Norseman Festival of Climbing 2021 Announced

“This is not for you. Nothing personal. But it’s not. This is for people with fight. Resilience. And minds tougher than their bodies…”

That’s how the Norseman website introduces the event. It’s not your typical triathlon: it’s an extreme triathlon. It begins with a 3.8km (2.3 mile) swim in near-freezing water, then continues to a 180km (112 mile) ride up a mountain, finishing with a marathon that includes steep climbing for the final 10+ miles. Begin at sea level, finish at 1,850m above sea level with a total ascent of 5,000m.

Zwift has hosted a Norseman series every year since 2018, and they’re always popular with athletes wanting to push themselves to the limit. This year’s events have just rolled out (although they’re still being added to the calendar). The series runs from June 28-Aug 8, starting with 5 weeks of workouts and culminating in a week of races with jersey unlocks and giveaways available. Here are the details…

Norseman Festival of Climbing Workout Series

The 5-week workout series begins June 28 and runs through August 1. These workouts are designed to prepare Zwifters for the rigors of the Festival of Climbing Races. Each week features a fresh run workout as well as a bike workout, all designed by coach Graeme Stewart, who is a 4x Norseman finisher (doing his 5th this year to earn his green jersey).

Graeme will be leading select rides and runs throughout the series. 

See upcoming Norseman run and ride workouts >

Norseman Festival of Climbing 

The final week of the series (August 2-8) is the Norseman Festival of Climbing. This is a challenging week of races finishing with a long ride race on August 7th and a half marathon run race on August 8th.

Race Week Details

• Day 1 (Aug 2):
  Bike: Mountain 8 (32.5km // 677m)
  Run: A – Hilly Route Reverse (9.6km) | B – That’s Amore (6.7km)
• Day 2 (Aug 3):
  Bike: Quatch Quest (46.2km // 1,683m)
  Run: A – Flat Irons (15.6km) | B – Park to Peak (4.7km)
• Day 3 (Aug 4):
  Bike: Innsbruck KOM After Party (37.4km // 640m)
  Run: A – Spirit Forest (12.4km) | B – Sea to Tree (3.9km)
• Day 4 (Aug 5):
  Bike: Ven-Top (20.9km // 1,534m) |
  Run: A – Whole Lotta Lava (17.2km) | B – Volcano Circuit (5.4km)
• Day 5 (Aug 7):
  Bike A – 7 Horsemen (123km // 2,783m) [custom distance 4 Horsemen route, ending atop Epic KOM]
  Bike B – 4 Horsemen (90.4km // 2,111m)
• Day 6 (Aug 8):
  Run: Three Sisters Half Marathon (21.1km) [custom distance]

See upcoming Norseman races >

Jersey Unlocks

Two jerseys are available during race week:

• The Norseman White jersey and run shirt for completing any of the races. This is a brand new kit for the series.
• The coveted Norseman Black jersey and run shirt is reserved for Zwifters completing the August 7th Cat A race (7 Horsemen race) and Aug. 8th half marathon race.

Prize Drawing

Two Norseman 2022 Race Entries are up for grabs (1 male and 1 female). Zwifters can earn up to 2 entries into the drawing by completing the 7 Horsemen race and/or the Three Sisters Half Marathon run race.