Midnight Sun Marathon

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!

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.

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.