From dealing with elite athlets to organizing the customer service, Joakim Löfwing is a key element of the Midnattsloppet team since 2005. Today he talks about the summer race in Stockholm and answers RunAbroad.com's questions about the popular Swedish event.

Tell us something about the race we cannot find on the homepage of the event.
Since we are celebrating 30 this year will it be bigger, better and more fun then ever before. Our intends is to have some kind of entertaining each 300 metre along the course. Otherwise is the atmosphere fantastic with music, happenings, Masqueradecompetitors in funny clothes and all the runners dressed up in alike t-shirts.

Do you have a favourite mile? Have you run the races yourself in the past?
I ran the race for the first time last year. I do not have one favourite part, I have several. For example along the water with the boats, the "burning hill" up to Sofia church where a choir and hundreds of people welcomes you. The spots where people are sitting high up in their windows and cheer on you. The finish with loud music, cool lights and thousands of people etc.

Apart from a pair of shoes and a smile, what would you like runners to bring to the race?
They have to bring their participant dri fit t-shirt from NIKE which is involved in the startingfee and have to be on the whole race.

How many people are involved in the organisation of the event? How many runners do you expect for the next edition? How many from abroad?
We are 5 persons working fulltime during the whole year. And there are approximately 900 people helping us in connection with the race. 24 000 people is the maximum, and it will probably be sold out. The police estimate the crowd along the course to more than 100 000 spectators. The recent years have it been more or less 300 foreign runners from 20-30 different countries.

What is your favourite race (excluding the ones your organise)?
A race in Oslo called Holmenkollstaffetten. I think it is the biggest streetrelay in the world with more than 1000 teams. Every team holds 15 runners, which is running distances between 360 – 2800 metres. But organizers have also a singelclass for them who wants to run the whole distance (appr:17-18 km) by him/herself.

Read other 'interviews with a race director'.