Race Rules

The Laugavegur Ultra Marathon race follows the guidance from the ITRA when organising the race. The Laugavegur Run race rules are the fruit of the experience gathered by the organisers over a period of 25 years. An important thing to remember is that the Laugavegur Run is not a street race. It classifies as an Ultra Marathon, takes place in a mountainous, uninhabited area, and is governed in all respects by the rules laid down by the organisers. The race rules are drawn up by reference to sportsmanship in general, in the sense that each participant should do his/her utmost, give consideration to and respect other participants, and comply with any applicable rules.

To facilitate the execution of the Laugavegur Run and make sure that the necessary services are provided to participants, a set of rules has been defined pertaining to fair competition, safety and respect for the environment, meaning the geographical area where the run takes place, but also the climate, which calls for specific clothing.

Through the years, participants in the Laugavegur Run have each been able to regard themselves as winners. They have competed, helped each other, enjoyed each other’s company, and experienced a joint sense of triumph at the finishing line. In this respect, no rules have so far been necessary. However, these circumstances have now changed as the number of participants has grown and the competition for the title of winner, for the record and for better times has become fiercer.

This is the reason why more detailed race rules are now issued. As before, the basic rules concern the safety of the participants and the ‘entry ticket’ to the Laugavegur Run is a promise to safeguard the environment and to abstain from littering.

Race participants are responsible for acquainting themselves with the rules pertaining to participation in the Laugavegur Ultra Marathon and for adhering to those rules in every way.

Entering the Laugavegur Ultra Marathon means accepting this Regulation in its entirety and without exceptions on behalf of the competitors.

1. Registration

The age limit is 18 years (Those born in 2005 or earlier are allowed to take part).
General rules about registration, a refund of the entry fee etc. can be found here.
Terms regarding payments and participation can be found here.

2. The Laugavegur Ultra Marathon takes place in a protected area named Friðland að Fjallabaki

There is a strict prohibition against throwing any kind of litter along the way and human waste or anything else. We kindly ask participants to put their energy gels in bottles on their waist belts to limit the possibility of unwanted litter on the course. This is also good from the nutritional point of view since you will this way be able to use the gel over a longer period of storing it on your belt in between sips. By avoiding, as best we can, to damage or leave litter on the trail we help keep this natural environment clean and healthy so that this race can take place for years to come.
All participants need to bring their own drinking cups or bottles and carry them throughout the course. No cups will be provided at the drinking stations.
Enjoy the race, help us to keep the area clean and be nature-friendly. In that way, we can stick together to preserve the positive reputation of the Laugavegur Ultra Marathon.

3. Rules pertaining to the safety of participants

All participants must sign a declaration confirming that they are physically and mentally fit to compete in the Laugavegur Ultra Marathon and that they have prepared sufficiently well for running a distance of 55 km.
Participants also sign a declaration confirming that they have read the race rules and the terms and that they accept to abide by them entirely.
Participants must obey all instructions regarding clothing listed here, and shall bring with them the appropriate pieces of clothing.
Participants must wear their race numbers clearly visible at the front in order to facilitate and speed up the registration process and enable staff to identify those in need of service. They are also required to wear their race wristbands around the wrist.
Participants have to run across the timing gate located by the start and finish line and around the course for safety reasons and to get a registered chip time.
For security reasons, all participants must run with a space blanket, a whistle and a mobile phone in case of bad weather or injuries during the race. If you fail to bring one a penalty of 60 minutes will be added to your finishing time.
Any participant who decides to abandon the race must report to the staff of the race.
Participants who abandon the race remain the responsibility of the organisers and are not allowed to continue on their own from the nearest hut in the area. For security reasons, all participants must respect this rule.
Should a participant be missing from the reporting list at Alftavatn or at the finishing line, they will be presumed missing. The default response to this is to call out a rescue team.

