Newspaper Aftenposten described Saturday’s Oslo Marathon as a løypefest, nothing less than a great party for runners on a glorious day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky as around 23,000 runners, both serious and playful, hit the streets of the Norwegian capital and mostly had lots of fun.
There were all sorts of events throughout the day, from the main marathons for men (won by Thomas Astautsen of Stavanger with a time of two hours, 26 minutes and 54 seconds) and for women (won by Marfa Troeva of Russia, (2.54.12). There were also the half-marathons for men and women (the biggest events, attracting more than half the total participants) and the “10km for Grete” race that honours Norway’s legendary runner Grete Waitz.
The sportiest took part in “trippene,” running all three events for a total of 73.3 kilometers, and then there were the “ploggers,” who both ran and picked up trash along the way. There were also musicians, cheerleaders and spectators along the route, all basking in the warm sunshine, while organizers were mighty pleased with a 22 percent increase in participants over last year.
newsinenglish.no staff
