I raced there in 2018, flying from the east coast US. You should be able to fly to Stockholm and then to Kalmar. That said, we flew to Stockholm and then got a van and a driver to take us to Kalmar and then same to get back and spend a few days in Stockholm before driving home. Admittedly I have no idea how much that cost. I think it was about 5 hours. We turned it into a big family trip since I have family there near Stockholm who we had never met so if I were traveling there alone I'd probably do the extra flight. Or just rent a car. The roads in Sweden seemed comparable to roads in the US and while I didn't drive there I wouldn't be worried to. Possibly also look and see if there are any travel companies that service the race and maybe have some options getting you from Stockholm.

It's a fantastic race and a really great venue. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Yes a bit of a pain to get to but totally worth it.

Öresundståg is the train that goes between Copenhagen and kalmar and I'm fairly sure you are allowed to take your bike on it. There are special carriages for the bikes. A bit uncomfortable seats but when I moved from kalmar to another city between there and Copenhagen I moved three bikes on the train. I think you have pay a child's ticket for each bike though...

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I've done this race twice. Both times I flew from the U.S. west coast to Copenhagen, via Heathrow. The train from Copenhagen to Kalmar is usually pretty easy. If you have a really large bike box you'll need to stow it in one of the cars that has space for extra cargo. I think you can buy a train ticket that includes a bike but that's typically for bike commuters. A bike as luggage seems to be a grey area.

This most recent trip I did have a very full train. But the train ride is cheap ($35?). So if you need to reschedule it won't kill you.

Check your flights and connections to see when you'll get to Copenhagen because the train ride is another 3.5 hours. You'll probably need to register for the race the next day because you'll get into Kalmar late. Keep in mind the race is on Saturday, not Sunday.

Final note: there are only 3 hotels within walking distance of the race, and Nirvana buys them all out. So you're pretty much stuck with booking through them at their prices (book early!). That being said, Nirvana can also help you out with the airport-to-Kalmar stuff, so check with them.

Scandinavian Airlines have stopped the regional flight from Arlanda down to Kalmar. It was popular and profitable but they have had to tighten their belts. Hence the options are now to fly into Copenhagen and either take the train or hire a car. A bike box either side of the race is not going to be an issue on the train. While the train is easy, you're then a bit stuck in Kalmar for the duration. A car will allow you to drive the bike route, explore Småland and Öland which is well worth considering. The main city on Öland, Borgholm, is where the royal family have their summer residence, and while the old castle ruin is a fun few hours, the south and the north of the island have some great nature trails. The island is also popular with artists and there are plenty of outlets to explore.

Alongside the many AirBnB options, many campsites have small huts that you can stay in. These may be rather basic but a cheap option compared to the race hotels.

You can also take a bus between Kalmar and Stockholm but it takes longer than the train from Copenhagen.

When I did the race in 2018 we vacationed afterwards. Took the bus to Stockholm post-race and dropped off the bike in storage at the airport.

For this year we were visiting the UK first and racing at the end. So I left the bike at Heathrow, then grabbed it and flew to Copenhagen, train in to Kalmar, reverse to go home.

I flew into Copenhagen and took a train to Kalmar with my bike box from the U.S. It's a very easy/simple journey.

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My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."

Trains in Denmark are generally pretty bike friendly. So the train from Copenhagen to Kalmar should be fine. One thing to double check if you connect through Stockholm for flights, there are two airports, Arlanda which is international and in the boonies about 55min from town, and a domestic airport right downtown. Make sure that you double check where your connection to Kalmar flies out of, and if it's the other airport, make sure to bank for the travel between the two when planning itineraries.

Rental cars in Europe are generally a reasonable option, but know that many of them are standard, and if you're not comfortable driving stick, you usually need to go at a bit of a premium level to guarantee an automatic. The prices are still not bad, and Sweden is pretty driver friendly. As others have mentioned, you can also get a quote from Nirvana for hotel and potential airport transfers and see how that compares to flying/training/renting a car to Kalmar.

The only thing I would say about rental cars in Europe is many are quite small and can be a challenge for a bike. I have been caught out where they gave me a small car and said they didn't have anything bigger even though I asked for an large vehicle. The small car was a lexus though.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

The one issue with renting a car in Europe is that it can sometimes be tough to get an suv, and those you get will still be on the small side compared to the U.S. If you have a large bike box, make sure you're familiar with the model of car or suv that you reserved so you know there will be enough room.

Not to Kalmar, but I raced IM Norway four years ago. We left home on a Monday night flight for a Sunday race in Haugesund.

We flew Boston --> London --> Copenhagen on day one. We then stayed in the hotel at the Copenhagen airport, which had an AMAZING breakfast (or, at least did pre-Covid).

On the Wednesday morning we flew to Stavanger, in Norway, and then had to take a 30 minute shuttle-bus to the downtown bus station, where we literally caught a bus to Haugesund by a matter of minutes. The bus ride was around 2 1/2 hours, going in tunnels under several fjords and across one fjord via ferry, and we arrived at the race venue around 40 hours after leaving home. We stayed at the race hotel Wednesday-Monday, and it was nice to have a home base. Arriving in Europe to adjust to the time change around five days prior to the race worked out well - got the KQ I was aiming for.

I had about eight months to look at everything and carefully plan things out. I traveled with my wife and two kids (6 and 3 at the time). We had my bike box, two large Away suitcases, a stroller, booster seat, car seat, a pack-n-play, and each of us had a backpack. Lots of gear, but it ended out working out well.

The only snag I ran into was on the return trip. We flew back to Copenhagen and I had planned to leave my bike at a storage facility in the Copenhagen Airport. Problem was when I arrived with my box it was permanently closed! Luckily, I wheeled the bike back to the hotel we had stayed in the week prior, and they agreed to hold my bike for the week we were travelling in Germany and Denmark. I would have taken the bike along, but rental cars in Europe (and we rented the biggest available van) aren't the size of vans in the US, and it wouldn't have worked.

I'd say just go over things slowly and figure out options. Always allow more then than needed for connections and other travel related logistics.

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