Running the Swedish Riviera
22 km of narrow beachside paths, compact dirt trails, pine forests, and bracing oceanic winds along the Bjäre Peninsula.
The North Shore is the shortest race in the Kullamannen by UTMB® weekend — 22 km of trail along the Bjäre Peninsula starting from Skansen beach in Båstad. The race kicks off in the dark, ocean to your left, and winds north through a mix of beachside paths, dirt trails, natural reserves, and pine forests before looping back. It's flat enough to move fast (96m of gain) but varied enough to keep you entertained.
Below is everything you need to plan your trip, from flights to the mile-by-mile course breakdown.
SAS redeye from JFK. Landed Friday morning in Copenhagen with the whole day ahead — you lose a night of sleep but gain a full day in Scandinavia.
1 hour 45 minute drive from Copenhagen and it's a lovely one. You cross the Øresund Bridge into Sweden and then smooth highway along the coast.
Cute, family-friendly hotel with included dinner and breakfast. I overslept and missed breakfast — don't be me.
Drove straight to CPH and stayed overnight at the Clarion airport hotel after the race, Saturday. Literally right across the street from the airport for my Sunday morning flight to JFK, which was perfect.
- 70% off end-of-season sale — shops in town clearing out summer stock. Worth a browse.
- Church open with free fika and cookies — lovely surprise. Grab a coffee and a cookie.
- Walking-distance grocery store — easy to grab supplies without moving the car.
- Parking card — you'll need one for street parking. Check with your hotel.
- The chillest race. Line up just before the start, by your relative running speed.
- Burger bar right outside the expo — clutch for pre-race or post-race. I ate at least 3 burgers that weekend.
- Sticker for your drop bag. Bring your own bag — they don't provide one.
- Mandatory whistle — race requirement. Clip it and forget it.
- No vest — short enough to stuff water bottles into legging pockets. Kept things minimal.
Super chill. Get there 10 minutes before and you're golden. No corrals — arrange yourself by estimated speed. Low stress, Scandinavian efficiency.
Run right by the water. Gorgeous views, flat terrain, ocean to your left heading north. Enjoy it — this is the glamour section.
Forest trails, muddy post-rain. Bottlenecks on the steep bits where the path narrows. Be patient — you'll make up time later.
Out of the woods onto residential roads. Good spot to pass people if you got stuck in the trail section.
Back into the forest with less than half a dozen rolling hills. This is where you feel the race.
Grab what you need. If you're self-sufficient on hydration, a quick pass-through works fine.
Head back towards the coast. Beautiful but extremely narrow path for the first mile — causes jams. Watch for openings to pass.
Sandy section that's not easy to run on. Don't fight it — maintain effort, let the pace drop. It's short.
The only bathroom on course. Plan accordingly.
Making your way back to start. Road sections where you can really open up and pass people. If you've got something left, use it here.
Medal description coming soon — needs wordsmithing from plane notes.
