Marathon Details - Midnight Sun Marathon

International Marathons > Norway > Tromso > Midnight Sun Marathon

Midnight Sun Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K, 4.2K

Tromso, Norway

June 22, 2024

http://www.msm.no

More Info:	News
Results:	Top 3 Finishers by Year

Contact

Name:	Nils I. Heatta
Address:	P.O.Box 821, N-9258 Tromso
Phone Number:	47 77 67 33 63
Fax Number:	47 77 67 33 64
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 4.1

Organization 4.4

Spectators 3.5

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Number of comments: 19 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]

T. G. from South Carolina, USA (6/25/2023) "A bucket list race" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Tromsø is a wonderful town, and the course is great, scenic, and flat except for the bridge, which is crossed twice, but is not a huge challenge. The biggest issue is the weather - this year was absolutely perfect, relatively warm (about 56 degrees F), hardly any wind, and mostly cloudless, so we actually got to see the Midnight Sun. However this is a rarity - in fact the race director said that in all the years he has been directing the race this is the first time he has actually seen the midnight sun during the race. It seems that you are more likely to have clouds, perhaps fog, very likely rain, and cold - but if you can accept this likelihood then the race is great. Spectator support is somewhat limited as Tromsø is not a heavily populated town, but is there and is enthusiastic, as the event is a big deal for a small somewhat isolated town. The kilometer markers count DOWN from 42, which is a bit different! The refreshments at the end of the race are almost nonexistent - unripe banana halves, unwashed blueberries, and what seems to be diluted sports drinks. But there are lots of fast food places around (yes, even at 2:00am). The after-party at Pust cafe was not to my liking, but the sauna, which floats on the harbor, was an experience - 110 degrees Celsius in the sauna, followed by a dip in the 4 degree water - finally made it back to the hotel at about 3:30am, in broad daylight of course!
R. S. from Lisbon (11/22/2016) "A diferent race to run" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 If you like cold it's the place to be. A fast course and a very beautiful city. Don't expect a large amount of spectators. Definitely a different race.
Robin Grover from Alexandria, VA USA (9/5/2013) "Ran the Midnight Sun Marathon for the 3rd time." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Midnight Sun Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the Midnight Sun Marathon in Tromso for the third time this past June. Plenty of water stations, the weather was not bad (some rain, some sun, some clouds), very convivial and well-organized. My sole complaint involves the Half starting 2 hours into the Full (10:30 Half start time); if you run about 1:50-1:55 in the first half of the full Marathon, you will have a freight train of fresh runners starting the Half on your heels in the heart of town about Mile 14. Overall, its a Marathon well worth doing, very picturesque.
H. S. from Washington, DC (7/1/2012) "Different, scenic, and fun" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is an excellent small marathon in a scenic location and the (for me) novelty of running in the midnight sun. The organization for the whole marathon weekend was impressive. As others have remarked, the organizers succeed in creating a little international marathon community for the weekend - chock full of events. The pasta dinner was worth it. It is in a center that shows movies about the Polar Region, which you can watch after eating. There wasn't really an expo. You pick up your number and there is one stand selling shirts (80 dollars) and jackets. They did give out free technical running shirts this year, so no need to buy one. I train on hills and didn't find this race hilly. True, you had to go over a lengthy bridge twice and there was lots of rolling land to cover, but it was gentle stuff. The temperature was in the upper 50s with no rain. It was cloudy at first, but the midnight sun eventually appeared. The scenery is lovely - with views of the water and snow-capped hills. The race does not have many spectators, which is expected for a small town race. Small criticism: they ran out of cups for the sport drink, so they gave out the drink in plastic bottles, which I almost tripped over after people discarded them. (I ran race in just under 4 hours, so I imagine it was worse for those who followed me). Oh, they did have chip timing this year. All in all, a very positive experience.
g. l. from n. ireland (7/23/2011) "A beautiful backdrop" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have nothing but praise for the people of Tromso they try to keep all the runners together as a little community , from the evening before the race dinner to the morning breakfast jog. On the course there is support everwhere which is great given the late hour. It is one that will have very pleasant and lasting mermories of and may get back to again
N. K. from London, England (7/18/2011) "A thoroughly enjoyable marathon" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my seventh marathon and second best, NY being my number one. The conditions were perfect, sunshine behind awesome clouds, a light breeze and perfect temperature; the course, though hilly, was scenic and well laid out; the crowds were bubbly, vocal and very supportive; I could not fault the organization; the atmosphere was electric at the finish. I took film clips, on my Flip recorder, every four miles and compiled a short video. It gives a good impression of what the marathon was like. Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9VrtrqWBXc
