When the Norwegian Triathlon Championship starts from 14-17. August is a historic event, both for the Lofoten Triathlon Club, the organizer The Arctic Triple and the Norwegian Triathlon Association.
For the first time in history, the NM will be held in Northern Norway. Traditionally, triathlon national championships have been held over fewer days and for the first time there is a full-distance triathlon on the national championship menu. – For us, it is very fun to get the NM here and it has been an extensive process to pull this off, says a satisfied leader in the Lofoten Triathlon Club, Ronnie Maas Pedersen.
It will be a packed program with many different exercises and for all age groups. The first race on Wednesday is a children’s race for the youngest up to 12 years of age. Then the fire engine provides a shower, which the children run through before cycling and running around the square before the finish line and the medal is received.
Then there will be the Supersprint Norgescup for youth from 13 years of age with a 375 m swim, 10 km bike and 3.5 km run followed by the Lofoten Duathlon with a 3.5 km run, 20 km bike and 3.5 km run.
On day two of the NM programme, Henningsvær will be the main arena for the exercises Lofoten Swimrun and Lofoten Aquatlon.
Swimrun starts at Rørvikstranda, goes up beautiful Festvågtind (541 m) before ending in Henningsvær.
At the same time as this exercise, the Lofoten Aquathlon takes place, which is a shorter and more compact exercise in Henningsvær, consisting of a 750 m swim and a 5 km run.
At the Lofoten Triathlon Extreme on Friday, the course is as follows: The swimming part is 4 km and goes around Svinøya in Svolvær, the cycling part is 196 km and winds between the fjord and mountains on Austvågøy and Vestvågøy before ending with a 45 km run, where the last 25 km are over two mountains. The course for the Olympic+ distance on Saturday is about a quarter as long as the Extreme, but just as beautiful. Of all the distances, a total of 4 of them are Norwegian championships; Duathlon, Aquathlon, Extreme and Olympic+.
The organizer promises a good northern Norwegian atmosphere and a rambunctious sports festival as the Arctic Race of Norway also rolls through the same area and shares large parts of the route on Friday during its second stage when the Lofoten Triathlon Extreme starts. A total of around 250 triathletes will take part in the NM party this week, with Lofoten nature as the arena and hospitable northerners as hosts.
Three races – Three challenges – Three seasons
The Arctic Triple – Lofoten Triathlon is one of three races in The Arctic Triple.
The three races take place annually in weeks 11 – 22 – 33
Week 11 – The Arctic Triple Lofoten Skimo
Week 22 – The Arctic Triple Lofoten Ultra Trail
Week 33 – The Arctic Triple Lofoten Triathlon
In total, at the three events in The Arctic Triple, there are participants from as many as 30 countries this year.
