Some weeks after running Northern Traverse, I was browsing the D.U.V. calendar page looking for my next big adventure. That’s when Oslo Bergen Trail popped into view: running from Oslo to Bergen, through some of Norway’s beautiful mountain ranges, for over 500km. That sounds like just what I want.
The fact that it’s a point-to-point race was extra appealing. I like the idea of starting somewhere and going somewhere else. The distance was (and still is) overwhelming.
But hey, if you don’t try it, you’ll never know, right!?
So, I applied. And about a week later, I got accepted. How exciting! Time to start preparing and time to make a training plan. I will talk about my preparation further on.
These are some useful links:
Skip this section and go directly to the race report.
In preparation of a big event/run/race, I start a spreadsheet. In that sheet, I gather all available information, and start making plans:
From the mandatory kit list, it was quickly clear that I would need to carry a big backpack. I have the Salomon XA25, which I bought for running Höge Kustenleden. But it doesn’t sit very comfortably, and I always develop rashes on my shoulders when carrying it for a longer period. I decided I wanted a new pack. After comparing different candidates, I selected the Raidlight Legend 32, and supplemented it with the compatible front pack for extra storage in easy reach.
The specific training plan starts 2 weeks after Legends Trail:
| week | training focus | volume |
|---|---|---|
| 11-14 | hill repeats | 6h-10h-10h-10h |
| 15 | rest week | 7h |
| 16 | Nord Trail Monts de Flandres | 15h |
| 17 | recovery | 5h |
| 18-19 | SSR + hill repeats | 10h-10h |
| 20-21 | easy volume + hill repeats | 10h-10h |
| 22 | rest week | 7h |
| 23-25 | SSR + power hike | 14h-10h-10h |
| 26 | taper | 6h |
| TOTAL | 150h |
Unfortunately, I injured myself during Nord Trail Monts de Flandres, resulting in a small tear in the attachment of my left IT band, just below my knee. This resulted in 7 weeks of relative rest, with (almost) no running, loads of exercises and some cycling to maintain my general form. I only started running again in week 23. For the remainder of the preparation, I ran only part of the volume and complemented the rest with cycling. In the end, this wasn’t that bad as training: a lot of low intensity endurance training was exactly what I needed for this multi-day event anyway.
I booked 2 nights in the Soria Moria hotel in Oslo. This hotel would be the organization’s headquarters before the race and the starting location.
That leaves me a complete day to make my final preparations and rest a bit from travelling to Norway. In my suitcase, between the maps of the trail, I found a big brown envelope. In that envelope are letters from my family: each of my kids wrote me a note, in their specific style. And a nice encouraging letter from my lovely wife. Such a nice present! 🥰
I packed my backpack and both drop bags.
This is what goes into my backpack:
There’s some time left for a hike down to Bostad Gård and back up Voksenkollen. Nice nature here, in the north of Oslo!
After that, it is time to hand in my drop bags. There is one bigger bag that goes to 4 different aid stations, and a smaller one for the Vatnahalsen aid station. This aid station is only reachable by train.
I met with some of the other Belgian participants: Giovanni, Frederik and Kevin, after the race briefing. Then it is time to eat a last meal and go to bed for a full night of sleep.
Tomorrow is the big day!
Here we are, (fltr: me, Giovanni, Frederik and Kevin), ready for the start:
Thursday 08:00 Start of Oslo Bergen Trail!
It is raining but not cold.
I start in the middle of the pack, hiking the slight uphill and then running downhill to Sørkedalen.
I run in a loose group of about 10 runners, mostly Norwegians.
Kevin is in the same group.
Sometimes we run closer together, sometimes more apart.
We run mainly through forests and along lakes.
Some of the forest paths are very wet, and so are my feet after some time.
Thursday 09:48
My first navigational error.
I had planned to navigate mainly using the maps provided by the organization.
As a backup I have loaded the section GPX route in my watch.
This gives me a warning when I stray off the course.
But the maps are not very good.
The colors of the different natural features are not distinct enough for quick glances while running.
