Birkebeinerrennet
Birkebeinerrennet takes place Mid to late Mar 2027 (the 2026 race ran Mar 21; traditionally a Saturday in the second half of March) in Rena to Lillehammer, Norway. The dress code is Cross-country race clothing plus the compulsory 3.5 kg backpack; warm windproof layers, because the exposed crossing is the coldest part of any Norwegian race day. Typical cost ranges from 500 to 1500 EUR per person.
A 54 km cross-country race over the mountains from Rena to Lillehammer in which every skier carries a 3.5 kg pack, symbolising the 1206 rescue of the infant prince Hakon Hakonsson by the Birkebeiner warriors. It is a rite of passage for Norwegian skiers and a genuine test on exposed high terrain where the weather decides the day. Finishing within a set percentage of the elite time earns the coveted merke.
- When
- Mid to late Mar 2027 (the 2026 race ran Mar 21; traditionally a Saturday in the second half of March)
- Where
- Rena to Lillehammer, Norway
- Dress code
- Cross-country race clothing plus the compulsory 3.5 kg backpack; warm windproof layers, because the exposed crossing is the coldest part of any Norwegian race day.
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 500 to 1500 EUR per person.
- Weather
- -10 to 2C, often windy on the tops with far milder conditions in the valleys at either end
- When to book
- Entry opens the previous autumn on birken.no and fills up; the 3.5 kg pack is compulsory and weighed at the finish
- Getting there
- OSL (Oslo Gardermoen), about 2 hr to Lillehammer by train or car; Rena is roughly another hour from there
- Where to stay
- Scandic Lillehammer Hotel, Molla Hotell, Lillehammer, First Hotel Breiseth, Lillehammer
- Official site
- https://birken.no/
How to attend
Register online at birken.no, where entry opens the previous autumn and the desirable start groups fill early. It is open to the public with no qualification required, though the weighted pack is a rule, not a tradition, and is checked. The route and the Lillehammer finish are freely spectated with no ticket. Note the organiser's site now sits at birken.no rather than the older birkebeiner.no address.
Insider tip
The exposed crossing over the high ground is where races are lost to wind, so carry a real windproof and treat the mandatory 3.5 kg as functional emergency kit rather than dead weight.
Get inside Birkebeinerrennet
Booking matters here: entry opens the previous autumn on birken.no and fills up; the 3.5 kg pack is compulsory and weighed at the finish. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.