RacesIndependent race preparation guide

Tromsø, Norway · 42.195 km road marathon

PolarNight Marathon 2027

Saturday 9 January 2027

A point-to-point winter road marathon in the polar night: a bus out to Sjøtun on Kvaløya, then back over the island and the Sandnessund Bridge to Tromsø, with a 5 h limit and a sub-4 entry rule.

PolarNight Marathon at a glance

Start
13:00 at Sjøtun on Kvaløya; bus from the Scandic Ishavshotel at 11:30 (provisional)
Finish
Storgata, beside Kulturhuset, Tromsø city centre
Course
Point to point on roads, over Kattfjordeidet at about 160 m and the Sandnessund Bridge
Time limit
5 h; the finish closes at 18:00; gun or chip basis not stated
Cut-offs
About halfway, 20 km, within 2 h 25 min
Entry
Open on EQ Timing, sub-4 marathon required; NOK 1,595 now, NOK 1,800 from 1 January 2027
Bib pickup
Rødbanken, Friday 8 January 14:00 to 19:00, or race day from 10:00
Getting to the start
Bus from the Scandic Ishavshotel at 11:30 to the start at Sjøtun
Aid stations
Water and sports drink at about km 10, 20, 32 and 37

Checked against the organizer's pages on 24 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.

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PolarNight Marathon course map and elevation

Point to point on roads, over Kattfjordeidet at about 160 m and the Sandnessund Bridge. Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.

Loading topographic map…

running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

0m25m50m75m100m125m150m175m010 km20 km30 km40 km164m0m
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%)

Route drawn by TrailSplits from published race information; approximate. For illustration, not navigation.

What to expect on the course

  • The first 8 km follow the fjord shore almost at sea level
  • Climb over Kattfjordeidet from km 9 to about 160 m by km 12, high ground to km 17, down to Henrikvik by km 20
  • East along the north shore of Kvaløya through Eidkjosen near km 24 and Kvaløysletta near km 29
  • Over the Sandnessund Bridge to Tromsøya at about km 31, a last rise of close to 50 m
  • South past Telegrafbukta near km 39, round the southern tip and along Strandveien to Storgata

The map follows the organizer's 2026 course from Sjøtun on Kvaløya to Storgata, which may still change until the final 2027 course is set by 1 October 2026, and its heights follow the ground, so the Sandnessund Bridge deck, close to 50 m on the organizer's profile, is missing.

Read the full course description

A point-to-point road marathon, AIMS measured and certified, from Sjøtun on Kvaløya back to Storgata in Tromsø. This is the organizer's 2026 course; it says the final 2027 course will be set by 1 October 2026. The first 8 km follow the fjord shore north-east almost at sea level, then the road climbs over Kattfjordeidet: the organizer's profile rises from about km 9 to roughly 160 m by km 12, stays high to km 17 and drops to the shore near Henrikvik by km 20. The course then runs east along the north shore of Kvaløya through Sjurelv, Eidkjosen near km 24 and Kvaløysletta near km 29, and crosses the Sandnessund Bridge to Tromsøya at about km 31, a last rise of close to 50 m. From Langnes by the airport it heads south down the island's west side past Giæverbukta and Telegrafbukta near km 39, rounds the southern tip and follows Strandveien into Storgata. From about km 33 it shares roads with the half marathon, which starts at 15:00. The organizer gives no total climb figure. Water and sports drink are served at about km 10, 20, 32 and 37, signs every 5 km count down to the finish, and torches mark the course when the weather allows.

Source, licence and file

TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.4 km in the file). Approximate terrain-model heights added by TrailSplits, sampled and smoothed at roughly 100 m intervals. Buildings, bridges and small road gradients are not surveyed road elevations.Produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved.

Three decisions to make before race day

  1. Show a sub-4 marathon before you enter, and enter before 1 January

    Entry needs an official marathon under 4 hours in the last two years. NOK 1,595 until the end of 2026, NOK 1,800 from 1 January 2027, and resale closes on 15 December 2026.

    More detail

    Only runners who have finished an official marathon in under 4 hours within the last two years may enter, and the result goes to the organizer by email. The fee is NOK 1,595 until the end of 2026 and NOK 1,800 from 1 January 2027. Entries are binding: resale within the marathon and distance changes on EQ Timing close on 15 December 2026.

  2. Reach 20 km by 2 h 25, straight after the Kvaløya climb

    You must reach about 20 km within 2 h 25 min. Even 5 h pace gets there only about three minutes early, after the climb to about 160 m, and drinks come only at about km 10, 20, 32 and 37.

    More detail

    The 5 h limit allows about 7 min 07 per km, but you must be at about 20 km within 2 h 25 min, 7 min 15 per km. Even limit pace gets there only about three minutes early, after the climb to roughly 160 m between km 9 and 12. Drinks come only at about km 10, 20, 32 and 37, so carry what you rely on.

  3. Pick shoes on the week's conditions, and dress for a cold start

    Headlamp compulsory, vest with your bib. Spikes or studs on ice, trail shoes on dry snow. The bus leaves at 11:30 and bag storage opens only at 14:00, so dress for a cold start.