Many paths that are there don’t feature on the maps, which makes navigating in the forests even more challenging.
After the buzz of my watch, I see that I need to correct my course to the left. I quickly spot part of our group and get back on track.
The underground is a mix of gravel roads and forest paths. It is well runnable, so we move good.
Meanwhile it stopped raining, so I stow my jacket in my pack.
Thursday 12:20 Near the summit of Gyrihaugen, the navigational situation is confusing.
Kevin and I are in a group with 3 other runners.
Nobody is sure which way to go, so we try several options to see how our watches react.
While we try the different options, we discover that one of the other runners is also from Belgium: meet Kurt.
On the next part, until Sundvollen, the underground is rougher: wet forest paths strewn with tree roots and rocks.
Thursday 13:42 It had been announced during the briefing that Spar, one of OBT’s sponsors, in Sundvollen would make a special OBT-burger for each participant.
Needless to say, that when we arrive there, I get inside the shop for a burger, a big tomato and a bottle of coke.
Delicious!
We take the time to sit for 5 minutes and eat. We covered about 40km in 5h40. Not bad! And then we hit the trail again: Kurt, Kevin and I together.
This is a rather flat part of the course, mainly following roads and a stretch of cycling path. Kevin moves faster than Kurt and I, so we let him slip away.
By the time we are back in the forests, we have lost sight of Kevin completely.
Thursday 16:11
Kurt tells me he must look at his feet, as both soles started to hurt some time ago.
We find a big rock on which he can sit.
The soles of his feet are completely macerated, and cracks are forming.
That must hurt indeed.
I get out my white sports tape and help Kurt treat his feet.
We continue through the forests, along lakes. I enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Some stretches are quite runnable, some are more technical, where we resort to hiking.
Thursday 20:26
During the penultimate climb of this first section, Kurt falls behind a bit.
It seems he has a hard time climbing.
I decided to wait for him at the summit, and we take another break.
We take the time to check our feet.
Mine are wet and a bit white, but nothing to worry about.
Two of my right feet toes hurt on touch where I accidentally hit some rocks before.
Kurt’s feet hurt, he tells me.
We continue into the evening. I had noted the sun set hours beforehand, and knew that we would be able to run another 3h before dark.
On the side of the road are 4 elderly people enjoying their drinks and cheering on the passing runners. We stopped to make some small talk. Kurt accepts a beer from them. I don’t, knowing the alcohol wouldn’t do me any good.
In this last part to the CP, a difficult path awaits us: it is completely covered in very pointy egg-sized rocks. It is impossible to run on it and rather hurtful for our soles.
Thursday 22:50
The last climb is one without a real path.
It is time to put on my head torch.
The organization has left some “reflective” blue ribbons (they’ll reflect your head torch light only if you’re very close).
We try to follow the ribbons but often will not see the next ribbon from the previous one, so we must guess the direction to follow.
This makes for some difficult navigation.
Friday 01:21
Finally, we made it into the CP at Noresund.
Time for some rest, food, and feet care.
Unfortunately, the food provided by the organization is less than fulfilling: 2 small burgers, very good, but not enough to counter the more than 17h we have been running and hiking.
I try to compensate by eating snacks, but my stomach is not in the mood for sugar.
Both Kurt and I are a bit hangry.
I clean and dry my feet. Some toes have starting blisters which I tape. The soles of my feet seem relatively fine. Once they are dry enough, I put a good layer of Gehwol cream on my soles. I put on fresh socks, that feels great.
After some considerations, Kurt and I both decided not to sleep here, even if that had been my plan at the start. We are not really sleepy and want to get moving again. We decide to set out together and to see where the day will lead us.
Friday 03:18
The pre-dawn light is already bright enough for us to leave our head torches in our packs.
The first 5km is relatively flat.
Then a big climb awaits us: up to Norefjell and further on to the summit of Høgevarde.
We have to climb 1260m over 18km.
On the flanks of Norefjell, using the gravel path with switch backs, we see the sun rise behind the mountains on the other side of the valley. This is always a magic moment that gives me an energy boost!
