Norseman Ballot Numbers Explode for 2027 Race
The number of athletes trying to get into the famed Norseman XTri World Championship has more than doubled for 2027, with the median age dropping by four years and the number of women applying for the lottery nearly tripling.
Mountaintop Finish Dream Becomes Triathlon’s Toughest Race
At the turn of the century, triathlon in Norway was almost non-existent. One of those, Hårek Stranheim, a Telemark native, figured there were, at best, nine Norwegians who completed a long-distance triathlon race in 2000. Determined to build a uniquely Norwegian event, Stranheim came up with a course that would take athletes on a unique journey through Norway’s most beautiful nature and a race where the experience meant as much, if not more, than the finish line. His home peak, Gaustatoppen, was the obvious finish line – a look at a map led to a start in Eidfjord, on Hardangerfjord, followed by a spectacular bike that would cross the Hardangervidda plateau. Stranheim was surprised to find that the course naturally added up to 226 km (140.6 miles) – a typical full-distance.
The first Norseman event took place in 2003. There were 21 athletes on the start line. Half were doing their first triathlon. The 19 who reached the top of Gaustatoppen received black t-shirts. Stranheim was one of those – once he reached the top, he took over manning the finish line from the rest of his family. Also taking part that day? Fredrik Mandt, the current race director and Ben Olav Olsen, who would found the Oslofjord Triatlon Club, for a long time Norway’s largest triathlon club. You can read more about their stories below.
The format hasn’t changed over the years – the race has just become more popular. The day begins with athletes jumping off a ferry into the cold waters of the Hardangerfjord for the 3.8 km (2.4 mile) swim. They follow that with a 180-km (112-mile) bike and a 42.2 km (26.2 mile) run. All told they’ll complete over 5,000 m of climbing. Every athlete brings their own support crew – a critical component of a successful Norseman effort. The first 160 runners to reach the 37 km point continue to the summit of Gaustatoppen to earn a black shirt. The rest finish below the mountain and earn a white shirt.
Stranheim and Mandt lead the management team of the Norseman, and under their guidance the race has steadily grown. The ultimate vision is to make the Norseman race the “Tour de France” of triathlon. It has already sparked an entire genre of racing – it is the founding event of extreme triathlon. Celtman and Swissman came in 2012 and 2013, and now the XTRI World Tour includes 13 full-distance races with the Norseman as the world championship.
2027 Lottery Explodes
The demand for one of the coveted entries to the Norseman race exploded this year, with 16,033 athletes entering the lottery before it closed on Sunday, Oct. 11. That’s more than twice as many as last year (7,956). When all is said and done, roughly 335 start slots will be allocated, with an expected 250 athletes hitting the startling for next year’s race, which will take place on Aug. 7, 2027.
“The level of interest is both exciting and challenging,” says Mandt. “We would love to say yes to everyone, but unfortunately many will be disappointed. We have great respect for the commitment behind every entry, and we understand the disappointment of those who do not secure a place.”
Younger athletes are being drawn to the event, too, with the median age of those getting a ballot dropping from 38 to 34. This year the number of female entrants (1,907) has almost tripled (there were 652 on the ballot list last year).
“These developments are not accidental,” says Mandt. “We have specifically worked to reach younger athletes and encourage more women. It is particularly rewarding to see that these efforts are producing clear results.”
There are athletes from 110 different countries who are trying to enter next year’s race, up from 100 last year. While Norway remains the event’s largest market (7,176 entered the lottery), international interest grew by 78%. After Norway, Great Britain had 1,740 entrants, France had 1,074, the United States had 1,045 and Germany had 785.
“Norseman is deeply rooted in Norway, starting in the Hardangerfjord and crossing some of the country’s most spectacular and unpredictable landscapes. At the same time, it has become a truly international event. Seeing such strong growth both in Norway and internationally is very encouraging,” says Mandt.
Norseman 2.0
Race organizers are calling next year’s race Norseman 2.0 because, to improve safety, traffic will be reduced, with parts of the course closed to traffic for non-accredited vehicles. That means cutoff times will be tightened – based on the new cutoff times, 12 athletes who finished last year’s race wouldn’t have been allowed to start the run course. Here’s how the new cutoff times look for the 2027 event:
| Location | Time after race start |
|---|---|
| Swim exit | 1 h 50 min |
| T1 exit | 2 h |
| 16 km Vøringsfossen | 3 h 15 min |
| 36 km Dyranut | 4 h 25 min |
| 90 km Geilo | 6 h 10 min |
| 135 km Start Imingfjell climb | 8 h 20 min |
| 180 km Austbygde | 10 h 30 min |
| T2 exit | 10 h 40 min |
| 20 km Miland (to get white finisher t-shirt) | 13 h 15 min |
| 25 km Start Zombie Hill (to get white finisher t-shirt) | 13 h 55 min |
| 37 km Stavsro (to get black finisher t-shirt) | First 160 athletes within cut-off time. No athletes continue toward 42 km Mount Gaustatoppen after 14 h 30 min. If the mountain is closed for safety, the first 160 reaching the mountain checkpoint before 14 h 30 min get the black t-shirt. |
| 37 km Stavsro (to get white finisher t-shirt) | 16 h 30 min |
| 42.8 km Bygget (white finish line, to get white finisher t-shirt) | 17 h 30 min |
“Norseman will remain a small and highly personal race. The enormous interest does not change what Norseman is ultimately about: ordinary people preparing to accomplish something extraordinary,” says Mandt.
