Runs in the family: racing around the coast of Sweden

Three days running and hiking on the stunning Bohuslän coast with my pre-teen son is joyfully exhausting

At the top of a steep path through a birch forest in western Sweden a middle-aged woman calls out “Välkommen!” with such warmth it’s as if we’re long-lost relatives being welcomed. We’re extremely happy to see her, too, and her trays of torn-up cinnamon buns, gherkins and crisps, the Swedish take on a pit-stop, which will power us on to the next feed station.

My 12-year-old son and I have come to the coast of Bohuslän, Sweden’s westernmost province, featuring a stunning archipelago of more than 8,000 islands stretching from Gothenburg to Norway, to take part in the Icebug Xperience. This is a three-day event in which participants either run or hike (or both) between 21 and 30km (13 to 18 miles) a day.