IKEA fights cancer

We are planning for another type of race 2023, so we will not organize a trip to Göteborgsvarvet. Please sign up for yourself if you want to participate in the race in Gothenburg.

Last year over 400 colleagues joined Göteborgsvarvet, a half marathon in Gothenburg when we run in the fight against cancer. The race was open for IKEA co-workers located in Älmhult.

Why Göteborgsvarvet?

IKEA Fights Cancer was introduced in 2018 and the purpose is to focus on health and wellbeing through regular physical activity and to raise money for cancer research. Since the start in 2018, almost 400 IKEA employees have crossed the finishing line in the Gothenburg shipyard and collected more than SEK 150,000 for cancer research. Since the current event has been postponed, we decided to go big. A virtual event that will host all IKEA units in Sweden.

The story behind

I got diagnosed with myeloma in 2012 which is cancer in my bone marrow, and it is so far incurable. I did a stem cell transplantation it was hard for me and a quite long rehab to get back in good condition. Then I had Vasaloppet as a goal and it took 2.5 years to manage. Physical activities are the only thing I can do by myself to keep my body in a good shape to manage my coming medical treatments in the best way. Because of that my disease is chronic I need to do medical treatments long the way rest of my life to keep my cancer down.

When I in 2017 got the message that I needed to do a new stem cell transplantation with the stem cells I had left, and with my earlier experiences, I knew that I must have a challenging goal to manage my recovering. The most realistic goal for me was Göteborgsvarvet 2018. At the same time, I informed my colleagues about my condition and I challenged them to run Göteborgsvarvet with me and I got a heavy response. It was spread outside my department and it grew more than I could imagine to the whole IKEA in Älmhult. With this support, it was a big opportunity to invite people to donate money to Berta Kamprads Cancer Foundation for supporting cancer research.

The feeling I had during the race was fantastic – with yellow IKEA Fights Cancer t-shirt everywhere, music in every corner, cheering people and the satisfaction when passing the finish line was very good, I will say. 2019 we did it again, with a lot more runners, and I am very proud and grateful to you who will join IKEA Fights Cancer group and run/walk Göteborgsvarvet in coming years.

Kind Regards, Ulf Johansson

How can I best prepare for the run?

Preparation is everything. In our Get ready to run! section you can follow an overall planning for an optimal running training until Göteborgsvarvet.

FAQ

Click here to find out more about some frequently asked questions.

Let´s do this!

Together we can make a difference! Support by swishing any amount to the Berta Kamprad Foundation. Every penny makes a big difference in the fight against cancer. Thank you for your support!

Swish: 1231669183
BG: 5238-1795
Märk: G2022

Start-up meeting 2022
On 9 February, 2022, we had an online start-up meeting about Göteborgsvarvet. Did you miss it? You will find the PowerPoint from the meeting here.