News

This is not for you.

The race is not for everyone. It’s for the determined, the persistent, the stubborn, the lucky 250 people selected every year from the thousands and thousands of hopeful applicants.

But.

The Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon and World Championship in xtreme triathlon might appear less daunting this year, with calm waters, pleasant temperatures in Eidfjord, and a breathtaking sunset. However, don’t be deceived, Mount Gausta remains as unforgiving as ever.

Who will jump from the ferry, and how to follow the race live?

At Norseman, we’ve always been driven by a passion for innovation and excellence in all that we do.

Nadya is from Ukraine. Her preparations towards Zalaris Norseman 2022 were challenging. The people from Ukraine are still fighting for their right to be a free country. How can our small race be important during a war in your country? Nadya will explain and inspire. Norseman is for you, Nadya.

Nothing is ever straightforward in the mountains – and if competitors in the 20th anniversary Zalaris Norseman race thought they were in for an easy ride, they quickly learned that wasn’t to be the case.

Now it`s for real. You can`t hide anymore. It`s time to get into the spotlight and prepare for the jump.

The Norseman media team met the organizers of Formosa Xtreme Triathlon in Eidfjord, ahead of the Zalaris Norseman and XTRI World Championship 2022. If you are looking for a XTRI race that will make you cry at the finish line then listen to our chat with Roann and Jovi.

Formosa Xtreme Triathlon also gives you…

We will not hold your hand, but we want to share knowledge, no nonsense advice and to prepare you for the Norseman experience. Zalaris Norseman and XTRI World Championship is located at the same latitude as Anchorage in Alaska. Third episode out, preparing for Mt. Gausta.

Norseman contacted deboer because we wanted to join our respective knowledge into developing the next generation of cold water wetsuits, to make the Zalaris Norseman and swimming in cold water safer.

We will not hold your hand, but we want to share knowledge, no nonsense advice and to prepare you for the Norseman experience. Zalaris Norseman and XTRI World Championship is located at the same latitude as Anchorage in Alaska. Second episode out, dressing for the bike leg.

The Norseman media team met Stuart McInnes, CEO of XTRI World Tour, for a coffee (of course) in Eidfjord ahead of the Zalaris Norseman and XTRI World Championship 2022. The XTRI World Tour consists of 16 races with different landscapes and cultures but with one thing tying them together, the extreme.

An new XTRI World Tour…

We will not hold your hand, but we want to share knowledge, no bullshit advice and to prepare you for the Norseman experience. Zalaris Norseman and XTRI World Championship is located at the same latitude as Anchorage in Alaska. First episode out, swimming in cold water. 

Jon Sæverås Breivold, 2 X XTRI World Champion, did his first ever triathlon 2 years ago at Ironman Tallinn. Breivold had no triathlon merits in his belt and he was placed in the last start group, 30 min behind the front pack. He ended up winning Ironman Tallinn, not only his age group, but overall,…

Hårek Stranheim, General Manager of Norseman, teamed up with Arild Tveiten at a beach in Oslo in Norway.
Arild is the Sports Director and Head Coach at Norwegian Triathlon Federation and he is now looking
forward to getting his athletes back from the long distance circus after this weekend.

There is no athlete that comes to Norseman without already having a long journey of training and hard work behind them. When the media team sat down with 26-year-old Scottish athlete Eilidh Prise ahead of the 2022 race though, we knew we had found someone special. Instead of following a training plan she goes on…

It was cold and windy, and warm and cozy. You would expect no less of Norseman. So this is a short recap of the race, seen through the eyes of our Safety Director. 

Raw emotions, tough conditions and an incredible new course record at Norseman 2022

From early morning to late night. We will be there all day on race day.

During the course of my Ph.D. journey, I have done several studies. Three of them I included in my Ph.D. thesis. I have learned several lessons. In the following, I will focus on some of the Norseman-related learning points of my thesis.

In August 2015, our Safety Director Jørgen Melau was standing by the shoreline in Eidfjord. The water temperature was 10 degrees Celcius, and the Norseman safety director was pondering whether it was safe to expose 250 athletes to the 3.8 km swim in such cold conditions.