I climb well, everything feels good, and I am enjoying myself. This is fun, this is why I am here: working hard while enjoying the beautiful countryside around me.
We leave the gravel path behind us and take the mountain path towards Høgevarde: a small path strewn with smaller and bigger rocks.
On the slopes and the path, I regularly see a small critter, about 7cm long, in different hues of brown. I ask some local hikers about them: they are lemmings! (No, I didn’t see any grizzly.)
Kurt climbs slower than me, which gives me ample time to stop now and then to make a picture of the beautiful views around me.
The path roughly follows a ridge, and we pass several smaller summits: Dansarflata, Agunshaug, Steinmannen, Grindefjell, and Kringleåsen.
Friday 08:28
We are on the summit of Høgevarde, 1469m high!
What a great view!
We even see the white of Hardanger Jøkulen -a glacier where we will pass on our way to Vatnahalsen later on- in the far distance, roughly in western direction.
Time for a break, take away the load from our shoulders and feet for a couple of minutes. I take off my shoes and check the state of my feet: except for a couple of toes that are a bit sensitive to touch, all seems well.
The next part of the route, until CP2, goes downhill overall. But there are still enough small climbs to add another 900 meters of elevation gain. The trail is a mix of sections strewn with rocks and boulders on the one hand, and soggy, swamp-like stretches where you sink into ankle-deep water on the other. Regularly a creek or a small river has to be crossed. There are rocks and boulders in the water, which makes the crossings almost dry. My feet are wet and the pointy rocks hurt my soles.
Friday 10:20
I decided to stop and look at my feet.
Not too early: my soles are well macerated and I have started to develop cracks on the underside of both feet.
I dry my feet with my spare shirt and tape the soles with sports tape, to add some extra cushioning.
Friday 12:05
Kurt’s soles hurt a lot, and he started to move more slowly.
About 10km further, we stopped again to tread our feet.
I have to tape some blisters on my smaller toes on both feet.
The tape on my soles is still in place, so I left it be.
I also check my groin area: between my crotch and my legs some skin irritation has started to appear.
I applied an extra thick layer of Vaseline in the hope this will sooth it.
Friday 12:45
A loose group of 3 runners pass by.
I fasten my pace a bit to keep up with them.
But then, a couple of 100meters later, I notice that Kurt has fallen behind.
I wait for him, and when he catches up, we talk about it.
It is shortly decided that I will leave him behind to move a bit faster.
We will see each other in CP2 in Flatvollen.
The route is on lower land now. There are patches of forest between the barren land. The underground is mostly soggy.
I am not able to catch up with the 3 runners in front of me, but I have them in my sight most of the time. The downside of now being on my own is that I start calculating: how far to go before CP2, how fast am I moving,… To focus myself, I do a full body scan. This stops me from counting miles and calculating paces and allows me to focus on being in my body and in the moment. It is a good mental tool.
As long as the underground is soggy, I don’t feel it too much, but on the, now rare, stretches with rocks the soles of my feet hurt.
Friday 13:56
Here I am at CP2.
The food is excellent: I eat two big plates of chili con carne with rice.
Even if it’s the middle of the day, I decide to get some sleep.
I treat my feet with an extra layer of Gehwol cream, put on some fresh socks and get into my sleeping bag.
It takes me some time to fall asleep.
But when the 4h sleeping slot is over, the volunteer who comes to wake me finds me vast asleep.
I estimate that I slept about 3h30. I feel refreshed and am eager to get going again. But first I eat some nuts-and-raisin mix and tape my blisters and feet soles again.
Giovanni is eating next to me. We talk a bit about the previous section. He left Frederik behind. He will try to get some sleep now. Kurt is also in the CP: his feet are not feeling good.
Friday 19:13
When I set out, the volunteer who checks me out of the CP warns me: the weather forecast predicts rain for the night.
I am starting this section on my own.
This is no issue for me: I like to be out there on my own.
