Ski walking for hours to support cancer victims and their families

An ardous night of cross-country skiing is ahead for Einar Ólafsson and Óskar Páll Sveinsson, who plan to take their second year of skiing to support Ljósið, or The Light, an organization for people who have been diagnosed with cancer and their family members. They began their walk today at 16 PM and will walk until 10 AM tomorrow morning.

Last year was the first time Ólafsson and Sveinsson went ski walking for a good cause, but the 21st of December is the shortest day of the year and they walk until the sun rises on the 22nd of December.

Ski walking in the Hvaleyrarvatn area

Last year they walked in the Blue Mountains, the closest skiing area for Reykjavík but this year they will ski walk by Hvaleyrarvatn.

They have a facebook page for the event where Einar writes:
“Many are overcome by grief by the death of loved ones from debilitating cancer. We all know close relatives who have battled this devastating disease. My mother died of cancer and two of my siblings. My uncle is fighting a heroic battle against this vicious disease. Sveinsson, the second director of the podcast Skíðaganga – Gengið (Ski Walk – Walk), lost his mother to cancer when he was young and early last year he also lost one of his best friends, a man who often spoke about how much service and care he was getting in The Light. Sveinson’s idea was to do something in memory of our loved ones and connect it to skiing and helping the Light." 

Broke the Icelandic record last year

Einar Ólafsson was for a time the country’s leading skier and was the flag bearer for Iceland at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, but also competed in the Sarajevo Games in 1984. When he and Sveinsson joined the Light last year, he walked 202.9 kilometers in twenty hours with a stop, breaking the Icelandic record. Before that time the longest ski walk he had done was a 100 kilometers.

People are encouraged to attend and cheer on Sveinsson and Ólafsson. They can also participate and ski walk with them if they are motivated and are able to do so.