Ballot Announcement
The ballot announcement for next year’s race will take place on the Norseman YouTube channel at 20:00 CEST (14:00 EDT) on Wednesday 21 October.
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All I can say is wow…There must be someway in which they can begin to monetize the demand for this race. Seems a pity to have such demand with so few winners, for them and the athletes…
It’s Norway, not the US. Not everything is about monetization.
Of course, people do all sorts of things for different reasons. But it cost money to put on the race, it cost money to enter it, to go to it, people have to make money to continue to produce it, unless the laws of economics aren’t the same in Norway as other places..Just think perhaps all parties involved could now take advantage of the diamond in the rough they have built. Not saying turn it into the Boston marathon, but figure something out that lets more in..
They make enough money and the field size is part of the charm. Turning it into another overcrowded, corporate, sponsor-infested race with a more-more-more attitude would ruin this event.
There are so many bottlenecks - the ferry, the run course, the places where support cars can stop safely, and these are just the ones I could think of - ain’t gonna happen.
Also, the EUR 180k or so they’re making in entry fees alone is not a small amount if you don’t set up aid stations, don’t require road closures and you don’t have to pay IM license fees, while your race gets so much publicity that sponsor revenue is significant (is what I’m guessing).
the issue is why is there car support in a tri…
let the folks carry their gear and food in a backpack. even the ironman branded prince and princesses dont have a support car ( well apart from the prince of Bahrain lol ) … for the “though guys” we certainly dont need one.
btw does norseman charge license fees for other x tri sereis races ?
Man, I thought I was lucky to get a spot in 2014 when there were maybe, I don’t know, 1500 people signing up for the lottery. It’s an incredible race.
I’m not suggesting that they do this (the event is what it is because of them), but some of these are easily remedied.
Swim from town, aid stations instead of support vehicles, limit the black shirts to what the mountain can handle and let everyone else do the low course.
Norseman has become famous because of how things are organized. There’s no need to make fundamental changes (apart from things like the traffic flow as of next year). Having a support team makes it a team effort which greatly enhances the experience, both for the athlete and the support team. It’s not about an enormous starting field nor about money. If you want to change Norseman it’s simply not for you.
I put above that I don’t think they should do it. But if they were going to increase the amount of athletes, then that’s how you’d do it.
I started signing up for Norseman 5 years ago. I missed out and got Celtman on the first ballot. The charm of the racing is the small fields and the team effort with the support crew/car. After 20+ IMs it was a new experience to have my family so involved on race day.
I missed out again on the Ballot again this year. Next year I’ll have 6 entries. But I think I’ve got enough Xpoints for Swissman. This year my wife wants to be my support for the final run… Xtri just has a unique experience that can’t be compared to regular racing. Friends and family want to be involved. I still remember the RDs and about 10 guys I met on course at Celtman. Diluting the field takes that community away… I’m happy to wait another 4 years if I have to.
Exactly. And if you prefer American-style corporate racing, you still have the option to make your Maurten move on a Hoka One One run course with 2000 like-minded athletes at a Salomon Ironman race, brought to you by Precision Fuel Hydration. You kn…[sudden commercial interruption]
I love to watch the summary videos of Norseman,etc but I don’t quite like the trail mountain running at the end of these races.. it’s not that I couldn’t handle it having grown up in the alps, it’s just that I prefer to have a proper rolling/flat run course off the back of a hard bike. That’s why I really liked Evian-les-Bain for example and would love to do Embrunman but keep my hands off AlpsMan. Voluntary low course finisher, who’s with me?
embrunman would the the only tri ever , I would ask myself road bike or tt bike lol
I was always team embrunman, never norseman as I really do not like the idea to have a support car, ok actually I love the idea to have a support person as iam mentally weak, but its totally silly to do a tri with a support car.
I’d opt for road bike for sure. I did Evian last year on a tri bike and it was the wrong decision; those alpine roads really don’t give enough space for aero advantage and the climbing over 4500m elevation just sucks.. I also had backwheel issues for the first 60km which took out a lot of me but in any case it was a hard long day on the bike that only got tougher due to the tri bike. Stupid decision by me. If I ever do a race with that much elevation (3500-5000m elevation) I definitely opt for the road bike. Wonder how people do it at the Alpe d’Huez tri.