The Race
The organiser had not published the 2026 course map at time of writing. Every course-shape, landmark and elevation detail below is drawn from the 2025 route, the most recent available, and should be re-checked against oslomaraton.no once the 2026 map is released.
| Next Race Date | 12 September 2026 (Saturday), 09:00 start |
|---|---|
| Course Type | Loop, starts and finishes at Radhusplassen; marathon runners complete the half marathon's own loop twice (2025 course) |
| Registration | Open via Onreg; marathon, half marathon and Oslotrippelen distances are sold out, with a waitlist and resale marketplace |
| Ballot Opens | Not applicable, open entry |
| Total Finishers | Around 4,180 for the September 2025 edition |
| Average Race Day Temperature | Not confirmed |
| Cutoff Time | 6 hours from the 09:00 start; runners must also pass halfway within 3 hours |
| Free Race Day Transport | Not confirmed; the organiser recommends Oslo's existing public transport, Nationaltheatret the nearest stop |
| Course Certification | Confirmed part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group ranking system; AIMS certification not independently confirmed |
A nationally televised race, and a route to the Abbott Age Group World Championship
The DNB Oslo Marathon is broadcast live nationally on NRK, Norway’s public broadcaster, on race day itself, a level of domestic television coverage most races on this site do not carry. The race is also part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group world ranking system: age-group runners meeting the automatic qualifying standard for their category, or otherwise placing well within it, can receive an invitation to the annual AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championship. This is a distinct status from full Abbott Six Star Major membership, which Oslo does not hold.
History
The DNB Oslo Marathon is Norway’s capital-city marathon, run as a multi-distance festival alongside a half marathon, a 10 km race branded “10 for Grete,” a 10 km wheelchair-racing event, and a children’s event, all starting and finishing at Radhusplassen, Oslo’s City Hall Square. The event has carried different title sponsor names over recent years, including BMW, and the organiser’s own site currently brands the 2026 edition as the DNB Oslo Maraton.
By this research pass, the marathon, half marathon and the Oslotrippelen (a same-day triple of marathon, half marathon and 10 km) were all confirmed sold out for the 2026 edition, with a waitlist and a resale marketplace open to returning entries, a strong indicator of the race’s local popularity even without full Abbott Major status.
The course
The DNB Oslo Marathon starts and finishes at Radhusplassen, Oslo’s City Hall Square. On the 2025 course, marathon runners complete the half marathon’s own loop course twice, a structural detail distinct from a single long point-to-point route: the same start-area landmarks, aid stations and spectator points repeat at the marathon’s halfway mark. The half marathon loop carries around 175 height-metres of elevation gain per circuit, giving the marathon distance around 350m of gain in total, per the organiser’s own 2025 course data. This contradicts a separate, lower-quality third-party summary describing the course as flat with only around 80m of total gain; this page uses the organiser’s own figure.
Third-party route summaries describe the course passing Oslo City Hall itself, the Aker Brygge waterfront, the Oslofjord shoreline, and Frogner with Frognerparken’s Vigeland sculpture park.
Km 0-5: Out of Radhusplassen. The marathon starts at 09:00 from Radhusplassen, directly in front of Oslo City Hall, with the field organised into three waves five minutes apart by estimated finish time.
Km 5-15: Along the Oslofjord waterfront.This section runs along Aker Brygge and the Oslofjord shoreline, one of the course’s more scenic stretches.
Km 15-21.1: Through Frogner and Frognerparken. The route reaches Frogner and Frognerparken, home to the Vigeland sculpture park, and completes the first of two identical loops here, at the half marathon distance.
Km 21.1-31.5: The second loop begins. Marathon runners repeat the same loop a second time from this point, passing the same waterfront and park landmarks again; half marathon finishers, who started earlier the same day, are not on course at the same time, so this repeat pass is a genuinely solitary experience.
Km 31.5-42.195: Back to Radhusplassen. The course closes with a return to Radhusplassen, finishing directly in front of the same City Hall building the race started beside.
