Birkebeinerløpet

12 June 2027 · Rena, Norway

Birkebeinerløpet is the 21 km flagship of the Birken summer running festival, held in mid-June and billed as Norway's largest trail race. Alongside it there is a 7.5 km run supporting the fight against cancer, the 12 km HalvBirken, a 42 km mountain marathon, a 60 km ultra and children's races, so whole families come along. The name recalls the 13th-century legend of the Birkebeiner warriors who rescued the infant heir to the throne, the same story behind the famous Birkebeinerrennet ski race. The courses cross mountain plateaus, forests and gravel roads in the Lillehammer area, with views over valleys and lakes. Lillehammer, host of the 1994 Winter Olympics, offers ski jumps, the Maihaugen open-air museum and charming wooden streets.