The landscape is beautiful and much like it was just before the CP: rough grasses and bushes, some patches of forest, creeks and now and then a lake.
Friday 20:01
The many harsh bushes that flank the path scratch my legs so much that I stop to get my waterproof pants out of my pack and put them on.
This will protect my legs a bit.
My fresh socks have not been dry for long. The combination of soggy paths and a river crossing now and then makes for wet feet.
Friday 22:34
There is the rain, as predicted.
It starts as a trickle, quickly taking on more volume.
I don’t hesitate and get my jacket and waterproof gloves.
Another downside to being on my own is that there’s nobody else who is also navigating. I make several small navigational errors. Most of the time they are easily corrected, but that one time I have to track back and search for the path I have missed.
Friday 23:49
After another missed path to which I must back track, I decided that it is time to put on my head torch.
I have not been running much this section. The technical underground in combination with a certain fatigue in my legs makes it more efficient to just power hike instead of trying to run small stretches. This way I can maintain a constant pace and don’t have to try to accelerate each time the path is a bit flatter. I am still moving good.
My legs feel good, mostly due to the lack of real running, I guess. But I hurt in other places. My feet hurt but in a way that is easily put aside. My groin area, though, requires more focus. First, I apply some more Vaseline. Then I perform a mental excercise to be able to handle the pain: I take hold of the pain with both my hands, push it firmly into a small ball, and push that away in a corner of my brain. After repeating this mental act a couple of times, I can get over the pain and move again.
Saturday 02:30
The course leads me through the village of Tunhovd, where there is a 24h shop.
But for some reason I don’t feel like stopping there.
I quite enjoy the food I have with me, so don’t feel the need to buy anything else.
With hindsight, I might have stopped there just to be out of the rain for some time and rest a bit.
Further on I pass below the Pålsbudammen, a big hydraulic dam. From here on I am in a forest, which shields me a bit from the rain. But it also means more knee-high vegetation around the path. My waterproof pants start to leak on the underside.
Saturday 04:58
I am getting a bit sleepy again.
I sit down in the rain on a tree trunk, rest my head on my hands and take a power nap.
Sleep comes immediately.
A power nap of about 10 minutes, and I feel better again.
I have to repeat the mind exercise to handle the pain a couple of times. My groin area is really hurting and I long to be in the CP and to treat it in a way to take away the pain. I hope that there is a way to relieve the pain, as I don’t see myself continuing for another couple of days with this pain in my groin. I feel it with every step.
Saturday 05:29
I come upon a broad gravel road and accelerate my pace to run for a bit.
The gravel road continues for some distance, and I continue running for about 40 minutes.
It gave me an extra surge of energy to be able to move a bit faster.
I get out of the forest and back onto a high-level plateau. The paths are back to the now well-known soggy underground, where running is too difficult: back to hiking it is.
Saturday 08:19
I reached CP3, another section behind me.
It was a hard section.
I was on my own for the whole time (over 13h), haven’t seen anybody else.
It has been raining for the last 10h or so.
My groin hurts a lot.
But I got here in the end. The food provided is a hamburger. It doesn’t satisfy my hunger, but I can get some extra bread with salami. The poor quality of the maps and the small amount of hot food provided in the CPs are the only real negative points in the organization.
I let the local medic take a look at the rashes in my groin area: they are swollen, and the skin is broken. Washing it in the shower is agony. I borrow some zinc ointment from another runner and apply a big layer of it. The medic’s suggestion is to run without my boxers from now on, and to stop applying Vaseline, which I will do both.
I also treat my feet: I remove all the tape, clean and dry my feet and apply a good layer of Gehwol cream.
Time to get some sleep. After about 1h30 of sleep, another runner comes into the room. He doesn’t notice me, I think, and continues talking to the volunteer that shows him his bed, also making a lot of noise. Despite my ear buds, I wake and don’t fall asleep again. So, I get up and prepare myself to get going again.
Back in the common room, I see Kurt sitting there. We talk a bit. He stops here at Vasstulan: his feet hurt too much, and he doesn’t want to make it worse, as he has another race in August.
