Adidas Stockholm Marathon 2026

It’s all about flow

Last year I sort of went out of my way to photograph the runners in Stockholm Marathon. Last year I still lived far away from the city, I had to take a bus and commuter train just to get into the city. I figured out where the most beautiful spot was – Royal Djurgården – at what time the first runners would be there, how I was supposed to get there since much of the traffic is stopped. I rented a bike just to get to the spot, not just because I wanted to photograph the marathon, it’s a nice bike ride from the city to Djurgården too. When I got to where I wanted to be I scouted the neighborhood for the best spot with the most green as a background and the nicest light. Did all kinds of preparations. The photos became good considering it was my first time photographing running.

This year, I took the elevator down to the street where the runners where passing by. I was watching the marathon on TV and saw that the runners were very close, unfortunately I missed the first male ones but got the rest of the fastest runners in the race.

The elevator was a bit slow and the runners where fast. As was the Adidas Stockholm Marathon itself, the track has been modified a bit so it’s a bit more difficult in the beginning with climbs but the ending is a bit flatter. So, the track of this years marathon was faster and flatter.

I had flow this year, I live on the same street as the marathon runners where running on. It all happened outside my window. It’s like when you have flow while running, everything just keeps happening in a very good way without too much effort from your side. At least that’s how it feels. I used to run earlier in my life, and I enjoyed it. Especially after the first kms when your body is still adjusting to moving in a different pace and just flow along the track.

I did not run on tracks, usually I ran along the water on the island I still live on. Besides being next to water it was simply beautiful, it’s still my favorite part here – Eriksdal and Årstaviken. Another favorite regarding running is running in darkness when the landmarks are not visible anymore, you just run not sure of how much distance have passed and how much is left. I guess that can be described as flow and being in the moment. So, I’ve reached those moments while running so I know a bit about running.

There was a refueling station on the street and a water station that sprayed water on the heated runners. The relief on their faces when they where cooled down by the water was something I wanted to capture. I also wanted to capture the runners feet. Apparently that’s a thing within running, as always I’m more into capturing emotions, which there where plenty of too. Despite all my preparations last year I had the wrong lens for capturing the feet, and face. Not this time since i used a zoom lens.

Flow is everywhere – when you’re running, when you’re working or when you’re photographing. Flow happens when you’re doing something you love and you hardly notice what you’re doing. There is a book describing flow, or I guess there are many but this is original.

Of course there was an amazing effort being made by the marathon runners. I don’t think I have ever been tempted to run a marathon which is 42 km, but Stockholm Marathon is a beautiful place to do it in and the temperature is just right at the right season.

Here are some of my tips for photographing, and editing, running, and sports in general:
Marathon photography is a fun change from the sports photography I usually do — there’s way more variety in light, location, and emotion since the race lasts for hours and covers 42 kilometers. The light can change in just a few meters since there are people, buildings and trees.

• Scout multiple locations, not just one spot. Unlike a stadium, the action moves through the whole city — start, scenic backdrops, hills, and the finish all give different stories. Think about how you want to portray the place and the runners efforts.
• Get low and shoot wide near the start/finish to capture the scale of the crowd, then switch to a longer lens further down the course for tighter, more intimate runner portraits.
• Watch the runners’ faces, not just their stride. Sports photography often rewards peak action, but in running it’s the expressions — pain, joy, focus — that carry the most emotion just as I like it, there’s so much emotion in sports.
• Use a fast shutter speed for sharpness, or try panning (slower shutter, tracking the runner) for a sense of motion and speed.
• Hydration stations, cheering crowds, and high-fives with spectators make for great candid, story-driven shots beyond just the runners themselves.
• Shoot the finish line over and over — exhaustion, relief, and celebration hit differently for every single person crossing.
• At water stations, look for the splash and the reach — the moment a cup tips, water catches light, or a hand stretches out mid-stride. It’s a small detail, but it ties the human effort to something elemental.
• Keep an eye on bib numbers in frame if runners might want to find and buy their own photos later — which you can if you want, just get in touch through the form.

Editing the photos regarding the colors proved to be a bit challenging. Running shoes are colorful, and I just had to de-saturate the shoes otherwise it would have looked strange since the running took place in city environment with not too many other strong colors. The trees that lined the street where just starting to get green so they had a subtle green colors. This color was absolutely the opposite of the neon green color the garbage bags from the matarhon had. Unfortunately Lightroom recognized both of the different hues of green as the same color, so if I wanted the trees be a bit more green I also got even greener garbage bags. Fortunately I could put a mask on the garbage bags and de-saturate them. Still impressed by the development of Lightroom, the masks for the colors where perfect. These are the things that might not visible when you look at a photo, but the editing takes some time if you want your photos to look good. While editing, you have to check the colors and decide what you want to show with your photos and if certain colors or motifs makes your vision more or less visible.

There’s also a lovely Latvian movie called “Flow” about a cat who stops being afraid of water. And, most of my products at HelenaTheSea.com are being produced in Latvia. Everything is connected. By water. Flow.

If you, or somebody you know, are featured among the runners and want a bigger and better copy of the photo – do get in touch and I’ll take care of it!