Monday, July 13, 2026
Here I am, lying in my tent, wild camping in the middle of nature with a view of the Göta River. It almost feels unreal to write those words. The adventure has finally begun.
The day started much earlier than that. My alarm was set for 4:15 a.m., but after falling asleep again, I suddenly woke up with a jolt at 4:33 and briefly thought that I had overslept. Fortunately, I made it to the train from Malmö and arrived in Gothenburg according to plan.
At Gothenburg Central Station, I waited for a while to see whether anyone from the press would show up. Nobody did, but at ten o’clock, exactly as planned, I put on my backpack and started running.
And you know what? It almost felt like any other run.
That may sound strange after all the planning and preparation, but the backpack is no longer something new to me. I have run to work with it many times during the spring and summer. I have grown used to the feeling of carrying it, although not yet to its weight. So when I finally started running out of Gothenburg, it all felt surprisingly ordinary.
Gothenburg, of course, offered the usual mix of roadworks, barriers and detours. But Apple Maps helped me find my way, and before long I was running along the Göta River. I passed the beautiful boats moored along the waterfront and watched a bridge open for river traffic while cyclists waited to cross.
Today’s stage turned out to be longer than planned. The idea was to cover around 45 kilometres, but by the time I pitched my tent for the night, I had travelled roughly 50 kilometres. Perhaps that was due to a few detours and small diversions along the way.
Much of today’s running consisted of long transport sections along the E45 highway and beside the railway. Heavy freight trains thundered past as I ran, and strangely enough, I appreciated it. We need more freight trains and fewer trucks if we want to transport goods in a more sustainable way.
One of today’s highlights was undoubtedly Bohus Fortress. I stopped there for a while, had something to eat and took a few photographs. The fortress stands beautifully by the river, and when I later crossed to the eastern side, I was rewarded with even more magnificent views of the impressive stronghold.
During the day, I passed through places such as Nödinge and Älvängen. In Älvängen, I stopped to buy supplies—and half a litre of salty liquorice ice cream. Perhaps not the most traditional fitness food, but it works perfectly well as ultra-running fuel.
By the time I reached Lödöse at around seven in the evening, many hours had passed since the start. Running fifty kilometres takes time when you are also taking photos, eating, drinking, enjoying your surroundings and carrying about ten kilograms on your back.
My body actually feels surprisingly good. While I was still at the station, I realised that I had forgotten to tape my shoulders to prevent chafing from the backpack straps, so I had to take care of that in a restroom before setting off. The tape seems to have done its job. My feet feel good as well. Sportslick and my socks are working exactly as I had hoped, and the small blisters that have started to appear are nothing to worry about so far. My left big toenail has started to turn blue, but it probably took its first hit during last weekend’s backyard ultra.
What worries me the most is not my legs, but my energy intake. How am I going to eat enough, day after day? Today’s menu has included ice cream, cola, raspberry soda, juice, bread, coleslaw, cheese, tuna salad and a litre of milk—which perhaps should have been lactose-free. Tonight I also had frozen mango and mannafrutti. I need to want to eat more. That is something I will have to learn along the way.
But right now, lying here in my tent on a hill above the Göta River, everything feels very good.
I can hear the traffic far below and a few voices drifting up from Lödöse. In front of me, the landscape stretches out, and I am waiting for darkness to fall. This is actually what I have been looking forward to the most—sleeping alone in the middle of nature.
I am not thinking about the seventeen days and hundreds of kilometres that still lie ahead. I am thinking about tomorrow. About breakfast. About whether I need to run back down to Lödöse to buy food before continuing towards Trollhättan.
A year ago, I would probably have laughed if someone had told me that on July 13, 2026, I would be lying alone in a tent above the Göta River after running fifty kilometres from Gothenburg.
Back then, I would have thought:
“I can only dream of that.”
But sometimes dreams come true.
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