Next to where my stuff lays, I spot Giovanni, who is eating and preparing himself to get out. We decide to go out and tackle the next section together.
Saturday 12:30
It is still raining.
Wrapped in our waterproof clothes, we start power-hiking out of Vasstulan, climbing to Sigridfjell.
The trail is relatively easy to follow, and there are red T marks of the DNT on rocks and boulders at regular intervals.
We take turns navigating, while the other can mindlessly follow along.
It is nice to be out there with someone else.
We talk from time to time: about our families, about running, …
Saturday 14:20
It has finally stopped raining.
The pain in my groin is well contained.
The zinc ointment does what the Vaseline could not.
We are in the Hardangervidda Nasjonalpark.
The surroundings are beautiful, even if the underground is demanding.
I enjoy myself a lot.
Saturday 18:10
And suddenly the course takes a turn away from the path we are following.
We are a bit confused, as there doesn’t seem to be a path in the direction we should follow.
I propose climbing the small hill in front of us, in the direction of the GPX course, and see if there is anything at the top.
At the top of the hill, the course seems to follow the ridge.
Even if there’s no path, this is the way we should go.
This is an interesting part of the section.
The underground is mostly mossy and soft, so it hurts less to the soles of our feet.
We navigate simply by following the ridge and the line on our GPS-watches as close as possible.
Meanwhile I marvel at my surroundings. What a view!
Saturday 19:00
We are back on an established path. It leads us to the North, to the river Lågen.
Where we cross the river there is a majestic waterfall.
The river crossing is done by a wooden suspended bridge.
We cross 2 other rivers by means of wooden bridges and spot a big structure with cars parked nearby. Hoping there would be a bench or something else to sit, we walk around the big sheep shed. But no bench is to be found. Finally, we drop down on the stairs near the side entrance. Time to sit down for a couple of minutes.
Saturday 19:48
Now follows a small path through thick shoulder-high bushes.
It is hard work following the path and I get behind a bit.
But once we clear the bushes 4km further on, I pick up the pace and get back to Giovanni.
The underground has again been very wet for some time now. My feet are constantly soaked, and I feel them moving slightly in my shoes.
Saturday 21:35
At a certain moment, I feel a sharp pain in my right foot sole, as if I stepped on a nail.
I tell Giovanni I want to stop and look at my right foot.
The tape on the underside has come loose and has moved around a bit.
On the cracks that were there before, I have now developed 2 big blisters.
I clean my foot and dry it with my spare shirt.
I pop the blisters, drain them, and apply a Compeed blister plaster.
I also pop the small blisters on my toes and tape them with the little pieces of sports tape I have left.
Then I get out one of my spare socks and put it on.
For some reason, I don’t check my left foot. I don’t have any sports tape left anyway. But maybe I could have applied a Compeed blister plaster on my left foot too. I guess the lack of sleep and relative exhaustion makes it hard to think straight. It was my right foot that hurt so much, so that is the foot I needed to check. 🤷
We set off again, but it is clear that I cannot maintain the same hiking pace as before.
2 other runners passed us. They tell us they will be sleeping in the DNT shelter at Tuva, about 2km further on. We hope to be able to buy some food at the shelter. But, when we arrive, the catering part is locked. We don’t have a DNT key and both other runners are already asleep.
Sunday 00:19
While hopping from boulder to boulder, crossing one of the many creeks, I slip on a boulder and fall hard on my right knee.
It hurts a bit.
But that’s not the worst: when I get up again, I see that I broke the pole in my left hand.
That’s a bummer.
My poles have been a big help in keeping a steady hiking pace.
Hiking with just one pole will be much less effective.
My left foot has started to hurt more, just as my right foot before. But it is raining again, so I don’t stop to check it. I just want to continue.
Sunday 01:20
Giovanni leaves me behind.
It has been some time now that I clearly moved slower than him.
I am back on my own.
There are about 14km left to CP4.
Nothing I cannot handle on my own.
Even if the soles of both my feet hurt a lot.
