THE SPIRIT OF
NEKROTRAIL

Words by Eirik Johansen
Photos by Rune Kongsro

NEKROTRAIL is a gritty, beautiful ultramarathon that starts and ends at Ammerud east in Oslo, Norway. The route cuts through the industrial zones of Alnabru, past cemeteries and spiritual sites, into the depths of Østmarka, and then back to Ammerud, where it all kicked off hours earlier. The runners will have to endure 80 km on a mix of asphalt, gravel and trails. Some parts are smooth sailin', but most of them are not.

I

But NEKROTRAIL isn’t just a race. It never was. It’s a deep dive. A rave in the void. A trailhead into the mystery of Being. At the core of NEKROTRAIL’s philosophy lies something different. While the world of running is a battlefield of numbers, pace and podiums, NEKROTRAIL veers off the beaten path — into something deeper, weirder and even spiritual.

The race began in 2021 when Martin, now the race director, had trained for months for a different ultra. One with a name that rhymes with “necro.” It was cancelled, like everything else that year. So he made his own route. A solo 80K through Oslo’s graveyards, backroads, and overlooked spaces. It became NEKROTRAIL.

What started with one runner in 2021, then three in 2022 (the three dudes that make up the core of the race today), grew slowly. Seven. Fourteen. Now thirty. Always with a limited field and a waitlist. Not for exclusivity, but to protect what makes it special.

Nekrotrail Group of people gathered at the entrance of a mountain tunnel, wearing athletic gear and race bibs, preparing for a run or hike.
Nekrotrail A chain-link fence with overgrown leafy branches and trees behind it, captured during the evening or early night.
Nekrotrail A group of runners participating in a trail race through a wooded forest, with some smiling and making hand gestures, during daytime.

II

At 05:00 on May 10, 2025, this year’s thirty runners stood beneath a stone archway in the gravel pit known as Huken. Drone music pulses through the quarry and echoes off the walls. Then the fireworks go off, and the few neighbors living close by are being pulled out of their beauty sleep. And then the runners set off.

It’s not just a race. It’s a spiritual guidance. A gesture toward the Absolute. Where traditional races ask ‘How far can you go?’, NEKROTRAIL leans in and whispers: ‘What is this life? Who experiences this? What am ‘I’?’

Not the identity stitched to your bib number. Not your Strava data. Not even your name. But the raw, immediate presence of Now. The breath. The pain. The buzzing edge where Self might dissolve.

Hans Petter Hval, one of the runners, describes the feeling that morning like this:

“A fair share of goosebumps prior to the fireworks, I find myself walking towards the start line while one of the most iconic and soul-stirring tv theme songs of them all – Twin Peaks – is flowing out of the speaker. A soon-to-be mysterious journey through both mind and trail could not have been accompanied by a greater piece of music. As Dale Cooper would have put it; I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.”

Nekrotrail A man with long hair, beard, wearing sunglasses, a black shirt, and black shorts, running outdoors on a paved path near green grass and a modern apartment building with large windows.
Nekrotrail Underneath a concrete bridge with graffiti, a parking area with a black storage tank on stilts, rocks, and trees in the background.
Nekrotrail Man running outdoors during a race or marathon, under an overpass, with trees and clear sky in the background.

III

Checkpoint 1 was under the subway bridge at Bøler, right by the now legendary graffiti tag “Sædfuck”. A word put together by the Norwegian word for sperm, and … well, fuck. It’s as weird as it sounds, but it’s awesome. It’s been there since 1986, painted by Paul Vidar Sævarang and Ole Kristian Stavnsborg. Somehow, it’s still visible..

Here, the organizers set up a station to fuel the runners: carbs, water, and Villbrygg, a fermented soda served from a big crate packed with ice. A clear favorite among runners in previous years, and it was popular this year as well. One by one, the runners arrive. Some in a hurry, some at a slower pace. All accompanied by their chosen song for the day, from Acid Bath to Bodø Domkor.

