AXA Fjällmaraton (Literally: AXA Mountain Marathon) is a long distance race, considered the hardest and most important one-day mountain marathon in Sweden. The total route has a length of 43 km (27 mi) with a cumulative elevation gain of 2,100 meters and similar elevation loss. The race takes place between the mountain resorts Vålådalen and Trillevallen in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County since 2005. Until 2012 the race was known by the name Vértex Fjällmaraton.
Over time additional races have been added to the original Axa Fjällmaraton proper, currently:
In 2012-2014 Ottfjället upp was a vertical race to the peak of Ottfjället, but this was replaced by Vertical K to the peak of Åreskutan in 2015.
Winners
The course has changed over time in different ways so course records are not listed here. The fastest male winning times have been under 3 hours 30 minutes and female winning times just over 4 hours, so considerably slower than a normal asphalt marathon race.
Andreas Svanebo has won the race six times in seven starts and Emelie Forsberg three times in three starts. Forsberg's first win in 2009 is widely cited, including on CNN. She had borrowed a backpack from a friend and brought a chokolate mud cake that she had baked. Before the last big ascent she stopped for 20 minutes and ate the cake, got new energy and won the race. Two years later she was back, did not stop to eat en route and improved her time by 30 minutes. In 2014 the by then established world class runner Forsberg was back again and improved her time by another 30 minutes.