiser calls tough and energy-draining, and the organiser describes the stage as clearly hilly before the course reaches Majorna. The other climb comes late: Kungsportsavenyn rises towards Götaplatsen, where the course goes round the Poseidon statue, with about 4 km left to run. The aid station at Götaplatsen is listed at 16.8 km.

Sourced

km 5 to 15LandmarkOver Älvsborgsbron and along HisingenThe highest point, 52 m above sea level, is by Älvsborgsbron; Lindholmen is flat.

The south end of Älvsborgsbron is the 5 km point in the organiser’s cut-off list. The organiser puts the course’s highest point, 52 m above sea level, by the bridge, with music stations before and after it. On the far side the course runs through Färjenäsparken to Eriksberg, where the 10 km mark is passed at the end of the stage, then along the quay at Lindholmen, which the organiser calls flat and easy to run. Frihamnen follows after 12.7 km, then Hisingsbron, which opened in 2021 and first featured in the race in 2022. The 15 km mark is at Packhusplatsen in the city centre.

Sourced

km 0 to 21.1CrowdA measured half marathon with 50 music stationsA certified half marathon, with crowds and music on most of the way.

The organiser lists nine aid stations between 1.8 km and 20.2 km, some with sports drink. Music stations are listed in the stages through Majorna, Eriksberg, Lindholmen and Avenyn, where the organiser describes several rows of spectators on the way up to Götaplatsen.

Sourced

Race weekend

Bib pickup at Friidrottens Hus, at the start and finish area

Tuesday 18 May 4 days before

  1. Time not published

    Specialvarvet A race for runners with a functional variation, on a 2.4 km or a 1.4 km course.

Wednesday 19 May 3 days before

  1. Time not published

    Stafettvarvet relay Slottsskogen and Slottsskogsvallen. Teams of four, each runner covering the same 3.1 km lap of Slottsskogen.

Thursday 20 May Bib pickup

  1. 11:0011:00 AM–20:008:00 PM

    Expo and bib pickup Friidrottens Hus, at the start and finish area. The organiser recommends collecting the bib on Thursday or Friday during the day to avoid queues. The Expo hours are the organiser's 2027 listing.

Friday 21 May Last bib day

  1. 10:0010:00 AM–21:009:00 PM

    Expo and bib pickup Friidrottens Hus, at the start and finish area

Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.

Number belt on AmazonAmazon partner link

Saturday 22 May Race day

  1. 09:309:30 AM–15:303:30 PM

    Expo and bib pickup Friidrottens Hus, at the start and finish area. On race day the organiser asks runners to come in good time before their start.
  2. 19:157:15 PM

    Finish closes at Slottsskogsvallen The organiser's clock limit for the finish; the time allowed depends on the start wave, and the organiser puts the pace needed from the last wave at about 7:30 min/km. Standing rule, not restated for 2027.
Cut-offs, other races and side events (7)
  1. 13:001:00 PM

    Elite start Margretebergsgatan, next to Slottsskogen. Starts then run in waves until 16:15. Each wave's time is on the start certificate, sent about two weeks before. The organiser's start times are standing information, not restated for 2027.
  2. 16:524:52 PM

    Cut-off at 5 km, south end of Älvsborgsbron Clock time to pass this point. Standing rule from the organiser's race-information page, not restated for 2027.
  3. 17:455:45 PM

    Cut-off at 12 km Clock time to pass this point. Standing rule from the organiser's race-information page, not restated for 2027.
  4. 18:106:10 PM

    Cut-off at 15 km, Packhusplatsen Clock time to pass this point. Standing rule from the organiser's race-information page, not restated for 2027.
  5. 18:286:28 PM

    Cut-off at 17 km, Götaplatsen Clock time to pass this point. Standing rule from the organiser's race-information page, not restated for 2027.
  6. Time not published

    Cityvarvet Götaplatsen to Slottsskogsvallen. A 4.2 km race that starts on Götaplatsen and finishes on Slottsskogsvallen.
  7. Time not published

    Minivarvet Slottsskogen. A 210 m lap for children aged 0 to 6, on race day.

Times as published by the organiser, in Gothenburg time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Gothenburg time

Entry

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Gothenburg, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7.3mile 4.6
  2. km 14.7mile 9.1

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
A small balm stick
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
A pack of blister plasters
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Keep exploring

More races to look at after the Göteborgsvarvet.