Sunday 04:00
I come upon a bigger road with a bridge between 2 lakes.
I start jogging along the road, happy with the change of underground and the change of pace.
But 10 minutes later, the course takes a path away from the road again. I need to cross a small patch of snow. There are only 6km left to reach the CP at Krækkja, but it will take me another 2h10 to cover this distance. Even if the surroundings are nice, I have a hard time. No longer able to place my feet flat on the ground, I curl them up a bit and walk mainly on the outer edge of my feet. I try to focus my mind by chanting one of my favorite meditation mantras.
I release control and surrender to the flow of love, that will heal me.
But it helps only partly.
I hallucinate a bit: each time I look up from the rock-strewn path, I see buildings in the middle distance. But when I get closer, they are just another group of boulders. On the rare moments my mind clears a bit from the fogginess of sleep deprivation and from the pain of my feet, I see the beautiful area through which I am moving.
Sunday 06:32
CP4, finally!
The toilets are outside the shelter, so that is my first stop. They are those compost-making toilets. Luckily my mind doesn’t register the smells.
Near the entrance of the CP, there is an air dryer, where I lay down my shoes and my 3 wet socks. Then it’s time to eat a rehydrated meal of Tikka Masala. I remove all the tape from my feet, apply a thick layer of Gehwol cream. But I only have a dry sock for my left foot. I hop to the room upstairs to sleep for 4 hours.
I sleep like a child. 4 hours of sleep is not much.
Even if runners are supposed to treat their own feet, I ask the local medic if she can give me a hand. The fabulous Janne takes matters in hand and treats all blisters on both feet. Some are very painfully swollen and at least 2 of them are inflamed. She also gives me an Ibuprofen to handle pain and the inflammation.
Luckily the rashes in my groin area have diminished a little bit. Here the pain and discomfort are contained.
I eat a plate of hot oatmeal with some raisins. Meanwhile I am contemplating what to do. It will be hard to reach the finish, maybe even impossible. The thing is: even if my feet hurt that much, I don’t feel like I have tried everything. “Never decide to DNF in a CP” is a good rule of thumb that I adhere to. At least cover some more ground before making the final decision. I decided to get going again. I tape up my broken pole with some duct tape, but it doesn’t really sustain my weight. It will be hiking without poles then.
Sunday 15:05
Back on the trail, direction Vatnahalsen.
Or at least until Finse, which is 25km from here.
That was a tip from Ruben, head volunteer in CP4: try to get to Finse, it’s only 25km, and if it really doesn’t work out, you can take a train there.
The going is difficult and slow. But the environment is beautiful.
My intestines start to grumble. I get cramps. I feel quite miserable. I start thinking about DNFing again.
I try to perform a mental exercise I learned from Mieke: to get my focus away from the path, look at the horizon, as broad as possible, open my mind to the impressions. But it doesn’t work. I can’t take my mind away from the places where my body hurts: my feet, my groin and now also my intestines.
And then I just have enough time to duck behind a big boulder to release the upcoming diarrhea.
I covered only 3km in the last 1h45.
Sunday 17:03
This is it.
I don’t see myself continuing another 240km in this condition. I decide to turn around and go back to CP4 at Krækkja. This is the end of Oslo Bergen Trail for me.
I don’t feel bad and only mildly disappointed about the decision I just made. I know I tried everything within my power, both physically and mentally, to continue as far as possible. I am proud of what I achieved.
Back in Krækkja, I check into the hotel. I eat a hot meal. I sleep a good night’s sleep.
Monday 05:35
I hit the trail again, to hike to Fagerheim, where I can take the bus to Geilo.
In Geilo, I will take the train to Voss.
In Voss, I’ll hand over my tracker and get my drop bag and luggage.
And then it’s to Bergen on another train, where I will meet up with Mieke.
We will spend some days together in Bergen.
When I go back home, Mieke will do a solo hike on the Hardangervidda.
I didn’t keep track of how much I ate, but these were the items I carried:
All that in addition to what I ate at the CPs:
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