Idrettslaget Runar is a Norwegian sports club from Haukerød in

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sandefjord ...

. It has sections for

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

. It was established on January 7, 1949.

Athletics

Its athletics section is known for its prominent long-distance runners. Olympic competitors

Gunhild Halle Haugen Gunhild Haugen (née Halle; born 1 June 1972) is a retired Norwegian long-distance runner who specialized in the 5000 and 10,000 metres. She is the daughter of Per Halle, who was her coach as well. Haugen represented IL Runar. In 5000 m she fin ...

and Marius Bakken represented IL Runar, and so did Susanne Wigene for a limited period. Local rivals in both handball and athletics are

Sandefjord TIF Sandefjord Turn- og Idrettsforening is a sports club in Sandefjord, Norway. The club has activities in basketball, handball, orienteering, athletics, skiing, volleyball, gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exerci ...

Handball

The men's handball team currently plays in the first league of Norwegian handball, and was relegated from the first league in 2006–07 season, but they soon returned to the first league again. Runar won the highest league in the seasons 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1999–00. They also won the

Limburgse Handbal Dagen The Limburgse Handbal Dagen / Limbourg Handball Days is a handball tournament organized since 1988 in Limburg (Netherlands), especially in the cities of Sittard, Geleen and Beek. The tournament lasts for 3 days with teams from Europe, Africa and A ...

in 1998, where they defeated Sporting Toulouse 31 with 29–28 in the final.

Football

The men's football team currently plays in the 4. divisjon, the fifth tier of the

Norwegian football league system The Norwegian football league system, or pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Norway. 2017 system in men's football , the current national league system administered by the NFF is organised as 1–1–2–6, where ...

. They have never played in the top tier, but had its last stint in the

1. divisjon The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon () and OBOS-ligaen (due to sponsoring ties with OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are promo ...

(second tier) in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, with players like Morten Fevang who later became a significant player in the top division and captain of

Odd Grenland Odds Ballklubb, commonly known as Odd, is a Norwegian professional football club from Skien. Originally the football section of a multi-sports club, founded in 1894 nine years after the club's founding. Most sports other than football and gymnast ...

. In late 1998, Runar formed the elite football team

Sandefjord Fotball Sandefjord Fotball, often referred to simply as Sandefjord, is a Norwegian professional football club founded on September 10, 1998. The team currently competes in Eliteserien, the top division of the Norwegian football league system, and plays ...

with local rivals

Sandefjord BK Sandefjord Ballklubb is a Norwegian football club from Sandefjord, currently playing in Norwegian Fourth Division, the fifth tier in the Norwegian football league system. The club was founded on 27 February 1917. Their home matches are played at ...

, in an attempt to take Sandefjord back to the top level of football in Norway.History (Sandefjord Fotball official site)
The plan succeeded, as Sandefjord Fotball, as of the 2019 season, have been playing in the top flight in 7 out of the last 14 seasons.

Recent men's football seasons

References

External links

Official site
Sport in Sandefjord Handball clubs in Norway Football clubs in Norway Athletics clubs in Norway Multi-sport clubs in Norway 1949 establishments in Norway Sports clubs and teams established in 1949 {{norway-footyclub-stub