… here it comes. You can´t hide, we´re gonna find you.

– based loosely on The Fugees.

Together with our sponsors and partners, we have made ten (10) more slots available for Norseman 2022. We have used these as a fundraiser for our partner, Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Who got the start slots? The answer is here!

We are very proud to present this years Norseman Film, UNTOLD.

For some, the longest Norseman wait now finally has an end date, but others will have to wait a little longer.

The XTRI World Tour is a journey of amazing extreme triathlons in unique and spectacular places, where the richness of culture is tangible.

Norseman 2021 is over.
Seen from a medical perspective, we did have some incidents. But, for the most part, things went relatively well. Still, our medical team assessed several athletes, and we forwarded a few to more definitive care.

– Undoubtedly, the hardest thing I have ever done, says Jon Breivold, who was the fastest in today’s Norseman. Julie Aspesletten ensured Norwegian victory amongst the women.

The Norseman Research Team recently published a new study. The study was based on core temperatures measured during the Norseman swim in 2017, 2018, and 2019. We measured the core temperature up to one hour after the swim to see if we could identify an after-drop among the 51 athletes that were tested.

Triathletes from all over the world were planning to jump in August. A pandemic changed that.

Due to travel restrictions related to the pandemic, we now have a few available slots for people residing in Norway.

Based on data collection from the summer of 2019, our research team completed another research project last summer. Based on this, a new study taking a closer look at krill oil and race distance was published in Frontiers in Nutrition. The study was a collaboration between the Norseman research team and our partner researchers at…

As you hopefully know, the Norseman has survived 2020, even though no event took place. This is only possible due to the loyalty and support of sponsors like Zalaris, Renault, Bunde Gruppen and all our other partners, as well as you, the athletes and supporters that breathe life into this great race year after year….

Monday November 2nd, we´re bringing together scientists from all over the world to help you become a better and safer athlete.

The seminar is presented by Zalaris & Aker BioMarine.

Mauricio Mendez is a 24-year-old professional triathlete from Mexico. Mauricio raced his first triathlon at age 10 with his father, and they’ve been a fierce coach/athlete duo ever since.

Together, they’ve won multiple XTERRAs and half Ironman titles, including Mauricio becoming the youngest XTERRA world champion at just 21, and in 2018, Mauricio won our sister…

For the first time since 2003 there was no Norseman race this summer. This year we faced a barrier we were unable to overcome.

Ex-marine and 2019 Norseman black tee athlete, Russ Corn, shares the parallel stories of his race and the epic journey of one of Norway’s national heroes Joachim Rønneberg.

Collectively climbing 2,5 million meters. Sharing moments and crossing fingers. The Norseman Festival of Climbing is over for now.

1 242 009 meters of elevation climbed so far. We are expecting a massive leap this weekend.

Norseman 2020 has been postponed to 2021. When three time Norseman winner Allan Hovda approached us late spring and asked if he could race Norseman alone, the answer was easy. It was NO.

This year Norseman will be open to all! Where ever you are? Outside on your bike, inside giving “Ride Ons” on Zwift, running your favourite trail or maybe you have hooked your treadmill up to a virtual universe.

Regardless, all will be welcome at the Norseman Festival of Climbing

Norwegian Triathlon Sports Director Arild Tveiten, is possibly the most wanted triathlon coach in the world. It feels like hitting the jackpot that we have been able to get him to lead our second TRI Camp in Eidfjord this summer.

This summer, we´re on Zwift every day. Riding or running. Day or night.

Can Kristian Blummenfelt add to your joy of triathlon training? Can Coach Mikal Iden make you a better cyclist?

COVID-19 continues to ripple through the world’s health, educational and financial institutions. Sports is no exception. This year sports as we know it has come to a halt. We have talked to Martin Bonnevie Svendsen, who knows a lot about cycling and training, and more than most about COVID-19. Many are hungry for…

It´s time to get back in the fjords, the ocean and the lakes again. This year we will most likely see more people than ever go outdoors to swim.

These days when a lot of competitions have been postponed or canceled, I think it’s really important to remind yourself, “Why did I begin with this?”

