First Oslo to Bergen Trail Race Completed

Press Release / 21.07.2021

The new race lived up to its promise as the longest and most beautiful ultra in Norway. And the toughest!  (It is 515 km and 18,000 m ascent.) Of the 32 two or three person teams who started, only 7 reached the finish line within the deadline of 200 hours.

The route used trails and small paths, occasionally crossing terrain with no paths, to provide an uninterrupted experience of Norwegian nature: forests, lakes, river gorges, waterfalls, mountains and fjords. This was by no means the shortest route to Bergen, but certainly the most spectacular.

Five checkpoints were available where participants were offered a meal and the chance to sleep indoors. However, the clock never stopped ticking, and cut-off times along the way meant that many could not sleep for as long as they’d have liked… or needed.

Many participants were surprised right from the start on the outskirts of Oslo by the rough technical paths, and numerous teams pulled out or did not make the first deadline. The technical nature continued and the weather threw everything it had at the participants: from scorching sun to thunderstorms to freezing rain. Fog in the mountains also made navigation difficult, and the rough terrain provided little leeway for deviation from the prescribed GPS route.

The organizers have not yet decided when the next Oslo-Bergen race will be. Probably not 2022, maybe 2023… In the meantime, they encourage runners to recce the route and make the paths clearer for the next time!

Hopefully, by then it will also be possible for international participants to take part in this unique experience of Norwegian nature.

More information can b e found at: https://oslobergentrail.com/en/event_en/

And to get an impression of the trails see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQyEOpZiwMc