Alistair Brownlee finished second in the 2026 Norseman. Spain's Sonia Tomegros finished third.
Sonia Tomegros achieved third place in the women's category at the 2026 Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, while Kristian Grue retained his men's title ahead of Alistair Brownlee.
The race took place on Saturday, August 1st between Eidfjord and the top of Mount Gaustatoppen, after 3,8 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling and a final marathon finishing at an altitude of 1.883 meters.
The Norseman Xtreme Triathlon is a long-distance, point-to-point race where each participant needs their own support team. Currents in the fjord and headwinds on several cycling sections increased the challenge of the 2026 edition.
Sonia Tomegros reaches the women's podium
Sonia Tomegros Regalado finished third with a time of 12:10:32, 5 minutes and 34 seconds behind the winner, Slovakian Nikola Čorbová.
The women's race remained open until the final climb. Maisa Tuliniemi started the marathon in the lead, with Čorbová in second place and several runners still in contention for the podium.
Helene Melsom Tungesvik She staged one of the best comebacks of the day. The Norwegian started the run more than twelve minutes behind Čorbová, but steadily gained ground to finish second in 12:07:16.
Čorbová held on in the decisive part and reached the summit in 12:04:58Tomegros completed the podium after overcoming a very close race, with Tonja Lunde Johansen finishing less than three minutes behind the Spaniard.
| Position | Triathlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| ª 1 | Nikola Čorbová | Slovakia | 12:04:58 |
| ª 2 | Helene Melsom Tungesvik | Norway | 12:07:16 |
| ª 3 | Sonia Tomegros Regalado | Spain | 12:10:32 |
The Spaniard had already finished sixth in the 2023 edition, when she completed the course in 12:11:35. Three years later, Tomegros has improved that result to enter the podium of one of the most recognized events in extreme triathlon.
Kristian Grue retains his victory
Kristian Grue won the men's category in 9:53:48 and secured his second consecutive victory in the Norseman, after having also triumphed in the 2025 edition.
The Norwegian led the race from the swim. Grue was the first out of the Hardangerfjord, while Alistair Brownlee He started the cycling leg in sixth position, approximately one and a half minutes behind.
Brownlee neutralized the gap during the first few kilometers of the bike leg and caught the leader before Dyranut. They shared the lead for much of the Hardangervidda stage, until Grue managed to open up a gap that he continued to widen towards the second transition.
The two-time Olympic champion retained second place in his Norseman debut and crossed the finish line in 10:18:21Hans Christian Tungesvik, winner of the race in 2019, completed the podium just 36 seconds later.
| Position | Triathlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 º | Christian Grue | Norway | 9:53:48 |
| 2 º | Alistair Brownlee | Britain | 10:18:21 |
| 3 º | Hans Christian Tungevik | Norway | 10:18:57 |
A test with only 250 participants
The Norseman 2026 brought together 250 athletes selected from among almost 8.000 applications from 100 countries.
The race begins with a jump from a ferry into the Hardangerfjord and continues with over 3.000 meters of elevation gain on the cycling segment. The final part of the marathon includes the climb known as Zombie Hill and the ascent towards Gaustatoppen.
Only the first 160 participants who reach the cut-off point can complete the course to the top and receive the signature black finisher t-shirt.
The 2026 edition saw Kristian Grue's second consecutive victory, Nikola Čorbová's win on his debut, and Sonia Tomegros' first podium finish after her sixth place in 2023.
This content has been created with the support of AI tools and reviewed by the Triathlon News editorial team.
