DNB Oslo Maraton

The course

The marathon starts at 09:00 at Rådhusplassen in front of the City Hall in three waves five minutes apart (waves 1 to 3 at 09:00, 09:05 and 09:10). You run the half marathon course twice, from the harbour area past Skøyen and Frogner and back through the city by Akershusstranda, Aker Brygge, Akershus Fortress, Bislett, Frogner Park and Karl Johan, before finishing back at the square. The course for 2027 will be published closer to the race.

The organiser measures about 175 m of climb for the half marathon and 350 m for the marathon, so it is a rolling course with short ascents repeated over two laps, not a flat one. What makes the second lap hard is meeting the same small hills a second time on tired legs, which is where the pace of many runners falls away.

There is a drink station about every 5 km, 11 for the marathon including the one after the finish, with Maxim energy drink, water and bananas included in the entry fee. You may not accept gels or drink from friends along the course, but you may carry gels yourself. The race follows the World Athletics shoe rules, and pace groups are available for 3 h to 5 h 30 min in 15 or 30 minute steps.

How to enter

Entry is online through the Haku system, new from the 2027 edition: you create a participant profile when you sign up. For 2027 the organiser lists the marathon at 1 350 kr (about €125 at roughly 10.6 kr to the euro) including a 6.75 per cent plus 3 kr booking fee, with a 50 kr single-event licence on top unless you hold an annual licence. The half marathon was 990 kr and 10 km 790 kr in 2026. Students from 16 to 30 get 15 per cent off by e-mail, and para athletes pay 300 kr.

Entry is binding and not refunded under Norwegian consumer law; you can buy MySafety cancellation insurance for 139 kr at sign-up. The organiser has run a resale marketplace for start places which closed in early September in 2026. Changing distance costs 250 kr and only works if the new distance is not full. You give an estimated finish time when entering and are placed in a wave on that time, which you can change on your profile.

You must be 18 or older for the marathon, 15 for the half marathon and 13 for the 10 km. The race is a qualifier for the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championships. The marathon distance page does not mention a field limit, but the 73 km Oslotrippelen sold out.

How to train for it

Run the loop's rolling hills twice

The marathon course has about 350 m of climb in two identical laps, so prepare for short hills repeated 42 km. Include rolling long runs with 100 to 150 m of climb in 20 km and practise easy running over small hills rather than flat track work.

Plan your wave and pace group from a recent race

You are placed in a wave based on your estimated finish time, and there are pace groups from 3 h to 5 h 30 min. Use a recent half marathon result for your estimate, and note that the median is 3 h 57 min so you will not be alone at 4 hours.

Use the halfway rule as your first checkpoint

You must pass halfway in under 3 h or be stopped. That corresponds to a 6 h marathon pace; if you plan a finish of 5 h 30 min or slower, check your first lap time carefully.

Train with the organiser's calculator

Oslo Maraton publishes a running calculator that gives pace and the amount of fluid and carbohydrate to take during the race. Use it for your plan and practise with the Maxim energy drink served on the course, since you are not allowed to take drink from friends outside the stations.

Prepare for a morning start in cool, damp weather

September in Oslo averages about 12 C with 80 mm of rain. Train in rain and wind, and bring throwaway layers for the 09:00 start; the wave system means you may wait up to 10 minutes after the gun.

What you need

• Road running shoes that follow the World Athletics shoe rules (sole thickness limits); podium and record finishers can be asked to hand in shoes for inspection
• Your own gels if you want them: the course serves Maxim energy drink, water and bananas about every 5 km, and gels from friends are not allowed
• The bib and bag tag collected at the Expo; a t-shirt is optional and bought separately
• A valid licence for Norwegian running events: 50 kr for a single event (or your annual licence registered at sign-up)
• A throwaway layer or bin bag for the start, and a dry change for the finish
• A watch with the course GPX (organiser's route page has files for the 2026 course)

Getting there and staying

The start and finish are at Rådhusplassen in central Oslo, in front of the City Hall, so most of the city's hotels, stations and the harbour are within walking distance. The organiser's own Runners Hotel is the Comfort Hotel Børsparken, which can be booked through the race website; hotels fill early for the race weekend.

Bib numbers, bag drop bags and t-shirts are collected at the Expo, and food and drink at the finish are included in the fee. The organiser publishes details of bag drop, Expo opening hours and arena maps closer to the race. Para and wheelchair-racing participants have their own tent at the start and finish area.

The 2027 marathon is on Saturday 18 September starting at 09:00; the half marathon at 13:00 and 10 for Grete at 16:20 run on the same afternoon, so spectators and supporters can combine them. The Extra Oslo Mini Maraton for children is held on the same day.

History

Oslo Maraton was first held in 1981 and quickly became popular: Grete Waitz set an unofficial half marathon world best of 1:07:50 in 1982, and she and Ingrid Kristiansen crossed the line together in 1983 to share the win in 1:10:32. The organiser says the race was seen as Norway's third national day, after 17 May and the Holmenkollen Sunday, and entries peaked at 14,200 in 1993; in 1992 a police motorbike error made the marathon 1 km short. Yuki Kawauchi holds the men's marathon course record of 2:15:57 (2017), and the women's record is 2:38:13 from 12 September 2026.

Where to find out more

• DNB Oslo Maraton (opens in a new tab): The organiser's site with registration, distances, course and participant information.
• Distances and times (opens in a new tab): Start times, waves, age limits, time limits, pace groups and drink stations for all distances.
• Course 2026 (opens in a new tab): Maps of the 2026 course, elevation figures and GPX files.
• Results and history (opens in a new tab): Result lists back to 1994, course records and the race history.
• Results 2026 (UltimateLIVE) (opens in a new tab): Official 2026 results; the source of the median time.