Your plan in four answers
Set for August 14, 2027, about 42 weeks out.
- Distances
- 10K, 5K
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Field
- About 35,000 runners across the evening's races
- Taper starts
- August 5, 2027
Course
The Midnattsloppet course
Midnattsloppet is the original 10 km loop of Södermalm, Stockholm's island district, run late on a Saturday evening in August since 1982. The 10 km starts on Ringvägen by Zinkensdamms IP, where Runners Corner opens at 18:00, and finishes on Hornsgatan, with waves leaving every five minutes from 21:10 until the last group at 23:20; the 5 km starts at 21:40.
Read the full course notes
Södermalm's streets are not flat, and the best-known climb is the steep rise towards Sofia kyrka, so expect a rolling route with a few short, punchy hills. The atmosphere is the draw: torches, music, samba bands and packed pavements as night falls over the city. Two water stations serve the 10 km, and the time limit is 90 minutes counted from the last wave.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Distances
- 10K, 5K
- Field
- About 35,000 runners across the evening's races
- Weather on race day
- Mid-August evenings in Stockholm are usually mild, around 14–19 °C at start time, often with light wind and the odd shower. Warm, humid days do happen, so on a muggy night start a few seconds per kilometre slower and save your push for the final kilometres. With a late start, plan meals and fluids through the afternoon rather than relying on the two water stations.
What to train for
A fast 10 km with short hills rewards strength as much as speed.
Once a week, run 8–10 x 45–60 seconds uphill at 5 km effort with a jog back down, and add a rolling 10–12 km run with the climbs at steady effort.
Rehearse the evening timing at least twice: normal lunch, a light snack three hours before, then 6–8 km including 3 km at goal pace around 21:00. Start your wave with restraint, because a crowded first kilometre and the climbs punish an early surge.
Sample week
A sample Midnattsloppet 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
- Intervals: 6 × 800 m at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 8 km
- Thursday Key session
- Tempo run on a rolling route, 8 km with 3 km comfortably hard
- Friday
- Recovery run, 5 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 11–13 km easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 5 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Midnattsloppet
Start the taper seven to ten 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on August 14, 2027, your taper starts around August 5, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Midnattsloppet Stockholm (10K) on August 14, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Midnattsloppet training questions
How long should I train for the Midnattsloppet?
Most runners give a 10k ten to twelve 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 Midnattsloppet course hilly?
Rolling. Midnattsloppet is the original 10 km loop of Södermalm, Stockholm's island district, run late on a Saturday evening in August since 1982.
What is the weather usually like at the Midnattsloppet?
Mid-August evenings in Stockholm are usually mild, around 14–19 °C at start time, often with light wind and the odd shower. Warm, humid days do happen, so on a muggy night start a few seconds per kilometre slower and save your push for the final kilometres. With a late start, plan meals and fluids through the afternoon rather than relying on the two water stations.
When should I start tapering for the Midnattsloppet?
Start the taper seven to ten 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 rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week. With the race on August 14, 2027, your taper starts around August 5, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Midnattsloppet 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.