Who are SAFAT?
SAFAT is the Swedish Armed Forces' multi-sport team. The team includes specialist officers John Karlsson, Oskar Svärd, Malin Hjalmarsson and soldier Per Vestling.
What do you do and what is adventure racing?
We compete for 3 to 7 days, day and night with extremely little sleep. The main elements are cross-country running, mountain biking and paddling, often including some rope element and paddling in rushing water. We navigate between different checkpoints using a map and compass and are self-supporting from start to finish, that is, we pack everything we need before the competition starts. We also don't know how the track will go, as it is secret until the start.
What happens during the 23/24 season?
In 2023, the team competed in the world cup in adventure racing, ARWS. In May, the team managed to win the Adventure Race Croatia and now the focus is on the WC, Expedition Africa at the end of October.
What has made you a world champion team in adventure racing?
The team has competed for many years and gathered the experience necessary to win. We maintain a high level in all disciplines, are persistent and manage to stay focused all the way to the goal. We also carry out extremely careful preparations before the competitions in order to leave as little as possible to chance. In addition to this, we are good at problem solving and maintain a high level of navigation.
Why do you run in Topo?
The shoe we mainly use is the MTN Racer, which is a good shoe for long races. It is a good and spacious toe box, the heel grip is good and fantastic grip in the sole. Quite simply, Topo has good shoes that can withstand the extreme stresses we put them through.