Because the 2025 course carries a genuine, official elevation gain of around 350m across two identical loops, any hill encountered on the first lap repeats identically on the second, a detail worth planning pacing around rather than treating the loop’s second half as a fresh, unknown challenge.
Logistics Map
The map below shows the 2025 course: two loops from Radhusplassen along the Oslofjord waterfront and through Frognerparken. Tap a marker for details.
From Radhusplassen along the Oslofjord shoreline and into Frogner, the field still tightly packed on the day's first wave.
The route passes the Vigeland sculpture park before closing the first loop at the half marathon distance, a useful psychological marker for pacing the second half.
The same waterfront and park landmarks repeat, but without the half marathon field, which started separately earlier in the day.
A repeat of the opening kilometres in reverse, closing at the same City Hall square the race started beside.
Pacers
| Wave | Start time | Pacers available |
|---|---|---|
| Pulje 1 | 09:00 (target finish under 3 hr 45 min) | 3:00, 3:15, 3:30, 3:45 |
| Pulje 2 | 09:05 (target finish under 4 hr 15 min) | 4:00, 4:15 |
| Pulje 3 | 09:10 (target finish over 4 hr 15 min) | 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:30 |
Wave placement is based on the estimated finish time entered at registration, and runners are not permitted to start in a wave other than the one assigned. Pacers are marked with a pace flag on their back.
What to wear
Mid-September in Oslo generally runs mild by early autumn standards, but conditions can vary meaningfully year to year, and the course’s waterfront sections carry real wind exposure along the Oslofjord shoreline. A throwaway layer for the pre-09:00 start-line wait is a sensible general call regardless of the exact conditions on a given year.
Entry
Entry is direct online registration through the organiser’s Onreg platform, with no ballot. As of this research pass, the marathon, half marathon and Oslotrippelen (a same-day triple of marathon, half marathon and 10 km) are confirmed sold out, with a waitlist for new entries and a resale marketplace, open until 1 September, for existing entrants unable to attend. 2026 pricing for the distances still open at time of research: 10 for Grete (10 km) at 790 NOK, half marathon at 990 NOK, marathon at 1,200 NOK, and the Oslotrippelen at 2,500 NOK, plus a one-time 40 NOK administration fee and a 50 NOK athletics licence fee unless the runner already holds an annual licence. Students receive a 15% discount on request.
Runners wishing to change distance must contact the organiser directly and pay any price difference for an upgrade; downgrades are possible only if the new, shorter distance is not itself sold out. Purchase of a start place is binding and non-refundable under Norwegian consumer purchase law, though a cancellation insurance product (MySafety) can be added at the time of registration, not afterward, covering illness or other unforeseen circumstances.
Elite entry standards
There is no Boston- or London-style Good For Age route, but the race does operate a separate elite-entry pathway with its own qualifying standards for 2026: marathon under 2:29:59 (men) or 2:59:59 (women); half marathon under 1:09:59 (men) or 1:19:59 (women); 10 for Grete under 30:59 (men) or 35:59 (women). Elite entrants receive access to a dedicated tent at Radhusplassen for baggage on race day. All entrants, elite or otherwise, must follow World Athletics’ competition shoe rules, and podium finishers or record-setters may be asked to submit their shoes for inspection.
Race Weekend
Expo
The Expo is a free-entry tent at the start and finish area on Radhusplassen, open Thursday 10 September 09:00-20:00, Friday 11 September 09:00-20:00, and Saturday 12 September (race day) 07:00-18:00. The organiser explicitly recommends collecting a bib on the Thursday or Friday to avoid the longer queues typical of Saturday collection.
To collect a bib, a runner needs their start card, sent by email and SMS in the week before the event, and valid photo identification; a runner may also collect on behalf of someone else if they carry that person’s start card and a copy of their ID. Runners who ordered the event T-shirt collect it at the same time as their bib and baggage bag.
