My favourite races and running routes in Bergen

Bergen City Marathon, photo on the finish with friends and family

One of the things I love about Bergen and Norway in general is that most people are doing some sort of sports. Be it a workout in a gym or a run outdoors. And even though we are the rainiest city in Europe, you can always see someone running, whether it’s raining or not.

As someone who does Ironman (a full-distance triathlon, which consists of a 3.8 km open water swim, 180 km bike, and 42.2 km run), I do run fairly often, and I’ve tried some of our local running races, too. In my list, I’ve selected the most popular and fun events, and I hope you can enjoy them, too.

Where to run in Bergen

While the best answer to this question is “literally anywhere”, I recommend choosing one of the race distances from the list below, checking the official route, and enjoying the run. Alternatively, you can use the Bergen City Marathon route or its parts, which is my favourite route to run 🙂

Short runs:

1. Fløibanen Opp: run up the funicular railway track

When: 20 April 2026
Price: 650 kr

Fløyen is my favourite mountain, and I always recommend starting with it when hiking for the first time in Bergen. But a lot of tourists take the funicular, Fløibanen, that runs from the city to the top of Fløyen. Believe it or not, once a year, the funicular is stopped for 2.5 hours, and everyone willing to participate can run up the railway track. It’s a short race, but pretty challenging: with only 800 meters, you get to gain 300 meters of elevation.

I’ve done it once, and it was a pretty fun race. Contrary to Stoltzekleiven Opp, the stairs you step on are all the same height, and it makes it a little easier to run. My finish time was 16:37, and at the top, I got some pastries, water, and a t-shirt.

Fløibanen Opp is not a difficult race if you are used to run steep trails 🙂

2. Ulriken Opp: get to the top of the tallest mountain

When: 30 May 2026
Price: 120-700 kr

The tallest mountain in Bergen, Ulriken, has its own race, which has three options:

• dog run;
• competition;
• fun/family run.

The first one allows participants to run with their dogs, and the last one is for those who want to participate without competing for a place.

Total distance is about 1760 meters, and the elevation gain is roughly 405 meters. Take into account that partly you will be running on uneven stone steps, and you can guess how hard this race is. I still haven’t done this race, but mostly because I prefer long events. It’s pretty popular among the locals, though.

This view is worth the effort!

3. BERGEN3000: Store Lungegårdsvannet rundt

When: 06 June 2026
Price: 250-300 kr (main run)

Relatively new race with only 3000 meters to run on asphalt around a lake/fjord right in the city centre. Almost no elevation gain, at least what’s realistic for Bergen, on an easy course, which many of the local runners use as a daily trainer. I myself run there occasionally.

There is a separate class for para-athletes; kids have their own short 300-meter version, and it can be done as a family event.

Easy run around this lake with a pretty flat course

4. Stoltzekleiven Opp: the legendary race

When: 25/26 September 2026
Price: 235-495 kr

Stoltzekleiven Opp is the second most popular running event in Bergen, and it’s one of those I’m not a big fan of 🙂 Being just 910 meters long, the elevation gain is a bit over 301 meters. While it might not sound as bad as it actually is, the main difficulty of the race is the stone steps. They are all different in height, width, and length. And when you have a 36% incline, your legs work the whole range. Nevertheless, I totally recommend trying it and finishing it in one piece.

Current record for men is 7:46, and for women is 9:39. I finished this race in 19:23 with no preparations except for some runs on flat/hilly courses. Be ready to run in heart rate zones 4 and 5 for most of the race. It’s brutal.

My struggle was legendary 🙂

5. Tunnelløpet Bergen: run through the longest cycling tunnel

When: 18 April 2026
Price: 350 kr

Fyllingsdalstunellen is the longest purpose-built cycling tunnel, which is almost 3 km long. I really enjoy cycling through it on a hot sunny day since it’s always a bit chilly inside. You can also walk/run through, just don’t do it on a bike lane.

Once a year, it’s possible to run through the tunnel and a bit further. Tunnelløpet is a 5 km long race with a small elevation gain. It’s a pretty fast race, and the current record for men is 14:13, and for women it’s 15:45.

While I didn’t run the Tunnelløpet race, I once ran a full marathon in Fyllingsdalstunellen

6. Winterrun Bergen: enjoy the snow (or rain)

When: 6 February 2027
Price: 560-700 kr

When the American sports brand Brooks tried to establish itself in the Norwegian market, they decided to organise a running event. That’s how a winter run came to life in Bergen, and it became pretty popular among the locals. You can choose either a 5 km or a 10 km run.

In 2026, the race got a bit too popular, but the organisers didn’t bother to get in touch with the local authorities to close the roads. All the publicity in the local newspapers probably made the run even better known among locals for the upcoming events.

7. Sommernattsløpet Bergen: enjoy the late summer sun

When: 13 June 2026
Price: 560-700 kr

Another event organised by Brooks, this time during the longest daylight month, June. I absolutely love having an early sunrise at 04:11 and a late sunset at 23:11 on the day of the race. And the whole of June, with a lot of sunlight, is a pretty awesome month in Bergen. Anyway, Sommernattsløpet has two distances, 5 km and 10 km, and three starting times, 19:00, 20:00, and 21:30. It’s a fun and easy event, on a flat course, partially going through the BERGEN3000 route.

