Norway’s Oldest Marathon!

Trondheim Marathon began on November 2, 1969, as a student marathon with 12 male finishers. The following year, 15 men participated. By 1975, there were 39 participants, and in 1982, 45 runners plus a recreational class with 23 participants. In 1983, the newspaper reported that over 300 runners completed the marathon. Trondheim Marathon is the oldest marathon in Norway and has been held continuously since its inception. The event was originally organized by the students at NTH in collaboration with the Marathon Club, later by the Marathon Club alone, and then by Nidelv I.L. Since 2011, Nidelv I.L. has partnered with the Corporate Sports Association in Mid-Norway under the Trondheim Weekend umbrella. In 2015, support from Trondheim Weekend ceased, and Nidelv I.L. and the Corporate Sports Association took over the full responsibility for organizing the event.

The board of the Marathon Club originally consisted of Jan Holth, Torleif Rekkebo, and Tom Myran. The student marathon was renamed Trondheim Marathon, likely in 1978.

Since then, the event has set new participation records year after year, with 2025 as the biggest so far – a total of 14,623 participants.

An event for everyone

The main focus of Trondheim Marathon is public health.
We aim to be an event for everyone. We want to support our participants by providing them with tools to succeed throughout the entire year. We offer running courses, lectures, nutrition talks, events, and training arenas — all while encouraging participants to reach their annual fitness goal.

Our course is designed around the city center, allowing both runners and spectators to experience Trondheim in the best possible way. We are proud of the new route, which is not only beautiful but also highly spectator-friendly.

The organizers today are Nidelv IL and Midt-Norge Sør Bedriftsidrettskrets.

In 2019, participation skyrocketed, reaching more than 7,700 registered runners and breaking the previous record from 2018 (4,857) by a wide margin. After the pandemic, attendance rebounded to 6,600 participants in 2022, and a new record was set in 2024 with 11,500 runners.

In 2025, Trondheim Marathon reached an impressive total of 14,623 participants – a milestone that made it necessary to rethink and refine how the event is planned and executed moving forward.