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:

“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.

Tags: