Riksmarschen

The Riksmarschen was a competition in exercise sports in Sweden during the 1940s.

The origin was a general desire to strengthen the people's health and sense of country during the Second World War. It began in 1940, and many  of Sweden's cities and municipalities competed against each other. 

The organizer was the Swedish Pedestrian Association and the entry fee was 25 öre. The ladies walked 10 km and the men walked 15 km.

In 1941, Finland wanted to participate and compete against Sweden. 1.5 million Finns stood up against almost a million Swedes and won a crushing victory. It was a resounding success, but interest waned in the following years and eventually died out. 

In the 1990s, attempts were made to resume the national march in favor of cancer research.

Thanks Frans