Hans-Petter Hval continues:

“The sun sets and the group of 30 something is split into smaller groups, as we are cruising around the epicenter for bridges and tunnels in Oslo – between the graveyards of Østre Gravlund and Alfaset Gravlund. Some high fives from the crew in one of the roundabouts, and a group of teens gathered in one of Alnabru’s shadiest parking lots, with even more shadier inhalants from a can, is pretty much the people we meet before CP1: The Sædfuck. It honestly feels like we are like minutes into the race even though we had been out for more than 3 hours already. The crew catered water, drinks, music and the elementary and famous endurance candy called Laban Seigmenn. We really couldn't ask for more.”

Nekrotrail A man with tattoos, wearing a black athletic shirt and backpack, is eating a snack at a table with potato chips and drinks, near graffiti-covered walls. Saedfuck
Nekrotrail Man with a beard and mustache smiling, wearing a black athletic outfit and a visor, standing outdoors near a building and trees.
Nekrotrail A woman in running attire celebrating with arms raised on a paved outdoor path during a race, wearing a bib number 7790.

IV

From here on out a long stretch of forest awaits. The eastern part of Oslo’s great, green lungs. Away from the grit, from asphalt to trails. The next time we see them is at a cabin called Sandbakken. The distance between each runner and group is growing. A new record is suddenly visible on the horizon, at both ends: fastest finish and most time spent. The next 30 kilometers was about to be important.

The last checkpoint is at an old flight radar called ‘Kula’ by the locals, Oslo’s version of Las Vegas’ ‘The Sphere’. Only much smaller, and without the LCD screens. Actually, nothing like it when I think about it. Much loved friends of NEKRO have carried water and much-needed supplies several kilometers uphill to serve the soon-to-be fallen. From here on out, it’s ‘only’ 10K left, but you’re a fool if you think it will be an easy ride. The great and vast area of Alnabru awaits once again. If it didn’t get you the first time, it certainly will now. The transition from flowy trails to asphalt can be brutal, and it hits some of the runners hard.

“From the moment we said goodbye to the crew at Haukåsen, the rest of the race was an emotional adventure. Where amidst the screaming pain from my thighs, I felt a sense of gratitude. I never in my wildest dreams thought that tears of joy would be streaming down my salty cheeks, but hatred and frustration. Thank you Nekrotrail, for giving me this opportunity to take time to appreciate the beauty of the world and to finally reward myself with not being able to walk for two days straight. Till next time.”

At Ammerud, the crew gathered at the finish line, and prepared the warm and much deserved welcome. The same crate packed with ice from earlier is now filled with beer, alongside Villbrygg and water. The smell of Sri Lankan vegetarian food and the cheers from friends and family fills the slow and usually relaxed neighbourhood at Ammerud. The first to arrive was Brage Haugen, crushing the NEKRO record with a hard-hitting time: 8:29:52. Then came Johan Walger and Petter Repsjø together, half an hour behind Brage, and half an hour faster than previous NEKRO winners.

It’s quite emotional to watch the runners cross the finish line, backed by their hand-picked songs, cowbells, and admiration from the crowd. The fight isn’t over until 11:25 PM that night. Trailthrasher and tattoo artist Trine Grimm spends 18 hours and 25 minutes conquering the harsh NEKROTRAIL, crossing the (literally) lit-up finish gate as the vocalist from Haust screams the lyrics to “I’m Not Here for You.” Not in person, but through a JBL speaker. And then everybody went home.

NEKROTRAIL is a return. A pilgrimage where pain becomes your greatest Teacher. What can you find inside the pain?

Nekrotrail A man crossing the finish line of an outdoor race, with a cardboard 'FINISH' sign hanging above, and a smiling boy standing nearby on a wooded path.
Nekrotrail A man in a coral-colored t-shirt with a blue running vest, holding a small Norwegian flag, stands outdoors with trees and portable toilets in the background.
Nekrotrail Large rocks placed underneath a concrete bridge pillar with graffiti, surrounded by trees with autumn foliage.

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