31st may 2025
You don’t have to run 26.2 miles around Stockholm to appreciate what I would argue is Scandinavia’s most photogenic capital, but I must say, as a means of sightseeing, it’s surprisingly effective. And, if you’re going to suffer, it might as well be with lungs full of fresh Baltic air tinged with the ever-present smell of strong coffee and cinnamon rolls.
Weather and Timing:
The Stockholm Marathon takes place in late May each year, which, I am led to believe, is often the meteorological equivalent of Nordic Goldilocks porridge – just right.
However, the race, in a bold, longstanding, and somewhat baffling tradition, begins at noon.
This usually means temperatures somewhere between 8°C and 17°C. However, this time has become somewhat contentious; in 2024, temperatures were a sapping 27°C.
This year, conditions were officially ‘fine’: a respectable 18°C with a largely cloudless sky.
I’ll admit that this would be ideal for most people, though personally far from ideal for me – a man who feels most at peace running in the kind of cold that encourages migration.
The Course:
The organisers describe the race as providing spectacular views and relatively flat course – only one of those claims is true.
It’s not flat. It’s actually what polite, and misleading, people would describe as ‘undulating’.
The course begins outside the Östermalms sports ground before passing the 1912 Olympic Stadium, where the finish line beckons in another 42km.
In between, you embark on a whirlwind adventure through all seven of Stockholm’s central districts.
From Östermalm, you venture into the shaded streets of Vasastan, where the official website inexplicably notes you’ll pass the Grand Cinema – famous as the place where Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated in 1986.
You continue through Kungsholmen, and then into Gamla Stan—Stockholm’s old town.
After that comes Djurgården, a more tranquil stretch where the “Heja! Heja! Heja!” crowd is replaced by woodland paths and archipelago views.
Then it’s onto Södermalm, followed by the infamous Västerbron Bridge (The Western Bridge) – a long and slow climb that rewards you with one of the city’s most impressive views.
The final stretch winds through Norrmalm, where the biggest crowds, and sharpest corners, herd you back into the Olympic Stadium itself for a wonderfully dramatic finish.
Of the four marathons I’ve run, it’s easily my favourite finish line – dramatic, historic, and filled with cheering spectators – although I must admit I spent the final metres more focused on keeping my arms rigidly at my sides, gripped by an irrational fear that any movement even vaguely resembling checking my watch might result in being given with a penalty lap.
1912 Olympics:
The 1912 Olympics – now there’s a quick digression worth having!
The first Olympics to feature women’s swimming, the photo finish, and electronic timing.
The marathon in those Olympics was an out-and-back course from the same Olympic Stadium, and was won by Kenneth McArthur of South Africa in 2:36:54.
More memorably, the Japanese runner Shizo Kanakuri went missing mid-marathon. It subsequently became clear that Kanakuri had dropped out of the race due to exhaustion and returned home without telling anyone. In 1967 he returned to Stockholm to finish what he’d started, recording a final time of 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds.
The British team fared poorly. Most either didn’t start or didn’t finish, including the excellently named Septimus Francom, who, the official Olympics website tells me, was not only a founding member of the Wirral Athletic Club, but “later worked on the railways in North Wirral, running along railway tracks to work, where the distance between the sleepers exactly matched his stride length”.
Britain’s best finisher was Henry Green, who came 14th in 2:52:11. Which, considering the clothing and hydration options of the time, was remarkable.
Final Thoughts:
But back to the present.
The Stockholm Marathon offers a fantastic atmosphere: enthusiastic crowds, excellent organisation, and pacers at every 15-minute interval from 3:00 to 5:45. The hydration and energy stations are plentiful and well stocked – with the usual water, sports drinks, and bananas, but also pickled cucumbers (at 20.2km), vegetable broth (32.2km), and, in what I suspect must be a national rite of passage, black coffee (37.4km).
If you’re chasing a PB, this might not be your course. The hills are sneakier than they appear.
But if you’re after a cultural experience wrapped in Nordic charm and historical quirkiness, the Stockholm Marathon delivers. In spades.
Strider result
| Position | Name | Time |
| 4769 | Tom Evans | 03:51:26 |
Full results
https://stockholm.r.mikatiming.com/2025/?pid=start&pidp=start
