Ran the Laugavegur race for the 4th time at 75 years old

75-year-old Jóhann Karlsson ran the Laugavegur race this weekend. He says that this is the last time he runs the Laugavegur race, which he has now done four times.

579 people took part in the race, with Jóhann taking 141st placeof all the competitors, but leading the race in the category of 70 years and older.

The Laugavegur run is a 55 km off-road race. The route connects Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk in the southern highlands of Iceland. Jóhann ran the distance in just under six and a half hours (6:29:31).

“I was now aiming to do that in a shorter time, but I’m quite happy with this,” Karlsson tells mbl.is.

Björn Tryggvasson finished second in the men’s group over seventy, in a time of 7:33:47 and Egill Guðmundsson was third in a time of 07:49:36.

Started in his early fifties

“When I was in my early fifties, I started running and have been running ever since, ” he says. “It was mainly to lose some weight because I was getting a little fat. Then I found out that I just enjoyed it.”

Karlsson has now run the Laugavegur race four times. First he ran the route in 2009, then again three years ago, then again two years ago and the fourth time yesterday. He says, however, that he is not sure he will run Laugarvegur again.

“I’m pretty skeptical that I’ll go back. I think I’m a bit old for this. It’s a bit of a challenge,” he says, but adds that he’s not going to stop running altogether at all.

“No, I think I’ll just go for a shorter run,” Karlsson concludes.