Your plan in four answers
Set for September 25, 2027, about 48 weeks out.
- Distances
- 30K, 15K, 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Field
- About 35,000 runners across the 2026 race weekend, with the 30 km sold out
- Taper starts
- September 13, 2027
Course
The Lidingöloppet course
Billed as the world's largest cross-country race and run since 1965, the 30 km starts at Koltorp and finishes on Grönsta gärde, winding across the island of Lidingö just east of central Stockholm. Flat meadows and gravel roads alternate with sloping forest paths and steep uphill pitches, adding up to 522 m of climbing over the 30 km.
Read the full course notes
The best-known hill is Abborrbacken, with about 5 km to go: just over 500 m long, with a section of around 12% early on and about 8% towards the summit. The 15 km has 254 m of climbing and the 10 km Rosa Bandet-loppet 209 m, so every distance is a genuine cross-country test. Runners start in waves through the day, and later 30 km groups face cut-offs at 15, 20, 23.8 and 27 km.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- 30K, 15K, 10K, 5K
- Field
- About 35,000 runners across the 2026 race weekend, with the 30 km sold out
- Weather on race day
- Late September in Stockholm is usually cool and fresh, around 9–16 °C, with a fair chance of rain that can leave forest paths muddy and roots slippery. Dress for the temperature at your own wave time, choose shoes with good grip, and drink at the stations even when it feels cool.
What to train for
With 522 m of climbing on mixed terrain, this course demands strength on the hills and confidence off-road.
Run weekly hill repeats of 6 to 10 x 1 to 2 minutes on a steep trail, and build long runs of 20 to 25 km on forest paths and gravel with as much climbing as you can find.
Save energy for Abborrbacken by finishing long runs with a hard climb in the last 5 km. Practise running downhill on trails too: quick, light steps on the descents will protect your legs for the final kilometres.
Sample week
A sample Lidingöloppet training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Hill repeats: 8 × 90 s up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 8–10 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 11 km with 6 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 16–19 km on hilly ground, steady effort on the climbs
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Lidingöloppet
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on September 25, 2027, your taper starts around September 13, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a training plan for the TCS Lidingöloppet (30K) on September 25, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Lidingöloppet training questions
How long should I train for the Lidingöloppet?
Most runners give a 30k twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Lidingöloppet course hilly?
Hilly. Billed as the world's largest cross-country race and run since 1965, the 30 km starts at Koltorp and finishes on Grönsta gärde, winding across the island of Lidingö just east of central Stockholm.
What is the weather usually like at the Lidingöloppet?
Late September in Stockholm is usually cool and fresh, around 9–16 °C, with a fair chance of rain that can leave forest paths muddy and roots slippery. Dress for the temperature at your own wave time, choose shoes with good grip, and drink at the stations even when it feels cool.
When should I start tapering for the Lidingöloppet?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on September 25, 2027, your taper starts around September 13, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Lidingöloppet training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.