4. Those who register for the Laugavegur Ultra Marathon undertake to train for a 55km distance

The Laugavegur Ultra Marathon is 55km long and the track runs through demanding terrain. It is presumed that all participants are well prepared and have trained for the challenging conditions of the race. By registering for the run each participant undertakes to complete the entire distance. Participants are not expected to abandon the race except for reasons of illness or injury, whether major or minor. An exception to this is when a participant is unable to reach Alftavatn or Emstrur within the time limit, in which case they are required to abandon the race and do not have the right to continue.

5. Race rules for the Laugavegur Ultra Marathon

Participants must wear their bib numbers clearly visible on the front of their running attire for the entire duration of the race. Each bib number is registered to a runner and is only valid for that individual. Any deviation from this will result in the non-validation of the runner's time and the right to participate.
Participants must bring compulsory safety equipment, a whistle, an aluminium blanket and a telephone all the way to the finish line. The penalty for not having an aluminium blanket and whistle is 60 minutes, which is added to the runners' final time.
Receiving outside assistance from anyone not registered for the race is prohibited, except in emergency cases.
Each participant is responsible for refusing to receive outside assistance, except in emergency cases.
It is the responsibility of each participant not to run with a runner that is not registered for the race.
Every participant must carry his/her own luggage and litter.
All participants must bring their own travel cup or bottle/s to drink out of on the way. No drinking cups will be provided by race organisers or their staff.
Each participant must be considered to other runners.
Participants may assist each other as necessary to ensure their own safety and that of others.
Participants who are unwilling to abide by the race rules will be disqualified.
For security reasons, all participants must leave the Álftavatn lake cabin drinking station (22 km) no later than 4 hours after the start of the race and the Emstrur cabin (38 km) no later than 6 hours and 30 minutes after the start of the race. The time limit rule means that participants who are unable to report within either time limit are automatically out of the race but remain the responsibility of the organisers, and are not allowed to continue their own from a hut in the area. (Those who fail to respect this instruction forego any right to receive services from the organizers and must bear the cost of any search operation by a rescue team.)
Participants shall behave politely toward all race staff and abide by their guidance and instructions.
Participants must finish the race in under 9 hours and 15 minutes. After that race officials have the right to remove timing devices and equipment from the course and the finishing area.
Those who have completed the race may not re-enter the course to join other participants who are still running.
Those participants who intend to run with running poles should start at the end of their start groups. Runners who start the race with running poles need to have the running poles with them when they arrive at the finish line.

6. Sanction

The organisers may disqualify anyone who does not comply with the race rules.
Anyone who refuses to follow instructions will be responsible for the cost of any search operation and/or assistance by a rescue team or other staff.
Persons who do not comply with the race rules or any instruction given by race staff will be banned from registering for the run in the future.

7. Rights of the organisers

The organisers are not responsible for any outside influence on the runners. This applies to meteorological conditions, natural disasters, the passage of persons and vehicles and any other unexpected event liable to affect the participants.
The organisers may disqualify and stop any participant not wearing the appropriate clothing or otherwise insufficiently equipped for the conditions.
The organisers may disqualify any participant causing danger to themselves and/or other people.
The organisers may disqualify anyone who does not comply with the race rules.
The organisers and the race staff may order anyone not carrying a race number and the race logo to leave the race area and the running track.
The organisers are not responsible for any illness or injury suffered by the participants when travelling to or from the race or during the race. Participants are encouraged to seek the assistance of race staff in the event of an accident or illness.
Participants always act on their own responsibility, even when receiving the assistance of race staff.
The organisers, the Reykjavik Sports Association, reserve the right to cancel the race at short notice for reasons relating to natural disasters, weather pandemic, or other unforeseeable conditions that may present danger for the participants and the race staff.

8. Complaints

Participants who consider that their rights have been infringed may lodge a complaint with the organisers.
Any complaint must be received in writing by the person responsible for the race before the end of the race.
Complaints relating to the overall results in the races must be received no later than 16:30 on the day of the race.
Complaints relating to the results in individual age groups must be received no later than 30 minutes after the last runner finishes the race.
Complaints are dealt with on the spot by a committee of three persons, after consulting with everyone involved.