Vidösternsimmet, live.

Twenty-two yellow buoys down a whole lake

An open-water swim the length of lake Vidöstern near Värnamo, organised by Värnamo Simsällskap, swum on Saturday 8 August in 2026.

Vidösternsimmet calls itself Sweden’s toughest open-water swim. The classic distance is the 21 km, first swum in 2011: about 21,500 metres from Osudden in the north of the lake to Sundet in the south, marked by 22 large yellow buoys roughly a kilometre apart. Since 2021 there is also the 42 km Viking, which adds an overnight 21 km swum northbound before the morning race back, and since 2018 a Non-Wetsuit class for experienced swimmers. The 6 km starts at Toftaholms Herrgård. Every distance finishes at Sundet, by Vittaryd/Dörarps hembygdsgård.

The 21 km is split into five legs between Osudden, Funtabo, Tånnö, E4:ans Camping, Ekens Camping and Sundet, with feeding at each and a floating station at Gyllene Rasten near the end. Follow boats patrol about one per kilometre; a raised arm calls one, a thumbs-up says all is well. Tånnö, E4:ans and Ekens are cutoffs, and a swimmer who misses one is taken out of the water. Wetsuits are mandatory in the main classes, and a lit tow buoy is required on the night leg of the 42 km.

A swimmer in the middle of a lake is invisible from the shore for hours. The organiser lists spectator places at Osudden, Funtabo, Tånnö badplats, E4:ans Camping, Toftaholm, Ekens Camping and Sundet. A swimmer who shares their Livebib link lets family open a page in a browser, with no app and no account, and see the position on the course line, the distance covered and a finish estimate, so they know which of those places to drive to next. When the signal from the water drops, the position is carried forward along the course and marked as estimated.