Signs had been posted around the Norwegian capital all week, warning of traffic disruptions when the Oslo Marathon got underway during the weekend. More than 14,000 people were registered for various events both on Saturday and Sunday.
A special children’s marathon was scheduled for Saturday, with activities beginning at 11am and the marathon at 2pm followed by a three-kilometer race at 3pm.
On Sunday, events began with a special 10-kilometer race in honour of Grete Waitz, the Norwegian marathon star who died earlier this year after a long battle with cancer. That was to be followed by the marathon at 10:20 and a half-marathon beginning at 1:35pm.
Organizers Sportsklubb Vidar want to make the Oslo Marathon one of the biggest, if not the biggest, marathon in Europe. It was first held in 1981 and now the goal is to be Europe’s answer to the New York Marathon, reported newspaper Dagsavisen earlier this week.
Some of the earlier participants have been professional runners from as far away as Kenya and Ethiopia but this year’s race was expected to be dominated by runners of all ages and mostly from all over Norway. Tony Isaksen, leader of Vidar, said the club wanted to host a “people’s party” with low entry requirements.
This year’s marathon was also competing against the Berlin Marathon this weekend, where 41,000 runners were registered, so Oslo’s organizers have high ambitions. The weather report was favorable, with some sunshine expected on Saturday and little if any rain on Sunday.
Views and News staff
