What Norseman Means to the Host Town of Eidfjord

The Eidfjord waterfront on race morning. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

There are some events, both in triathlon and outside of it, that define their host cities and towns. Places like Kona or Roth are forever linked to triathlon, and the same can be said for the small Norwegian village of Eidfjord. The town of fewer than 1,000 people is tucked away in the fjords of Norway, and if it weren’t for the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, it’s likely that people would only know about Eidfjord because it was a stop on their Scandinavian cruise trip. For many people, that’s still the only reason they know the town, but to triathletes, it’s Norseman that puts Eidfjord in the spotlight.

Eidfjord is a temporary home to athletes every year in the week leading up to the race. It means a lot to any triathlete who has been lucky enough to race there and jump off the ferry into the cold waters of Hardangerfjord. On the flip side, Norseman means a lot to Eidfjord — and Norway as a whole. For locals, it’s a source of pride that triathletes from all over the world want to test themselves in their hometown.

Timo Knoch, the mayor of Eidfjord, says the people who live there fully embrace the event and all it has done for the town. Knoch points to the economic boost of hosting such an event, which is a benefit that cannot be ignored. Every year, athletes and their support crews travel to Eidfjord, stay in the town, eat at the restaurants and visit the shops. Hundreds of thousands of dollars flow into the town in just a few days, and all thanks to a single race. But that’s not all it’s about to locals.

Eidfjord’s mayor, Timo Knoch, has finished the Norseman course twice. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

“Norseman is more than just the money to us,” Knoch says.

When Hårek Stranheim first started the race back in 2003, Knoch says the people of Eidfjord didn’t really understand what was going on. It likely seemed to be a very random event to bring to a small village in the middle of nowhere.

“In the beginning, everybody here thought Hårek was nuts,” Knoch says. “Not that many people had faith in something like this.”

The local sports club got on board, however, and supported the race in its early days. From there, the race only grew, and soon enough, the town was heavily invested, with many locals getting involved in the event.

“I think we have the largest density of Norseman finishers per capita in the world,” Knoch says with a laugh. “We also have a bout 150 volunteers working on this event just from here.” That’s a big chunk of Eidfjord’s population of just 960.

Knoch says that the success of Norseman has inspired people to create other events in and around Eidfjord. There is now an organization called Xtrem Eidfjord that runs multiple races that incorporate the area’s rugged landscape into their courses, including a marathon and ultra.

Hardangerfjord offers stunning views for athletes and spectators. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

“These are things that came from Norseman,” Knoch says. “People changed the way they looked at their surroundings. It wasn’t just something to look at or for recreation or for hunting. People thought, ‘OK, this is a possibility for us to use our environment to host events.'”

Knoch moved to Eidjord in 2008, and he has completed the Norseman course twice. His first time, he ran the crew race, which gives people who are working on the event or volunteering the chance to do the course since they won’t be able to do it on the actual day. After that, he felt the need to do it again, but this time as an official athlete.

“It was just amazing doing the day,” he says. That was in 2019, and he says that every year, he wishes he could be on the course with everyone else once more.

“Seeing the athletes prepare, you feel the tension, and I’m tempted to do it again,” he says.

For now, he’s too busy with his mayoral duties to train properly, but he says he will get back into the race soon enough once he moves on from this position. Until then, he will continue to support the event like the rest of the people of Eidfjord, happily welcoming athletes from all over the world to their small village every year and taking the chance to show off the scenery they get to enjoy every day.

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