· The Dalsland Canoe Marathon was first held in 2004
· It takes place on the second Saturday of August each year
· It covers a distance of 55km (34 miles) from Baldersnäs to Bengtsfors, passing through lakes including Laxsjön, Long Sword, Västra Silen and Lelång
· Children paddle a distance of 20.7km (12.8 miles) from Gustavsfors to Bengtsfors
· The race is divided into categories including elite canoeists, men and women, seniors, juniors, single and double canoes. A novelty for 2010 is that mixed couples have their own class
· The race is organised by Dalsland Tourism
· The Dalsland Canoe Marathon was the idea of Anders Bring, a local authority tourism manager, in cooperation with the tourism industry, to create an event to drive tourism in the area
· The event has an international field of competitors and attracts hundreds of entrants from outside Sweden. They come from counties including Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic, Poland, Netherlands and Britain
· Oslo Kayak Club in Norway is the club with the highest number of entrants
· A canoe and sports fair is held in connection with the marathon, enabling canoeists to check out the latest equipment and gear from Europe's leading retailers
· There are plans to develop the event in future with the introduction of Canoe Week, including races, seminars and lectures, preceding the Dalsland Canoe Marathon on the final Saturday
· Dalsland, one of the most accessible wilderness areas in Europe, is located two hours north of Gothenburg
For more information about the Dalsland Canoe Marathon go to www.kanotmaraton.se and for more information about visiting West Sweden go to www.westsweden.com
Press: For more information contact Ann-Charlotte Carlsson at the West Sweden Tourist Board on +46 (0) 730 21 21 14