We are joining our partner Zwift for their first-ever “Tour for All”, a massive charity event to support Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in COVID-19 response.

BBC Presenter Louise Minchin gave up competitive sport at age 15 because she didn’t like the way she looked. Thirty years later, she’s raced in several Triathlon World Championships and has done two extreme triathlons. Here’s how triathlon changed her life.

Spending more time than planned at home? Do you feel the need to spruce up a wall in your house?

Our guest on Norseman Radio this time is Professor Greg Whyte, a former Olympian and one of the world’s leading authorities in sport and exercise science, specialising in performance and endurance, both as individual and team pursuits.

Dr. Lucy Gossage is infamous for her vibrancy, energy and enthusiasm. Last year, she was hollering on the balcony of the Norseman ferry raring to go and super excited for the day’s adventure.

Due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, we have postponed Norseman 2020. All registered athletes have been invited to join us on August 7th, 2021.

Below is the message we sent them:

Our Norseman Research Team has just published a new paper in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. This is the first published paper, where the researchers have done investigations ongoing during the race.

Tim DeBoom is a ex-professional triathlete from the US whose career spanned almost 20 years. In 2001 and 2002 he won the the Ironman World Championships and in 2011 went on to win Norseman, becoming the first non-European to do so!

The question is, how much exercise shall or can we do to improve health, and if excessive amounts are beneficial or not? With a growing interest in extreme sports, like long distance triathlon and ultra-marathon, it is an interesting question to ask.

How does the human body respond to such challenges?

Flora Colledge (@floracolledge) is a pro extreme triathlete who came triathlon later in her life, but that hasn’t stopped her from making waves and tearing up the trails. In just a few years, Flora has won three Xtreme triathlon races and came second in the 2019 Xtri World Championships at Norseman.

It was coincident from the start. I never ever would have imagined that Norseman would give me the opportunity to start a new career. But it all changed five years ago. This is my personal story about why I started my PhD. And why a gathering of researchers now meet in Eidfjord every year.

Three times Norseman winner Allan Hovda shares his best training advice for racing in this episode of Norseman Radio.

The jump from the ferry in the Hardangerfjord is one of the most iconic happenings in Extreme Triathlons around the world. Have you ever wondered why we spray all Norseman athletes with ice-cold seawater before they jump? One of the reasons is to make cool pictures. However, as you might guess, this is by…

Hårek Stranheim is known in the triathlon community for founding one of the world’s most popular and revered triathlons: The Norseman. But what many people don’t know, is that outside of Norseman, Hårek is just a regular family guy who has been enjoying long distance triathlons as a lifestyle for 20 years.

We’re really excited to launch Norseman Radio!

How do you train to best prepare for a long-distance triathlon like the Norseman? With finisher times spanning the range of 10-20 hours, it is a long haul.

We´re not there yet, but we definitely aim to be in the forefront when bringing new technologies in to make our race safer. The new possibilities opening up for making events like ours and the XTRI World Tour races safer is well worth looking into. What is the link between triathlon, research and drones?…

Triathletes from all over the world have entered the year with a very specific jump in mind.

HEAT is a word we seldom use in conjunction with Norseman or extreme triathlon in general. Until now, when the Norseman Research team wants to give it special attention. In this article they will give you some insight into how warm you get during an activity. And how warmer environmental temperatures influences your core temperature….

Have you ever been out swimming in water that is on the chilly side, and sensed that you’re feeling even colder for a while after you exit the water? Science might prove you right. There are several factors behind this mechanism. One of these is called afterdrop. In the following, I will try to simplify…

I’m a lucky man. From the Olympics to soccer’s World Cups, from Madison Square Garden to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, I get to travel the world covering sports, but for all these headline-grabbing events there is one event that still remains true and pure, and that is the Norseman.

We said: “THIS IS NOT FOR YOU.”
5025 people replied: “YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT ME”

A film by Robby MacBeath & BigHug Media.

Thank you to Isklar, Zalaris, Renault, Bunde Gruppen, Winforce, Intersport and all our partners for making our little event possible.