    More detail

    A headlamp with a fully charged battery is compulsory, and the reflective vest comes with your bib. January can bring a few degrees above zero or double-digit frost; on ice the organizer advises spiked or studded shoes, on dry snow trail shoes. The bus leaves at 11:30, bag storage at Kulturhuset opens only at 14:00, and clothes left at the start are not kept.

Your race-day sheet

Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Tromsø.

Target finish time, including stops

13:00 is the marathon start in the organizer's 2027 programme, with the bus leaving the Scandic Ishavshotel at 11:30, but the organizer says the programme will still be updated. Recheck the times nearer the race. Europe/Oslo.

Time limit: 5 h; the finish closes at 18:00; gun or chip basis not stated

How this sheet applies the limit

The organizer allows 5 h for the marathon and closes the finish on Storgata at 18:00, exactly 5 h after the 13:00 start; it does not say whether the limit is gun or chip time. Runners must also reach about halfway, 20 km, within 2 h 25 min or leave the race, which is 15:25 if timed from the gun. The sheet applies the 5 h and the 18:00 close to the start you enter, but not the 20 km check.

A timing comparison, not a fitness assessment. Intermediate cutoffs, queues, weather and terrain are not modelled. Stops are spread evenly in the illustration; actual checkpoint times will differ.

ESTIMATED FINISH

17:00:00

MOVING PACE BUDGET

5:34/ km

ELAPSED PACE

5:41/ km

60 min below the modelled finish limit

Distance markers, not aid stations or guaranteed arrival times.
DistanceElapsedLocal clock
5 km00:28:2613:28:26
10 km00:56:5313:56:53
15 km01:25:1914:25:19
20 km01:53:4514:53:45
Halfway02:00:0015:00:00
25 km02:22:1215:22:12
30 km02:50:3815:50:38
35 km03:19:0516:19:05
40 km03:47:3116:47:31
Finish04:00:0017:00:00

Training plan for PolarNight Marathon 2027

A free week-by-week plan dated to this race. It starts from a stated default (weekly distance, longest recent run, days a week) that you can change; nothing is read from your watch or training history. It does not use the finish-time target above.

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Entry, bib pickup and rules

Entry:
Open on EQ Timing, sub-4 marathon required; NOK 1,595 now, NOK 1,800 from 1 January 2027
Bib pickup:
Rødbanken, Friday 8 January 14:00 to 19:00, or race day from 10:00
Read the full entry and pickup rules

Entry for 2027 is open on EQ Timing, the organizer's sign-up platform. The marathon is only for runners who have finished an official marathon in under 4 hours within the last two years, shown by sending the result to the organizer by email. It costs NOK 1,595 until the end of 2026 and NOK 1,800 from 1 January 2027. Runners must turn 18 during 2027. Entries are binding and not refunded; resale within the marathon and distance changes run on EQ Timing until 15 December 2026, and with a medical certificate sent within a week after the race a place moves to the next year for NOK 150. Bibs: Rødbanken in the centre, Friday 8 January 14:00 to 19:00 or race day 10:00 to 15:00; the race-day hours serve every distance, so a marathon runner collects before the 13:00 start.

Sources

Checked 24 September 2026; next review due 2026-10-20. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.

What each source confirms
  • 2027 race page: The 9 January 2027 date, AIMS membership with a control-measured and certified marathon distance, the four distances with the marathon named Ishavskraft Marathon, the 2026 field of 2,350 runners from 75 nations and the link to 2027 registration.
  • Practical information: The sub-4 qualification rule, the fee table with NOK 1,595 from 15 July 2026 and NOK 1,800 from 1 January 2027, bib pickup at Rødbanken on 8 and 9 January, the age rule by year of birth, binding entries, the NOK 150 medical transfer, resale and distance changes until 15 December 2026, bag storage at Kulturhuset 14:00 to 18:30, clothes left at the start not kept, the 5 h limit and the 20 km rule at 2 h 25, countdown signs every 5 km, torches, drink stations at about km 10, 20, 32 and 37, the compulsory headlamp and reflective vest, the weather range and the shoe advice.
  • 2027 programme: Bib pickup at Rødbanken on Friday 8 January 2027, 14:00 to 19:00, and Saturday 9 January, 10:00 to 15:00, the 11:30 bus from the Scandic Ishavshotel, the 13:00 marathon start at Sjøtun, the 15:00 half marathon start and 18:00 finish closure on Storgata; the page says the programme will be updated.
  • Course map page: The note that routes may change until the final courses are ready by 1 October 2026, the marathon map PDF with its profile, drink stations and countdown kilometre marks (uploaded December 2025 and linked as the 2027 map), and the marathon and half marathon GPX files.
  • Traffic regulations (2026 edition): The 2026 closures, dated 3 January 2026, along the course: Fv 862 from Sjøtun over Kattfjordeidet to Henrikvik and Sjurelv, Kvaløyveien, Langnesvegen, Strandveien around the southern tip and Storgata.
  • EQ Timing 2027 entry page: Entry for PolarNight Marathon 2027 open on the check date with the Ishavskraft Marathon at NOK 1,595.