Race Morning
The organiser recommends arriving via public transport rather than by car; the nearest stop is Nationaltheatret, served by bus, tram and the T-bane metro, with Oslo Sentralstasjon (the main railway station) also within easy walking distance. The marathon starts at 09:00 in three waves five minutes apart, assigned by the estimated finish time entered at registration.
Baggage storage is in the City Hall’s own courtyard at Fridtjof Nansens plass, directly beside the start, open 07:00-18:30 on race day. Only the official baggage bag distributed at bib collection can be deposited; personal bags, suitcases or similar items are not accepted, and runners are advised to use Oslo Sentralstasjon’s own left-luggage facilities for anything larger. Toilets are concentrated on Otto Sverdrups gate near the start pens, with over 100 cubicles there specifically to reduce pre-race queuing, plus a smaller bank of eight toilets at Radhusplassen immediately after the finish, and three at every aid station on the course itself.
No headphones of any kind are permitted on the course, a rule introduced at the request of the local police for safety reasons, and strollers and pets are also prohibited. The race is livestreamed nationally on NRK, and a dedicated event app allows spectators to track individual runners live on the course.
Nutrition on Course
Aid stations are positioned roughly every 5 km, serving Maxim sports drink and water at every station; marathon aid stations, and some half marathon stations, additionally serve bananas and cola. Runners are not permitted to hand out or receive personal energy gels from supporters along the course, though carrying and consuming a runner’s own gels is allowed; personal drinks can only be handed off at the official aid stations themselves, and only by a support-crew member standing at that specific station. After the finish, every runner receives a bottle of water and further refreshments in the finish chute.
Spectating
Because the marathon runs the half marathon’s own loop twice, a spectator positioned anywhere on the shared section of the course sees the marathon field pass at least twice, a genuine two-for-one advantage over a single-pass point-to-point route. A dedicated event app allows spectators to track individual runners live on the course by name or bib number, and the race is broadcast live nationally on NRK on race day. Prize ceremonies for the top three men and women in every distance take place on a stage in the middle of Radhusplassen.
Post-Race Food
Every finisher receives water and further refreshments in the finish chute itself, included in the entry fee. Radhusplassen sits between Aker Brygge’s waterfront restaurant strip and the Nationaltheatret area, two of central Oslo’s denser dining concentrations, but this page will not name a specific venue without a direct source.
Where to Stay
Because the course starts and finishes at the same point, Radhusplassen, a hotel anywhere within easy walking distance of City Hall serves both ends of the race equally well.
Around Radhusplassen and Nationaltheatret
The most practical base, and the organiser’s own recommended access point via public transport: this puts a runner within walking distance of the start-finish, the Expo tent, and the Aker Brygge waterfront. Hotel stock here is dense and includes the race’s own official partner hotel.
Aker Brygge
Immediately adjacent to Radhusplassen along the waterfront, trading a slightly longer walk to the exact start line for direct access to the harbourside restaurant strip.
Karl Johans gate and central Oslo
A short walk from Radhusplassen through the city’s main pedestrian shopping street, with a wider spread of hotel price points than the immediate square-front cluster.
Grunerlokka and the wider city
A characterful district a longer walk or short tram ride from Radhusplassen, better suited to a visitor prioritising a quieter, more residential base over minimising race-morning walking distance.
Recommended hotels
The race's own official partner "Runners Hotel," promoted directly on oslomaraton.no with a dedicated booking link, the most directly race-endorsed option here.
A historic grand hotel a few hundred metres from the organiser's own recommended transport hub, with a pool, a useful post-marathon amenity.
A large international-chain property with a pool, within easy walking distance of both Radhusplassen and the Nationaltheatret transport hub.
A well-reviewed budget-oriented option in the same central cluster as the more expensive hotels above, a practical choice for a runner prioritising value over amenities.
A boutique property in the same central corridor, a smaller-scale alternative to the larger international chains listed above.
Booking timeline
Entry is open registration with no ballot results date, though the marathon, half marathon and Oslotrippelen distances are already sold out for 2026, so a runner relying on the waitlist or resale marketplace should not assume a late, leisurely hotel-booking timeline. Oslo carries strong general city-break demand through September regardless of the marathon, so early booking is a reasonable general recommendation independent of race-specific pressure.
See & Do
These sit at or close to the finish, or directly on the 2025 course’s own route.
Aker Brygge and the Oslofjord Waterfront
Directly adjacent to Radhusplassen (finish). A redeveloped former shipyard turned waterfront dining and shopping district, flat and easy walking directly beside the finish line, and part of the marathon course itself on the 2025 route.
Vigeland Sculpture Park, Frognerparken
A tram ride or a longer walk from the city centre. Norway’s largest sculpture park by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland, holding over 200 bronze, granite and wrought-iron works across Frognerparken, and a landmark the marathon course itself passes on its 2025 route.
Oslo Opera House
Within walking distance of the harbourfront. A striking marble-and-glass building on Oslo’s harbourfront, with a public roof that can be walked for a harbour view without needing a ticket to a performance.
Munch Museum
Near the harbourfront. A dedicated museum for Edvard Munch’s work, including versions of “The Scream,” housed in a distinctive leaning tower building.
Bygdoy Museums
Reached by ferry or bus from the city centre. A peninsula holding several of Oslo’s best-known museums together, including the Viking Ship Museum and the Fram Museum, a manageable half-day option.
Reading recommendation
Kristin Lavransdatterby Sigrid Undset. Undset’s medieval Norwegian trilogy, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928, set in 14th-century Norway rather than Oslo specifically, but a genuine, well-documented cornerstone of Norwegian literature for a visitor wanting a substantial book connected to the country the race takes place in.
After the Race
Oslo Marathon runs in September. These itineraries stay within the Oslofjord, or extend further into Norway.
A cluster of small, largely car-free islands in the Oslofjord itself, including Hovedoya with its ruined 12th-century monastery, reachable on the same ticket used for the city's buses and trams.
A small wooden-house fjord town with Norway's own year-round Christmas House and the offshore Oscarsborg Fortress, best known for sinking the German cruiser Blucher in 1940.
Northern Europe's best-preserved fortified old town, Gamlebyen, its star-shaped ramparts and moat still intact, reached across the Glomma river by a free local ferry.
Norway's second city, reached by a train journey that crosses the Hardangervidda plateau before descending to a coastal city built around a UNESCO-listed wharf.
Frequently asked questions
Should I stay near the start or the finish?
No distinction to make: the course starts and finishes at the same point, Radhusplassen, so any hotel within walking distance of City Hall serves both equally.
How far in advance should I book a hotel?
As early as possible. The marathon, half marathon and Oslotrippelen distances are already sold out for 2026, and Oslo carries strong September city-break demand regardless.
Is there free transport to the start?
No dedicated free race-day transport confirmed; the organiser recommends Oslo's existing public transport, with Nationaltheatret the nearest stop.
What is the best area to stay?
Around Radhusplassen or the Nationaltheatret transport corridor. The race's own official partner hotel, Comfort Hotel Borsparken, sits in this same area.
When does the expo open?
The Expo tent at Radhusplassen runs Thursday and Friday, both 09:00-20:00, and race day 07:00-18:00. The organiser recommends Thursday or Friday collection.
What is the weather typically like?
Not confirmed for a specific range. Mid-September in Oslo generally runs mild. Check a live climatology source closer to race day.
How do I get from the airport?
Not confirmed. The Flytoget airport express train is a well-known general option, though not independently verified here.
Is there a bag drop?
Yes, in City Hall's own courtyard at Fridtjof Nansens plass, beside the start, 07:00-18:30. Only the official baggage bag can be used.
Should I bring a throwaway layer?
Sensible for the pre-09:00 start-line wait. Note headphones of any kind are not permitted on course, a police-mandated safety rule.
How do I get back to my hotel after finishing?
If staying near Radhusplassen or Nationaltheatret, on foot; the course finishes exactly where it started.