When we now after 9 years collaboration with Isklar bring onboard a new team member, we are very excited that it is Zalaris taking the role as our new title sponsor.

Isklar Mineral Water comes from the Folgefonna Glacier in Hardanger. Isklar has been a Norseman sponsor since 2011 and our title sponsor from 2013 to 2019.

This is not for you.

When I first read those words I shivered, they struck fear into my heart. They are the tagline for one of the toughest triathlons in the world, Norseman, and standing in the low-light of dawn on the deck of a ferry watching an endless stream of triathletes leap into the cold,…

We love You. It’s that simple.

If you’re going to get through the world’s most extreme triathlon, you have to be prepared for 3.8km of swimming, 180km cycling and a marathon – but before that, you have to plunge four meters into the darkness.

Without that first step, there is nothing.

These are the results for Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon and the XTRI World Championships.

Last year we hosted a parallel Norseman race on Zwift on our race day. This year it will be a full week.

As Norseman is coming closer, there are lots of talk about the temperature. Here I will explain our thoughts around temperature, both in the water and in the air. Beware, there will be some geeky stuff!

NORSEMAN LIVE IS FOR YOU. This is our way to share a rather inaccessible race.

The 2019 athlete BIB numbers have been assigned.

The Norseman Research Team has just published another paper. This time it is a series of case reports regarding SIPE among starters at Norseman Xtreme Triathlon. Don’t know what SIPE is? Read on, and we will take you through what you need to know.

We have just published a study which started back at Norseman 2015. That year, the Hardangerfjord was cold, and in the Safety and Medical team we needed information about how this would affect the triathletes. We couldn’t find much useful info.

The Norseman Research Team will continue it´s research efforts in 2019. This year we have been joined by more great researchers.

The list of 2019 Isklar Norseman athletes is ready. Also introducing the Xtri World championships.

Every year the board of Hardangervidda Triatlon Klubb (the Norseman owner) awards a scholarship to an up and coming Norwegian triathlete with “international potential”.

He sits comfortably on the floor of the ferry at 4:30. Two meters and 100 kilogram of trained muscle tissue, stretched tendons – a friendly looking, beaming athlete ready to race. Not apparent to the eye of his fellow athletes is his biggest strength – his mind.

The race itself takes up a whole day, but that is nothing compared to the wait to find out if you’ve got lucky and drawn a spot for next year’s race.

He sits comfortably on the floor of the ferry at 4:30. Two meters and 100 kilogram of trained muscle tissue, stretched tendons – a friendly looking, beaming athlete ready to race. Not apparent to the eye of his fellow athletes is his biggest strength – his mind.

When registration closed on November 4th, 4354 athletes representing 84 nations had applied to the Isklar Norseman 2019 edition.

It was at the turn of the millennium, Hårek Stranheim wanted to organize a unique competition.

In our 16th race, 238 of the most daring triathletes representing 35 countries, once again swam the 3.8km, cycled the 180km, ran the 42.2km and ascended more than 5000m in some of Norway’s most exquisite landscapes.

After 226 kilometres of arduous swimming, cycling and running, Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon 2017 has come to an end. Both Lars Christian Vold and Anne Nevin had epic wins.

250 of the world’s bravest triathletes swarm the docks of Eidfjord, Norway at 03:00, fresh off a short night’s rest burdened with anticipation. The beginning of the Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon draws near, a wild adventure across 226km of Norway’s most demanding landscapes.

At one point during the 2016 World Triathlon race in Yokohama, Japan three weeks ago, the speaker exclaimed: “This is either suicidal running by Blummenfelt or he is the next dude to look up to. He is really impressing.”

The 13th Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, 3rd August 2015

Thank you all 2014 athletes! By enrolling in our race, you have helped raising NOK 115 000 (USD 15 000) for our new partner Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Money that we know will be a small but important contribution to their many important humanitarian projects around the world.  

The 12th Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, 2rd August 2014

The 11th Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, 3rd August 2013

10 year Anniversary was celebrated with two races, 4th and 5th August

The winner of this year’s Norseman is the two time Ironman world champion Tim DeBoom from the USA, with a time of 11.18.52.