Birkebeinerløpet 21 km

• Track
  Course Description – 20.2 km
  The race starts at the Birkebeiner Ski Stadium in Lillehammer (525 meters above sea level) and finishes at Håkons Hall. The course runs through varied forest terrain and covers a total distance of 20.2 km, with 337 meters of elevation gain and 569 meters of descent.

  Start – Sjøseterlia (0–6 km)
  The first 6 km follow the Olympic cross-country trails from the 1994 Winter Games, featuring a mix of trail surfaces including grass-covered ski tracks and forest paths. This section includes the highest point of the course at 611 meters in Sjøseterlia, along with some steep downhill sections. Be cautious, especially in wet conditions.

  Sjøseterlia – Mesnasaga (6–9.5 km)
  After Sjøseterlia, the course continues on the Olympic trails before joining the Birkebeiner Trail coming down from Sjusjøen. After a short loop toward Nevla, you return to the Birkebeiner Trail, which leads across Sjøsetervegen and down to Sagmyra—a grass-covered track. A timing checkpoint is located at Sjøsetervegen, approximately 7.7 km into the course (12.5 km from the finish). From there, the route follows the Ingalåmi trail and climbs toward Myggbukta on a built-up path with dirt, gravel, and some stones. The final 1 km to the Mesnasaga timing mat is a gentle downhill on forest road.

  Mesnasaga – Kroken (10–14 km)
  After the aid station at Mesnasaga, the course continues along the Ingalåmi trail and crosses the Mesna River on a firm but occasionally rocky path. You then follow Vårsætervegen, a flat gravel forest road with grass along the sides. About 1.5 km before the Kroken aid station, the course turns back into the Ingalåmi trail with more terrain and some wet sections. A timing checkpoint is located at Kroken, approximately 14 km into the race (6 km from the finish).

  Kroken – Finish at Håkons Hall (14–21 km)
  The final section begins with a flat trail that is somewhat rocky with a few soft spots. It then joins the Maihaugen trail, which includes some steep hills and short, wet areas. Behind Maihaugen, the course merges into the Tverrløypa, which is flat, easy to run, and on solid ground. The trail crosses two local roads in the Nybu area—be alert for possible traffic. From the top of Kleivbakken, the course descends diagonally and includes a short loop at the bottom before reaching the finish at Håkons Hall.

  

  • Track profile Birkebeinerløpet 21 km
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  Track map Birkebeinerløpet

  Split Calulator and GPX
• Food- and drink stations

  Place	Km	Service
  Start		Refill Maxim sports drink and water
  Sjøsæterlia	6 km	Maxim sports drink, water and bananas
  Mesnasaga	10 km	Maxim sports drink, water, bananas and pastry
  Kroken	14,5 km	Maxim sports drink, water, Pepsi Cola, bananas and pastry
  Finish	21 km	Water, Vørterøl, Red Bull, Maarud Potetgull® (crisps) and Gilde sausage

  All drinks, food and nutrition that are distributed both along the way at the drinking stations and at the finish line are included in the registration fee.

  Keep Birken clean
  Littering along the route is not allowed, and will be punished with 15 minutes added to your time. Please bring your litter it to the nearest food station, or use the drop zones along the course

• Starting times, seeding and classes
  Birkebeinerløpet has seeded wave start and free seeding.
  You choose wave when entering the race. You can change wave at your My Page if available spots until June 13th.

  Final waves and starting times will be given 1-2 weeks prior the race.

  Classes

  • Age classes for women and men; 16-19 yrs, 20-24 yrs, 25-29 yrs, 30-34 yrs and so on.
  • Elite classes for women and men
  • Para women and men (FH)
  • Trim uten tid - Your time and result will not be available for you or anyone else to see. You will be at the result list in alpahbetical order as a finisher.

  Age as per 31.12.2026

  All waves start at real time, except Men and Women Elite

  Preliminary Starting time	Preliminary wave	estimated finish time
  11.00	Men Elite	<01:22:00
  11.02	Women Elite	<01:40:00
  11.05	1	<01:28:00
  11.10	2	<01:28:00
  11.15	3	<01:32:00
  11.20	4	<01:32:00
  11.25	5	<01:35:00
  11.30	6	<01:35:00
  11.35	7	<01:38:00
  11.40	8	<01:38:00
  11.45	9	<01:40:00
  11.50	10	<01:40:00
  11.55	11	<01:40:00
  12.00	12	<01:42:00
  12.05	13	<01:42:00
  12.10	14	<01:45:00
  12.15	15	<01:45:00
  12.20	16	<01:48:00
  12.25	17	<01:48:00
  12.30	18	<01:50:00
  12.35	19	<01:50:00
  12.40	20	<01:55:00
  12.45	21	<01:55:00
  12.50	22	<02:00:00
  12.55	23	<02:00:00
  13.00	24	<02:00:00
  13.05	25	<02:05:00
  13.10	26	<02:05:00
  13.15	27	<02:15:00
  13.20	28	>=02:15:00

• Elite classes
  Birkebeinerløpet has elite classes for men and women.
  
  If you want to change class from your age class to elit class, pleas contact us at info@birkebeiner.no.
  
  Note
  Competitors in the elite classes no longer receives placement in their age classes - only in the elite classes. 

• Birkebeiner Medal (merket)
  Birkebeiner Medal (merket)  /max time                             
  To recieve the Birkebeiner Medal (merket) there is a time limit based on the average time of the top 5 competitors plus 25%, worked out separately for each class in Birkebeinerløpet 21 km.