Norseman 2026: A Fjord Full of Stories

The rain that is basically a Norseman tradition was falling again on Eidfjord, but nobody seemed to mind much. Race week has a rhythm here — nervous energy, cold water, and a starting line that drops athletes off a ferry into a fjord at dawn. As always, this year’s field brings together a mix of first-timers and veterans, family crews and lifelong friends, all circling the same question: what happens when you push yourself to the edge taking on the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon?

Estée Larivière, Chasing the Same Ten Seconds

If there’s a familiar face at any big triathlon event these days, it’s Estée Larivière’s (pictured above) — last spotted at Kona, then Marbella for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, then Lanzarote, then Roth. While it is her first time racing here at Norseman, it is not her first time on the course. Last year she worked support crew.

“Acting as support wasn’t enough to scare you away?”

“Oh no, actually it just made me want to do it even more.”

Her definition of success is refreshingly grounded for someone with a Kona start still ahead of her this season: “If I can get a black t-shirt, that’d be amazing. I think success is making it to the top, all in one piece, no crashes, nothing going wrong, and having just an amazing time with my support crew.”

What keeps her chasing races across continents, she says, is the community — “I go from one race to another and I just keep meeting, or seeing the same people, or just meeting new amazing individuals.” And there’s unfinished business fueling the fire: at Challenge Roth she missed breaking 10 hours by 27 painful seconds. “I’m definitely going to chase that sub-10 again.”

The Brothers From Paris

Côme Simon de Tinguy arrived from Paris for his first Norseman, though hardly a stranger to this brand of suffering — Swissman and the Greek Hero XTRI races were already on his résumé. For him, the pull of XTRI racing isn’t really about the racing at all.

“It’s the nature,” he said. “You are full around the nature from one point to another point. So it’s really great and a very convivial atmosphere as well. It’s not just for the sport, but also for the atmosphere.”

Behind him at every step will be his brother Timothy — part support crew, part built-in insurance policy, given his day job. “He’s a fireman and osteopath as well,” Simon said, laughing at the idea that sibling support might invite friction. “So I think he’s a good one for support.”

With rain in the forecast, but a tailwind promised for the bike leg, Simon de Tinguy had already settled on what a good Saturday looks like: water around 14 to 15 degrees, “not so cold,” and the wind at their backs. The alarm would go off at 3am for the 4am boat. “It’s important to be on time for the race departure,” he said.

Ron Schneider’s Long Way Home

Ron Schneider left Nuremberg for San Francisco, but Norseman pulled him back across an ocean. A friend mentioned the race, he Googled it, watched exactly one YouTube video, and knew.

“One YouTube video was enough that I said, okay, probably I should apply,” he said.

Then came the lottery. The day the results came out, he checked, rechecked, checked again during a work week in New York. He called his wife, she couldn’t believe it either, but now the family, including their two children, are here in Eidfjord.

“They are my support. It’s a tri-family.”

Coming from Nuremberg, he has done Challenge Roth. He knows there will be no comparison between the two races. Roth’s infamous climb, Heartbreak Hill, tops out around 100 meters of elevation. Norseman’s Zombie Hill is another animal.

“I had the great chance to check the whole bike course and the running course as well,” he said. “The moment when I stood in front of Zombie Hill was a moment I’ll never forget – ‘oh god, is this runnable?’ And to be honest, it was a mixture of walk and run in the end.”

Ron Sharon’s Search for a Higher Bar

A different Ron — Ron Sharon, from Israel — admitted the Norwegian chill had him rattled even before race day, joking about the gap between Eidfjord’s weather and the 35-degree heat back home. But the cold isn’t why he’s here.

“Each time you do a competition, you try to put the bar a bit higher,” he said. “And I think this is the top one.”

Asked what crossing that black-shirt finish line would mean to him, his answer had nothing to do with the 249 other athletes on the start list.

“At the end of the day, I’m in competition with myself. I see myself and how I move forward. Each competition gets better and better.” His brother-in-law will be out on course backing him up. “I can count on him with my eyes closed.”

Ruth Astle’s Challenge: Keeping up with Alistair

Not everyone in the water this morning was racing. Ruth Astle, a three-time IRONMAN champion, waded in for old times’ sake — “the comeback has begun,” she joked — while making clear she is here to support her partner Alistair Brownlee.

Astle’s appreciation of the scenic course will make watching on Saturday a challenge.

“We drove over from Oslo yesterday, and the scenery is just spectacular,” she said, recounting the long plateau after the first climb. “I’m going to be very jealous to not be riding that Saturday.”

After getting to ride with Brownlee over the last 10 km of Patagonman last year, Astle will be running alongside the two-time Olympic gold medalist on the way to the top of Gaustatoppen.

“I’m kind of hoping he’ll be tired enough that I don’t have to work quite as hard,” she said.

As for predictions? Turns out Brownlee has spent a bit of time in the water and also rode his TT bike in preparation, something he hadn’t done before Patagonman.

“He’s very fit at the minute,” Astle said. “As long as there’s no mechanicals or anything happens, I think he should be in pretty good shape.”

Astle is also all-too-aware of just how tough the day will be.

“It’s probably going to be harder supporting than racing,” she said with a laugh.

Pernille and the Reality-TV Ticket to Norseman

Pernille Døsvik stood in Eidfjord sizing up the race that, until recently, wasn’t even on her radar. Asked whether embarking on Norseman still felt like a good idea, she laughed.

“I don’t know, we’ll see on Saturday,” she said. “But it has been a journey so far — a journey full of learning. Hopefully it will be a good experience as well.”

Her path to the start line was anything but conventional. A TV production approached her about joining a show pitting six competitors against each other for a chance to race Norseman.

“At first it sounded really scary,” she said, “but I felt like I just had to say yes and just go for it. So I ended up here in Eidfjord.”

The biggest challenge?

“I think probably because I haven’t had a lot of people to train with — maybe like doing everything by myself, because I do like maybe 95 percent of my training alone,” she said. “And I’m really a social person, so that has probably been the hardest part — to motivate yourself to go out and train three, four hours a day alone.”

Race day, though, brings arguably the most decorated support crew in the field: The host of the TV show that put her here, and her fiancé, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo — yes, that Klæbo, owner of 11 gold medals as one of the most successful cross-country skiers in history. The two will follow her from Eidfjord toward the top of Mount Gaustatoppen.

“He’s known for a lot more than being my support,” she said. Turnabout, though, is fair play. “I have been his support for many years now,” Døsvik said. “So now it’s his turn to support me.”

You can read more about Døsvik and her journey to Saturday’s race below:

Trond Waage’s Ten-Year Wait

Trond Waage is here from his home town of Bergen – yes, the same Bergen that is also the home of Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden. For Waage, simply standing on the Norseman start line is the story.

“I applied for nine or ten years to get the place, and finally I got one,” he said. “I’ve been collecting extra points for a few years, but I got one in the draw anyway.”

Fresh out of a practice swim in 14.9-degree water, he admitted to some nerves about the cold, but not much else. What keeps him and his club coming back isn’t really the suffering — it’s the company. He arrived with ten training partners from his triathlon club.

“It’s a challenge and the community. We are normally a big group, traveling together, and that’s the best holiday you can imagine. It’s such a good atmosphere and a good spirit.”

There are a few big names that didn’t make the trip from Bergen to Norseman this weekend – “no Gustav and no Christian,” he noted with a grin, predicting they’ll definitely be here to race Norseman at some point before they retire.

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