A home victory was the icing on the cake for an otherwise fantastic event.
Everyone who was aware in one way or another that a running race was going to take place in Trollhättan on July 18, perhaps the hottest day of the year, was also aware that it would require extra care. The organizers had set up extra fluid stations, and the spectators probably had the same idea. Along the course, there were, as usual, kind souls offering drinks and cold showers, sometimes perhaps unintentionally, but nonetheless necessary. Kraftprovet would like to thank everyone who helped out with water!
As soon as the children's, kids' and junior races had their award ceremonies, the starting gun went off for the Slussprovet, a half Kraftprov. There were surprises on both the women's and men's sides, with reports of course records in record heat. This perhaps signaled that the heat would not be as much of a factor as had been expected.
The men's finish in the Kraftprovet tends to trump the women's, as they usually cross the finish line first, making it even more spectacular when the first man crosses the finish line, especially for the third year in a row. Senay Amlesom Fissehatsion took his third consecutive victory in the race. Throughout the race, he was accompanied by David Nilsson, and they took turns leading, but in the final stretch, Senay pulled ahead on his own. Mohammadreza Abootorabi came in third.
Today's extra source of joy was that Malin Agervig Kristiansson, from Trollhättan, was the first woman to cross the finish line. She is an experienced and accomplished runner, and her first statement after her victory was that it was a dream that had finally come true. Hanna Lindholm took second place ahead of Angelica Karlsen, who both had a sprint finish on the home stretch, much to the delight of the crowd.
Fredrik Pommer Adler, who was in charge of media production during the races, summed it all up with a little reflection. "It's always fascinating to photograph people. In everyday life, we photograph everything from portraits to workshops and food. Being present and photographing sporting events is a genre in itself. When people push themselves to the limit, exhaustion meets joy, it's beautiful to see the look in the eyes of someone who has exceeded their own expectations, the pride, that's one of the reasons we look forward to being there every year. We love seeing people doing fun things together and being happy, from officials and runners to the generous audience.
Kraftprovet would like to thank all the hard-working runners, the fantastic crowd, all the generous sponsors, and our hard-working officials!
Full results are available here >
See you next year!
