Learn English – How did the Swedish word “fartlek” make it to the English language running vocabulary

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This is a question originally from Fitocracy by ivh:

Btw, does anybody know how the Swedish word "fartlek" made it
into English running lingo?

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Best Answer

It doesn't appear to be a commonly known Swedish word, but rather a term coined for a specific purpose: Swedish coach Gösta Holmér developed the fartlek training method in 1937.

The method was introduced to the US in the 1940s, after two Swedes made it famous:

The system originated in the 1930s and was made famous in the 1940s by Gunder Hagg and Arne Anderson, who took turns lowering the world record for the mile [in 1942, 1942, 1943 and 1945] as they tried to break the barier of the magic 4-minute mile.

The earliest citation in the OED is from a 1952 Scholastic Coach:

The answer that finally emerged was ‘fartlek’—the Swedish system of training.

An earlier snippet dated 1950 from the American Athletic Journal (by the National Association of Basketball Coaches of the United States and American Football Coaches Association) has a note from the editor saying this training method is spreading globally:

"... For example, it has been proven that it is much better to run at a fast pace for shorter distances, with walking and resting intervals and continued repetition, than it is to jog for too long a time at one pace, since excessive jogging will develop only a jogger and not a runner." (This was written ten years ago, but where may one find a better description and justification of the new training method, Swedish "Fartlek" or speed-play, which is now receiving such worldwide attention -Ed.)

And a book called Fartlek: The Swedish Distance Training Technique, from Track & Field News, March-Sept., 1949 was published in Los Altos, California. Contents:

Swedes alter distance training rules, by C. Nelson.--Fartlek, by G. Holmer.--More about Fartlek, by F. Wilt.--More about Fartlek; why Fartlek is successful, by C. Nelson.--More on distance training, by C. Nelson.--Swedish distance training schedules, by C. Nelson.

The technique was further described in American and British running and physical education publication in the fifties.

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