Emelie Forsberg will start on the midnight of July 3rd a personal project to try to set up a new Fastest Known Time in the Kungsleden trail, in the Swedish Lapland.
Emelie Forsberg is a world class recognized trail runner who has won some of the most iconic races around the world and she has been World Champion and winner of the Skyrunning World Series. Besides, Emelie’s love for the mountains has also brought her to try to set up Fastest Known Time (FKT) in peaks around the world. Recently, she set up two records in one week: in Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe (4.810m) and in Monte Rosa, in the Italian Alps (4.554m).
“FKT for me is not only about records, it’s about challenging myself in an environment I love. I find that I can often push myself more on a challenge, a summit I run up to, because I know that this is what I really want. And to do it in a light alpine environment I feel that my capacity is really strong. This kind of efforts are very rare in the women’s world so I would also like to inspire other girls to push their limits”, Emelie said
Starting at midnight, she also wants to try to set up a FKT in the Kungsleden trail in Sweden, trying to reach the end in less than 5 days. This trail is very special for Emelie, as she explains: “When I was 19 I used to work in the Saltoluokta mountain hut in the Kungsleden trail, and this is how it started my love for the mountains. In that time I didn’t know I would become a professional trail runner, so I’m very excited to see what my performance can be after all this time. I know it will be a very demanding and emotional journey”.
Kungsleden (King’s Trail) is a 450km hiking trail in the Swedish Lapland that hikers usually cross in 15 days. It starts in Abisko in the north and finishes in Hemavan in the South in a rather flat terrain: the highest point is the Tjäktja Pass at 1.150m and the lowest at Kvikkjokk (330m). However, the trail is challenging and not only implies running but also rowing, when crossing many of the rivers that crosses the Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve, one of the largest protected areas in Europe. The spectacularity and the wilderness of the aspects make it for a very popular hiking destination in summer and for cross country in winter.
Emelie will be uploading every day on her social media to communicate about her progress on the route. Later on, a video piece will be produced about her journey in the Kungsleden.
