Seeding system

This is how your start wave is determined

The seeding rules are in place to create balanced start waves and improve flow and accessibility along the course. Each start wave has a maximum number of participants. We base seeding on registered and approved qualifying results — the fastest runners start first, and the field fills up from there. See the image description below.

Runners will not receive their final start wave until seeding closes in spring 2026, after the last qualifying race. Your start wave will be stated in the start certificate, which is sent out 1–2 weeks before Göteborgsvarvet.

In Göteborgsvarvet, participants start in a large number of waves. The start takes place over a period of three hours, with each of the approximately 22 waves starting a few minutes apart. Which wave a runner is placed in depends on several factors, explained below.

Please note that adjustments to start waves and times may still be made closer to the race.

  • Where, when and how? Seeding rules - Göteborgsvarvet 2026


    Start field and start waves
    Runners with results from a qualifying race are given priority and start in the first part of the field. They are placed in order of their results, meaning the better the result, the earlier the starting wave. Runners without results from qualifying races start in the later part of the field.

    Start certificate
    The final starting wave for Göteborgsvarvet 2026 will be announced to all runners about 1-2 weeks before the race. The start certificate will then be sent via email.

  • Races approved for seeding Qualifying races - organized by Göteborgsvarvet

    Below list contains all races approved for seeding arranged by Göteborgsvarvet, which are valid for Göteborgsvarvet 2026. Runners who successfully completed one of these races automatically qualify for a start wave based on the result, no other registration is needed.

  • Races approved for seeding Qualifying results – races organized by external organizers

    If you have a result from another externally sanctioned* race that you would like to use, please provide this information in your registration at latest 26/4 2026, and it will also be considered. To be seeded in Göteborgsvarvet 2026, a result from an external race conducted between 26/4 2024 - 26/4 2026 is required, with the following maximum limits:

    Men:

    • 38:00 min - 10k
    • 1:46:00 h - half marathon
    • 3:55:00 h - marathon


    Women:

    • 41:00 min - 10k
    • 1:50:00 h - half marathon
    • 4:02:00 h - marathon


    *A sanctioned half marathon/marathon/10k is a race approved by the Swedish Athletics Association (or another national association), which ensures that approved timing methods have been used and the course has been accurately measured.

    Digital races not organized by Göteborgsvarvet are not eligible for qualifying.

  • Previous races Qualifying result


    Multiple qualifying results
    If you have two or more registered results from races approved for qualifying, it is always the best time that counts. You can never be placed in a start group further back.

    Without qualifying results
    If you do not have a qualifying result, you will be placed in the later part of the starting field. When you register, you will provide an estimated finish time and will be assigned a starting wave based on that in the later part of the field.

    How to get a qualifying result?
    By participating in Varvetmilen in the spring of 2026.
    If you complete Varvetmilen 2026, your result will serve as a qualifying time for Göteborgsvarvet 2026, and you will be automatically seeded. Your start wave will be presented in the start certificate, which will be sent out 1-2 weeks before Göteborgsvarvet.

  • Seeding races spring 2026 Varvetmilen 2026

    All results from Varvetmilen 2026 will be used for seeding purposes for Göteborgsvarvet 2026.
    Are you missing a seeding-qualifying result and want to take the chance to qualify for a better starting group at Göteborgsvarvet? 

    During spring 2026, Varvetmilen will be held at several locations on various dates. Regardless of the result you achieve, it will count as a seeding result for Göteborgsvarvet 2026. There is also an option to participate in the Digital Varvetmilen.

    In April 2026, Varvetmilen will take place in Jönköping, Malmö, Göteborg, and Sollentuna, and there is also the option to participate in the Digital Varvetmilen. Whatever result you achieve, it´s qualifying for seeding in Göteborgsvarvet 2026.

    Read more about Varvetmilen

  • Time limits

    You need to pass Frihamnspiren no later than 5:50 PM (13.3 km), Packhusplatsen at 6:05 PM (15 km), and Götaplatsen at 6:25 PM (17 km). The start takes place between 1:00 PM and 4:10 PM, so the maximum time allowed depends on which starting group you are placed in. You will need to maintain an approximate average pace of 7:30 min/km if you start in the last starting group. The finish line closes at 7:10 PM. (Cut-off times may be updated ahead of Göteborgsvarvet 2026).

    Runners who are not expected to meet the time limits must leave the course. Transport back to the finish area is provided, or you may continue on the pedestrian path. If you choose to proceed outside the official race, it is at your own risk. This is to allow traffic to resume as planned.

  • Disqualification

    A runner who starts in an earlier start group than what has been assigned to them for Göteborgsvarvet Half Marathon 2026 will be disqualified. Since 2018, all runners have their first name printed on their race bibs. A runner with another runner’s race bib is an issue of disqualification.

  • Running with a friend

    If you want to run with a friend, it is always allowed to move to a start group further back. You can do this without contacting us and it will affect your results. Note that this only applies when moving to a start group further back, moving to an earlier start group will lead to disqualification.

Final seeding 2025

In the table below, you’ll find the seeding outcome from Göteborgsvarvet 2025. Start waves 1–15 included runners with qualifying results, corporate package participants, and charity runners. Start waves 16–22 were assigned to runners without qualifying results.

When final seeding is determined in early May, runners with a new registration through a bib transfer and without a qualifying result will be placed in a non-seeded start wave with available space.

The exact seeding chart for Göteborgsvarvet 2026 will not be finalized until May 2026, after all seeding races have taken place. How many start waves will be seeded, and the qualifying time limits for each wave, will depend on how many runners choose to submit seeding results and what those results are.

Some adjustments to start waves and start times may also be made closer to the race.

The seeding chart will be updated for 2026. Some adjustments to starting groups and start times may be made closer to the race.
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