Robin Grover from Alexandria, VA (7/11/2011) "There really is a midnight 'sun' run in Tromso." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Midnight Sun Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I returned to Tromso for my second Midnight Sun Marathon (and eighth full Marathon) on June 25th. This year, the weather was great - mostly sunny or cloudy, light, and no rain, about 54 degrees. The Marathon starts at 8:30 pm, its preceded by a childrens' run, Adult Mini-Marathon, 10K and followed by the Half Marathon, which starts at 10:30 pm. Organization was great; last year, I missed the turn around Mile 7 and went an extra half-mile total; this year, they had guards in bright vests making certain this didn't happen. This was one of the most convivial events I've participated in; I was actually slower than last year by about nine minutes (all in the second half) but this may have been due to running the Stockholm Marathon three weeks earlier. Huge and enthusiastic turnout among the townsfolk, who were out there until 2 am, when the last runners came in. 800 Marathon runners from 58 countries; some of the most interesting and friendliest folks I've had the pleasure to meet. Plenty of water, powerade, food and refreshment stations, you did not feel crowded. Its hillier than most admit, but it is such a beautiful and unusual course that you just ignore this. I will probably return again in 2012; although Norway is extremely expensive, the people are very friendly, the food is great and this is a very well-organized race that is worth traveling thousands of miles to complete.
Robin Grover from Alexandria, VA, USA (9/24/2010) "A fun, midnight run." (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Despite the facts that: 1) the race starts at 8:30; 2) it was 44 degrees F; 3) it rained fairly heavily; and, 4) there were more hills than I expected (especially in the second half), I thoroughly enjoyed the Tromso Marathon. It was easier to run at night than I expected (I am a 5 a.m. starter every day), the North Norwegian people were very fine, and the volunteers were very helpful. A first for me was going off-course for about 1/3 of a mile until I realized why no one was keeping up with me; the U-turn at the water station was poorly marked, and with the rain, it was a darker evening than it should have been. The half starts at about 2:10 after the start of the full marathon, so it is a bit disconcerting to have fresh runners swoosh by you at Mile 18 or so. The expo consisted of one sales area; they sold a great t-shirt, even though - like everything else in Norway - it was very expensive ($86). The medal is neat, and very memorable. The pre-race dinner was well-organized and I met great people from all over the world - England, Scotland, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Austria. This really is a destination marathon. About 550 had signed up, about 350 runners finished. The Tromso area is beautiful, with 24 hours of sunlight at this time of the year. I would love to run this race again, only hoping it would be a bit warmer and dryer.
S. F. from Idaho, United States (7/1/2010) "Cold and wet, but beautiful!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I was hoping to see the Midnight Sun. I heard that it made an appearance the week or so before the marathon. Though it was cold and wet, the mist still rose over the mountain line and the fans cheered through the rain. It had its own charm and beauty. Totally a world away from my Idaho mountains.
M. F. from Fort Lauderdale, Florida (6/28/2010) "Wet, cold but beautiful" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Positives (kind of): First, Norway is beautiful, with snow-capped mountains, gorgeous fjords and lots of greenery. However, it was very expensive and we bought food from the supermarket rather than eating out. Personally, I liked the course. You start in the small town center and run over a high bridge off Tromso Island and out and back for approximately 13 miles. Then you run halfway around Tromso Island and back again, finishing where you started. The first half was quite scenic. For a portion of the race you share the road with cars - and with the rain this year, I got splashed on numerous occasions. It rained pretty much from the start and didn't let up. I didn't mind this too much because the scenery was still beautiful and nice distraction. Although, I would have love to have seen the Midnight Sun. It was still quite light fortunately, because running in the dark and rain would have been miserable. Negatives: When I finished my fingers were so cold (even with gloves on the whole time) that I thought I might have frostbite. I didn't. But there was no one to help untie my shoe laces to remove the timing chip. You're just left to deal with it by yourself. It was less than 40 degrees and we had ran in the rain, but there were no "silver warmers." We were all soaked to the skin and there was nothing provided to warm us up. The race, although small, is not cheap (average marathon cost) but there were no t-shirts provide at all. The t-shirts on sale for women didn't even have the marathon date. The men's were much better. Maybe I'm just spoiled because even at a 5K race in the US you'd get a t-shirt! I have no idea if there was an area to get food or water/drinks after the race because I was so wet and cold that I had to go back to the hotel before I was sick. Summary: They really need to consider taking better care of the runners after they've come through the finish, with water, warm covers and someone to assist with the timing chips.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]

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T. G. from South Carolina, USA (6/25/2023) "A bucket list race" (about: 2023) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 Tromsø is a wonderful town, and the course is great, scenic, and flat except for the bridge, which is crossed twice, but is not a huge challenge. The biggest issue is the weather - this year was absolutely perfect, relatively warm (about 56 degrees F), hardly any wind, and mostly cloudless, so we actually got to see the Midnight Sun. However this is a rarity - in fact the race director said that in all the years he has been directing the race this is the first time he has actually seen the midnight sun during the race. It seems that you are more likely to have clouds, perhaps fog, very likely rain, and cold - but if you can accept this likelihood then the race is great. Spectator support is somewhat limited as Tromsø is not a heavily populated town, but is there and is enthusiastic, as the event is a big deal for a small somewhat isolated town. The kilometer markers count DOWN from 42, which is a bit different! The refreshments at the end of the race are almost nonexistent - unripe banana halves, unwashed blueberries, and what seems to be diluted sports drinks. But there are lots of fast food places around (yes, even at 2:00am). The after-party at Pust cafe was not to my liking, but the sauna, which floats on the harbor, was an experience - 110 degrees Celsius in the sauna, followed by a dip in the 4 degree water - finally made it back to the hotel at about 3:30am, in broad daylight of course!
R. S. from Lisbon (11/22/2016) "A diferent race to run" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 1 If you like cold it's the place to be. A fast course and a very beautiful city. Don't expect a large amount of spectators. Definitely a different race.
Robin Grover from Alexandria, VA USA (9/5/2013) "Ran the Midnight Sun Marathon for the 3rd time." (about: 2013) 11-50 previous marathons \| 3 Midnight Sun Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the Midnight Sun Marathon in Tromso for the third time this past June. Plenty of water stations, the weather was not bad (some rain, some sun, some clouds), very convivial and well-organized. My sole complaint involves the Half starting 2 hours into the Full (10:30 Half start time); if you run about 1:50-1:55 in the first half of the full Marathon, you will have a freight train of fresh runners starting the Half on your heels in the heart of town about Mile 14. Overall, its a Marathon well worth doing, very picturesque.
H. S. from Washington, DC (7/1/2012) "Different, scenic, and fun" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This is an excellent small marathon in a scenic location and the (for me) novelty of running in the midnight sun. The organization for the whole marathon weekend was impressive. As others have remarked, the organizers succeed in creating a little international marathon community for the weekend - chock full of events. The pasta dinner was worth it. It is in a center that shows movies about the Polar Region, which you can watch after eating. There wasn't really an expo. You pick up your number and there is one stand selling shirts (80 dollars) and jackets. They did give out free technical running shirts this year, so no need to buy one. I train on hills and didn't find this race hilly. True, you had to go over a lengthy bridge twice and there was lots of rolling land to cover, but it was gentle stuff. The temperature was in the upper 50s with no rain. It was cloudy at first, but the midnight sun eventually appeared. The scenery is lovely - with views of the water and snow-capped hills. The race does not have many spectators, which is expected for a small town race. Small criticism: they ran out of cups for the sport drink, so they gave out the drink in plastic bottles, which I almost tripped over after people discarded them. (I ran race in just under 4 hours, so I imagine it was worse for those who followed me). Oh, they did have chip timing this year. All in all, a very positive experience.
g. l. from n. ireland (7/23/2011) "A beautiful backdrop" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I have nothing but praise for the people of Tromso they try to keep all the runners together as a little community , from the evening before the race dinner to the morning breakfast jog. On the course there is support everwhere which is great given the late hour. It is one that will have very pleasant and lasting mermories of and may get back to again
N. K. from London, England (7/18/2011) "A thoroughly enjoyable marathon" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This was my seventh marathon and second best, NY being my number one. The conditions were perfect, sunshine behind awesome clouds, a light breeze and perfect temperature; the course, though hilly, was scenic and well laid out; the crowds were bubbly, vocal and very supportive; I could not fault the organization; the atmosphere was electric at the finish. I took film clips, on my Flip recorder, every four miles and compiled a short video. It gives a good impression of what the marathon was like. Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9VrtrqWBXc
Robin Grover from Alexandria, VA (7/11/2011) "There really is a midnight 'sun' run in Tromso." (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Midnight Sun Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I returned to Tromso for my second Midnight Sun Marathon (and eighth full Marathon) on June 25th. This year, the weather was great - mostly sunny or cloudy, light, and no rain, about 54 degrees. The Marathon starts at 8:30 pm, its preceded by a childrens' run, Adult Mini-Marathon, 10K and followed by the Half Marathon, which starts at 10:30 pm. Organization was great; last year, I missed the turn around Mile 7 and went an extra half-mile total; this year, they had guards in bright vests making certain this didn't happen. This was one of the most convivial events I've participated in; I was actually slower than last year by about nine minutes (all in the second half) but this may have been due to running the Stockholm Marathon three weeks earlier. Huge and enthusiastic turnout among the townsfolk, who were out there until 2 am, when the last runners came in. 800 Marathon runners from 58 countries; some of the most interesting and friendliest folks I've had the pleasure to meet. Plenty of water, powerade, food and refreshment stations, you did not feel crowded. Its hillier than most admit, but it is such a beautiful and unusual course that you just ignore this. I will probably return again in 2012; although Norway is extremely expensive, the people are very friendly, the food is great and this is a very well-organized race that is worth traveling thousands of miles to complete.
Robin Grover from Alexandria, VA, USA (9/24/2010) "A fun, midnight run." (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Despite the facts that: 1) the race starts at 8:30; 2) it was 44 degrees F; 3) it rained fairly heavily; and, 4) there were more hills than I expected (especially in the second half), I thoroughly enjoyed the Tromso Marathon. It was easier to run at night than I expected (I am a 5 a.m. starter every day), the North Norwegian people were very fine, and the volunteers were very helpful. A first for me was going off-course for about 1/3 of a mile until I realized why no one was keeping up with me; the U-turn at the water station was poorly marked, and with the rain, it was a darker evening than it should have been. The half starts at about 2:10 after the start of the full marathon, so it is a bit disconcerting to have fresh runners swoosh by you at Mile 18 or so. The expo consisted of one sales area; they sold a great t-shirt, even though - like everything else in Norway - it was very expensive ($86). The medal is neat, and very memorable. The pre-race dinner was well-organized and I met great people from all over the world - England, Scotland, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Austria. This really is a destination marathon. About 550 had signed up, about 350 runners finished. The Tromso area is beautiful, with 24 hours of sunlight at this time of the year. I would love to run this race again, only hoping it would be a bit warmer and dryer.
S. F. from Idaho, United States (7/1/2010) "Cold and wet, but beautiful!" (about: 2010) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I was hoping to see the Midnight Sun. I heard that it made an appearance the week or so before the marathon. Though it was cold and wet, the mist still rose over the mountain line and the fans cheered through the rain. It had its own charm and beauty. Totally a world away from my Idaho mountains.
M. F. from Fort Lauderdale, Florida (6/28/2010) "Wet, cold but beautiful" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Midnight Sun Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Positives (kind of): First, Norway is beautiful, with snow-capped mountains, gorgeous fjords and lots of greenery. However, it was very expensive and we bought food from the supermarket rather than eating out. Personally, I liked the course. You start in the small town center and run over a high bridge off Tromso Island and out and back for approximately 13 miles. Then you run halfway around Tromso Island and back again, finishing where you started. The first half was quite scenic. For a portion of the race you share the road with cars - and with the rain this year, I got splashed on numerous occasions. It rained pretty much from the start and didn't let up. I didn't mind this too much because the scenery was still beautiful and nice distraction. Although, I would have love to have seen the Midnight Sun. It was still quite light fortunately, because running in the dark and rain would have been miserable. Negatives: When I finished my fingers were so cold (even with gloves on the whole time) that I thought I might have frostbite. I didn't. But there was no one to help untie my shoe laces to remove the timing chip. You're just left to deal with it by yourself. It was less than 40 degrees and we had ran in the rain, but there were no "silver warmers." We were all soaked to the skin and there was nothing provided to warm us up. The race, although small, is not cheap (average marathon cost) but there were no t-shirts provide at all. The t-shirts on sale for women didn't even have the marathon date. The men's were much better. Maybe I'm just spoiled because even at a 5K race in the US you'd get a t-shirt! I have no idea if there was an area to get food or water/drinks after the race because I was so wet and cold that I had to go back to the hotel before I was sick. Summary: They really need to consider taking better care of the runners after they've come through the finish, with water, warm covers and someone to assist with the timing chips.

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Marathon Details - Midnight Sun Marathon