Midnight Sun Marathon

The course

The marathon starts at 20:30 in the harbour area at Prostneset in central Tromsø and finishes at Kulturhuset, with bag drop at the Havneterminalen. The route runs out along Solstrandvegen and the road towards Tromsøsvingen and Sandvika, with drink and toilet stations at each of those points and again on the way back, so you pass the same places twice; the kilometre markers count down from 42. Water, Maxim sports drink and bananas are served about every 5 km, and the Red Cross has a post at every 5 km.

The course is flat: the organiser's route file shows about 200 m of climb in total, with a highest point about 40 m above sea level. What makes it hard in practice is that you start in the evening and finish after midnight, in cool air that is often damp and windy off the sound, and the second half is where tired runners meet the headwind. The sun does not set at this latitude, so there is no darkness, but your body clock will be a challenge for runners from other time zones.

The finish gate closes at 02:00 and the time limit for the marathon is 5 h 30 min. Runners who have not passed Stortorget in Sjøgata with 10 km to go by 00:45 are stopped. Everyone who completes a distance gets a medal, and the top three in every age class are rewarded. In 2026 the organiser found afterwards that a turning cone stood 71.8 m too early, so the out-and-back course was 143.6 m short and the times were declared unofficial.

How to enter

Entry is online through the race website and prices rise in four steps. For the 2027 marathon they are 1 050 kr (about €95 at roughly 11 kr to the euro) from 1 July 2026, 1 200 kr from 1 September 2026, 1 300 kr from 1 April 2027 and 1 400 kr from 1 June 2027. The half marathon is 720 to 1 050 kr and the 10 km 600 to 850 kr. Participants must be 18 or older in the calendar year for the marathon, 15 for the half marathon and 13 for the 10 km.

Entries are binding and the fee is not refunded. A start place can only be sold through the official channel at EQ Timing, and if you cannot run due to illness or injury confirmed by a doctor you can transfer the entry to the following year for a 150 kr administration fee paid before 12:00 on the day before the race. You can change distance in the registration system if places remain. The Norwegian single-event athletics licence is included in the fee.

The organiser has not published a sell-out date, and in 2026 the timing system had places for 3,000 marathon starters and 2,201 registered, so the marathon does not appear to sell out; the half marathon is capped at 6,000. The race programme for 2027 will be published in winter 2027.

How to train for it

Train for an evening start

The marathon starts at 20:30 and most people finish after midnight. Do your long runs in the evening and eat your last big meal at a fixed time in the afternoon, because a normal morning routine will not work. Practise fuelling at 22:00 to 01:00 when you would usually be asleep.

Prepare for the wind and the damp

In June 2026 Tromsø had gusts of 14 m/s and 75 mm of rain, against a normal of 58 mm. Run long sessions in rain and wind and practise with a light jacket, since you will probably start in a jacket and take it off as you warm up.

Pace evenly on a flat course

With about 200 m of climb the course rewards even pace. The median runner took 4 h 12 min in 2026, so a pacing plan for 3 h 45 to 4 h 45 min and a final ten kilometres you can still run is more useful than hill work. Plan your pace against the 00:45 gate at 10 km to go if you expect to be near the cut-off.

Use the drink stations every 5 km

Water, Maxim sports drink and bananas are served about every 5 km, and the rules do not allow food or drink from people outside the course. Practise drinking from a cup at pace and carry a gel for the stretch between stations if you need it.

Adjust to the light before you go

Tromsø has the midnight sun at the time of the race, so your sleep will be disrupted. Pack an eye mask for the nights before the race and plan your arrival at least two days early if you come from another time zone.

What you need

• Running shoes and a light jacket or windproof vest: the start is in the evening and the air is cool
• The bib with its timing chip; the bag drop for the half marathon and marathon is at Havneterminalen from 19:30 to 02:30 and your bib number is the receipt
• No large bags or suitcases at the bag drop; one bag per tag, and left items are donated after the race
• Your own gels for the stretch between drink stations (Maxim drink, water and bananas are served about every 5 km)
• A warm top for the finish: the changing rooms and showers are at Gyllenborghallen from 18:00 to 02:30
• An eye mask and ear plugs for sleeping in the midnight sun

Getting there and staying

Tromsø has its own airport and the race starts and finishes in the city centre. The start is at Prostneset on the harbour, with toilets at the start and at Kulturhuset (finish); the marathon bag drop is at Havneterminalen from 19:30 and showers and changing rooms are at Gyllenborghallen from 18:00 to 02:30.

The MSM Expo with bib collection, an MSM shop and race information is listed for Friday 18 June 10:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 19 June 10:00 to 21:00 (the full 2027 programme comes in winter 2027). Hotels in Tromsø fill early for the race weekend because of the field of 9,000, so book soon after entering. Race weekend also includes the half marathon at 21:00, the 10 km at 19:00 and a 5 km run in the afternoon.

After the finish there is a medal for everyone who completes a distance. The Red Cross has a post every 5 km, and if you must stop you tell the nearest post your number and they transport you to the finish area.

History

The first Midnight Sun Marathon was held in 1990, started by the club TUIL Løp in Tromsdalen, which is still the organising club. The organiser's results archive has marathon, half marathon and 10 km lists from 1990, and the organiser says Runners World named it in 2024 as one of the ten marathons in the world you must experience. The 2026 edition set a record of 9,000 runners across five distances.

Where to find out more

• Midnight Sun Marathon (opens in a new tab): The organiser's page for the race with registration, practical information, course maps and results.
• Practical information (opens in a new tab): Expo hours, age limits, bag drop, drink stations, cut-offs and the 2026 course error.
• Registration and prices (opens in a new tab): Price steps for all distances.
• Results 2026 (EQ Timing) (opens in a new tab): Official live results for 2026, the source of the median time.
• Tromsø running clubs and local races (opens in a new tab): A list of local running clubs and races in Tromsø on the organiser's site.