8. Bergen City Milen: 10 km for the win

When: 12 September 2026
Price: 375-550 kr

Have you ever heard of a Scandinavian mile (mil)? It’s exactly 10 km, so roughly 6.2 imperial miles. The same organiser who is in charge of our local marathon is involved in this autumn’s event. It has a very central start and finish, and is considered a fast race.

Long run:

9. Bergen City Marathon

When: 25 April 2026
Price: 550-950 kr (main event)

Finally, my favourite event, Bergen City Marathon. I’ve done it multiple times, and I try to run it every year. My current personal best is 3:42:45.

It’s possible to run the full distance, as well as a half-marathon, and some shorter distances. For the full distance, you need to run two loops, and the total elevation gain is around 469 meters. There are some steep places, and you will definitely feel them on the second loop, especially if you are not used to hilly courses.

When I train for my Ironman races, I usually like to use the BCM route for long, easy runs. Not only because I live on the course, but also because it’s pretty nice in there. You basically see the whole city from the Fjellveien part of it.

Generally speaking, this event is pretty fun. Except for my first time running it, when the guy who finished 5 minutes before me died. Or when it was snowing, raining, or blowing cold wind throughout the whole race. But when the weather is nice and warm, it’s fantastic. I recommend doing BCM as one of the many things to do in Bergen. The race is fun, and you will see a lot of Bergen in one run 🙂

My current PB of the course is 3:42:45

Trail:

10. Fløyen-Knarvik: 27 km trail from Bergen to Knarvik

When: 9 May 2026
Price: 350-450 kr (main event)

This is the first proper trail race on my list, with around 27 km and 800 meters of elevation gain; it’s somewhat challenging, but a fun race nevertheless. With the start on top of Fløyen in Bergen, and the finish in a different municipality, Knarvik, one can enjoy some trails and a bit of tarmac when running on two bridges leading to Knarvik.

11. 7-Fjellsturen i Bergen: the legendary hike

When: 31 May 2026
Price: 350-450 kr (main event)

While the 7-mountains hike is technically not a running race, lots of ultra runners run through it. 35 km long with an elevation gain of around 2400 meters, the current record is held by Stian Angermund-Vik with an astonishing 2:59:29 finish time. That’s insane fast!

On the left: we reached the second peak out of 7. On the right: a queue in a tight place

12. Bergen Fjellmaraton: not really a marathon

When: 4 June 2026
Price: 550 kr

I absolutely don’t understand why the event called “Mountain marathon” is only a half-marathon. And I don’t think I will ever get it. In any case, Fjellmaraton is probably one of the most popular trail events in Bergen, and it gets sold out pretty fast after the tickets go on sale.

The race goes from Ulriken through Vidden and finishes on Fløyen. With 21.1 km distance and an elevation gain of 1600 meters, it’s a moderately difficult event. The main feature of this race is a technical rocky run through Vidden.

13. Styrkeprøven Rett Vest: level hard

When: 29 August 2026
Price: 500-600 kr

This race is hardcore. You can choose either 45 km with an ascent of 3129 meters and a descent of 3320 meters, or 60 km with 4000/4100 meters of ascent/descent. I’ve done the Rett Vest course just once during my preparations for a different race, but never in an official event.

This is a very demanding event for experienced ultra-trail runners.

The company you can expect to have on the Rett Vest course

14. Nightrun Bergen: easy trail

When: 29 October 2026
Price: 490-700 kr

With a 7 km route and 290 meters of total elevation gain, this is a pretty easy run, which is organised by the German portable light producer, Ledlenser. There are multiple similar races across Norway, so be sure to choose the best one when registering, in Bergen 🙂

15. Oslo Bergen Trail: 500 km

When: 1-10 July 2027
Price: 10950 kr

While technically it’s a run across Norway, and not in Bergen itself, it still finishes in the best city in the world, Bergen. So, what is OBT? It’s over 500 km of trails with a total elevation gain of over 16000 meters, very little sleep, a lot of pain, unpredictable weather, and struggle. Pure joy and happiness 🙂

Partially, it goes through the Styrkeprøven Rett Vest route, but that’s only if you get far enough. 

I attempted OBT in 2025 as my first-ever ultra/trail race, but DNF at around 185 km watch distance. Mostly because my feet looked like minced meat, and I didn’t know how to take care of them. Also, the last 6 hours or so of rain in the wilderness definitely contributed to my overall poor performance. Mistakes were made, but I will be back and ready for the next edition in 2027. Hopefully, this time I will finish it.

Oslo Bergen 500k trail is a special race. I hope to finish it in the next edition.

Bergen is a perfect place for running, especially if you have proper waterproof gear. With a changing terrain, flat runs, unique races, and mountains, you will definitely find something to your liking. And don’t forget to enjoy it!