Since its premiere in 1965, 35 runners from seven nations have managed to win the men's 30-kilometer race at Lidingöloppet, with Kenya having the most victories by far, with twenty until 2013.

The first African winner was Chris Wade from South Africa, but competing for Fredrikshofs IF, who triumphed in the 1969 race. However, it was during the second half of the 1980s that Africa established itself broadly in the world elite, and following the victory of the Tanzanian Suleiman Nyambui in 1986, Douglas Wakiihuri became three years later the first Kenyan to win the race.

Wakiihuri won the 1987 World Championship marathon title in Rome and in 1989 spent half a year at Bosön, concluding his stay by winning the Lidingöloppet with a record time of 1:36:10. That year, IFK Lidingö increased the prize money and since then Kenya has dominated, having won 20 out of 25 races up to 2013. In fact, only Simon Robert Naali from Tanzania, the British runner Paul Evans, and our own Mustafa Mohamed have managed to break the Kenyan winning streak. Mustafa has the most victories (2003, 2004, and 2008) and Lewis Korir, who won from 2011 to 2013, is the only one to have achieved three consecutive wins.

Since its inception in 1965, Lidingöloppet has seen 35 runners from seven nations win the men's 30 km race. Kenya dominates with 20 victories by 2013. The first African winner was Chris Wade from South Africa in 1969. Kenya's dominance began in the late 1980s, with Douglas Wakiihuri winning in 1989 with a record time of 1.36.10. Other notable winners include Tanzania's Simon Robert Naali and Britain's Paul Evans.