22.08.2025
Meet Anton Gustafsson
Anton Gustavsson is not only a dad and ultrarunner, but also one of Sweden’s strongest trail runners.He’s a three-time Swedish champion and this summer he topped it off with a win at KAT100 by UTMB in the 50k category.
This week, Anton is visiting us at Ski Lodge Engelberg, taking on the 56k Run Through Trail Engelberg while preparing for the Trail World Championships. Here’s his own story from the mountains – how he prepares for trail running, and a few tips along the way!
Over to you, Anton…
Training in Engelberg
I am currently on a training camp in Engelberg to run the Run Through Engelberg trail race and prepare for the Trail World Championships in September, where I will represent Sweden on the long trail (82km and 5400hm).
During this summer, I’ve already spent 5 weeks in the Alps to train, enjoy the vacation with my family, and compete in races. When we now planned another trip, it was important for us that it was at a location where I could enjoy nice and beautiful trails with a lot of elevation and at the same time had several fun things to do for our small kids. When we looked around for different options, we soon found Engelberg as a very suitable alternative that is also easy to travel to by train from Zürich.
Time in the Mountains
When I have the possibility to spend time in the mountains, I take the chance to do the training that is not possible to do in the flat parts of Sweden where I live. This means that I try to do long sessions of 90 minutes – 3 hours where I get long continuous up- and downhill running. Many people who are not used to trail running think that uphill is the hard part, but the truth is that it is the downhill that destroys the legs for most runners. Therefore, it is very important to get used to running these 500–1000 vertical meters downhill.
Now, the days before my race at Run Through Engelberg, I try to get a good understanding of the course by running 1/3 of the course each day during a three-day period.
Tips & Tricks
Another important thing when it comes to trail running compared to flat running is the things you bring on the run. No matter the weather, there are some things that I always bring when I run in the mountains: safety whistle, first aid kit, emergency blanket, water and energy, as well as some money (you never know when you want or need to buy something to eat or drink).
Thanks & Good Luck!
Big thanks to Anton for sharing his tips and trail wisdom with us here at Ski Lodge Engelberg. We’ll be cheering for him at the Trail World Championships – and can’t wait to welcome him back to Engelberg soon!
If you’re as inspired as we are, you can see Anton’s full trail running journey over on UTMB’s website — definitely worth a look! https://utmb.world/runner/5313170.anton.gustafsson
Pick Your Adventure
Run Through Engelberg isn’t just one course – it’s a festival of trails for every level. Whether you’re looking for a short, scenic run or a serious endurance challenge, there’s a distance for you! https://www.runthroughtrails.com/engelberg/
Looks like we’re in for some great running weather this weekend – you can check the full forecast on MeteoBlue: https://www.meteoblue.com/de/wetter/woche/engelberg_schweiz_2660902
See you on the trails!
