2026-06-13
This morning, I laid out all my gear in a square on the floor at home in Malmö. It looked both organized and chaotic at the same time. More than anything, I kept wondering: how on earth is all of this going to fit into my backpack? And how much is it actually going to weigh?
The plan was to leave at seven in the morning. I didn’t. It was already nine o’clock by the time I was finally ready to set off. The morning turned out to be a bit chaotic, mostly because I hadn’t finished packing and kept having to double-check my lists. To make matters worse, the backpack I had planned to use turned out to be smaller than I remembered. I thought it was 29 liters, but realized it was only 24. Packing suddenly became a puzzle.
But in the end, it worked out. I brought along an extra lightweight backpack that I received when I ran the Bridge Run last year, wearing it on my front to carry my food supplies. And once I finally got going, it actually felt pretty good. Liberating, even.
Today’s destination was Smygehuk. Not because it’s the fastest or most logical place to run to, but because it’s a good distance from Malmö—roughly the kind of daily distances I want to be able to cover during my big adventure in July. This was also a test day: the gear would be tested, the body would be tested, and I would get a feel for what it’s like to run long distances carrying a full pack. Besides, Smygehuk has been on my bucket list simply because it is the southernmost point in Sweden.
At first, I found it hard to let go of everyday life. My thoughts followed me out of Malmö, as if they had somehow slipped into the backpack as well. But after a while, they gradually faded away. Maybe it helped that I got lost.
I was supposed to turn onto a certain road, but I missed it. At first, I was slightly annoyed, but when I checked the map, I realized I could simply keep going straight ahead. The distance would end up being about the same. And really, adventures aren’t meant to follow a straight line.
The weather was classic Swedish summer: cold, windy, and punctuated by rain showers. The temperature hovered somewhere around 13–15°C (55–59°F). As I approached Trelleborg, the rain became quite heavy. At the same time, the landscape was spectacular. Skåne showed off its wide-open fields, green rapeseed crops, and beautiful avenues lined with willow trees. There’s something special about running through that landscape.
My body felt surprisingly good. At the beginning, I was able to maintain a pace of just over six minutes per kilometer, despite carrying a backpack weighing around ten kilograms (22 pounds). It felt unusually easy. In fact, the backpack was more comfortable than I had expected, as long as it sat properly and everything stayed in place. The biggest problem wasn’t the weight, but the small pack on my front, which kept bouncing around. Eventually, I strapped it onto the back of the main backpack instead. I’ll soon be getting a new 35-liter backpack from Craft, and those extra ten or eleven liters will make a huge difference.
At one point, I felt a slight twinge in my knees and thought, what the hell is this? But it passed. Long-distance running is often like that. Your body speaks up from time to time, and you have to listen without panicking.
In Trelleborg, I ran to Trelleborgen and discovered that there was also a Viking museum there. It was open, so I went inside. It turned out to be a very welcome break. While I was there, the rain turned into a downpour, so I stayed for a while. I wandered around, rested, let my clothes dry a bit, had an ice cream, and took the opportunity to apply more Vaseline to my feet.
I ended up staying there for about two hours. It wasn’t frustrating at all. On the contrary, it was rather nice just to sit down and disconnect from everyday life for a while.
After the museum, I continued to a pizzeria because I felt that I hadn’t eaten enough during the day. I hadn’t made the planned stops where I was supposed to cook along the way, so my body needed energy. I ordered a Pizza Bussola. It was perfectly fine, and my body accepted it remarkably well. It didn’t feel heavy at all when I started running again.
I didn’t leave Trelleborg until around four in the afternoon. Then came the final stretch to Smygehuk. Naturally, I was a bit more tired than earlier in the day, so my pace slowed, but the weather improved, and that made a big difference.
For some unknown reason, the mobile network stopped working in Trelleborg. It had worked for me inside the Viking museum, and the staff there had even asked whether I had reception. But when I sat down at the pizzeria, I had none. I couldn’t use my map properly or rely on my phone the way I normally do. So I had to do it the old-fashioned way: follow the signs.
It was actually quite pleasant. I followed the South Coast Trail and the Sweden Trail toward Smygehuk. At the same time, it made me realize just how dependent we’ve become on technology. When the distance between signs grows longer, you start wondering whether you’re still on the right path. But it worked out well. I knew my general direction, I knew where the coastline was, and I still felt safe.
As I approached Smygehuk, I spotted the lighthouse. It was a wonderful feeling. The lighthouse stands just before Smygehuk and became a clear sign that I was almost there. Today’s goal was close. Today’s goal was actually going to be achieved.
When I arrived, I ran down to the harbor and out along the southern pier, all the way to the very end where Sweden’s absolute southernmost point is said to be located. There, I stopped. I ended the recording of the run and took a few photos.
The recorded distance for the day ended up being 47.5 kilometers (29.5 miles). That’s not too bad, all things considered. After all, it qualifies as an ultramarathon.
I arrived shortly before six o’clock, and the Smygehuk kiosk was still open. I bought an ice cream, and I think they closed almost immediately afterward. It felt like the perfect ending.
The strange thing was that I didn’t feel particularly tired. I still had energy in my legs and spent some time wandering around the harbor and surrounding area, simply because I was curious to see what it looked like. Eventually, I found a somewhat secluded campsite and pitched my tent there.
Now I’m sitting here cooking dinner. My adventure special: red lentils, macaroni, a stock cube, and water. Easy to carry, easy to cook, and packed with both carbohydrates and protein. I actually ran out of fuel while cooking, but I think the food will finish cooking from the residual heat.
The most important thing about this day probably isn’t the distance, even though covering 47.5 kilometers with a backpack is certainly something worth remembering. The most important thing is the feeling that this adventure is no longer just an idea on paper. It’s no longer something I’m merely planning, thinking about, or talking about.
It’s real now.
Today, I ran from Malmö to Smygehuk. I tested my body, my equipment, my packing system, and my mindset. Not everything was perfect. The backpack was too small, I started later than planned, I got lost, the mobile network disappeared, and the rain poured down in Trelleborg.
But it worked.
And perhaps that’s exactly the point of a first day like this. Not that everything should go perfectly, but that you discover that even when things don’t go according to plan, you can still keep moving forward.
