Janteloppet’s reputation crumbles: Petter Northug’s signature event has recorded a 10 million kroner deficit and is drowning in unpaid bills.

Petter Northug made a bold move when he relaunched Janteloppet in 2023, aiming to set a new standard for cross-country skiing. However, the prestigious race at Hafjell is seeing a decline in participants and an increase in problems. 

Just a month before this year’s race, Janteloppet had to cancel the elite class. 

Problems pile up

The Lebanese financier Reda el Char owns 70 percent of Janteloppet AS, while Petter Northug holds the remaining 30 percent. 

Last year, there was a public outcry when Janteloppet canceled the women’s elite class and withdrew their prize money just before the race. This year, the entire elite class had to be canceled. 

It is now confirmed that Janteloppet has incurred a 10 million kroner (about 915.000 Euros) deficit over the past two years, with a growing pile of unpaid bills. 

Data from Brønnøysundregistrene shows that Janteloppet has 48 payment notices totaling 1.4 million kroner. Several of these claims are secured against the company’s assets. According to Finansavisen, Janteloppet has a total deficit of 10 million kroner over the last two years. 

Payments still pending

Among those with outstanding claims are several local entities, including the sports club Øyer-Tretten IF, which serves as the technical organizer of the race and has contributed countless volunteer hours. However, payments for their invoices are delayed, says club manager Jan Erik Fossheim. 

“We have received payments for the 2025 event and previous years. We have received partial payment for the 2026 event, and we have received a general statement from Janteloppet AS’s accounting team indicating they are working to settle all outstanding amounts. We will see if that is feasible,” Fossheim told GD.

Several parties have unpaid claims amounting to hundreds of thousands of kroner. 

See the list of creditors further down in the article

El Char: “Cannot discuss it”

Janteloppet AS reported a loss of six million kroner in 2023 and four million in 2024. Figures for 2025 are not yet available. 

Reda El Char told Finansavisen that they are working to resolve the financial issues and are disputing some of the claims.

“There are certain things I cannot discuss yet. You will have to wait until the accounts for 2025 are submitted,” El Char said.

After GD published its article about Janteloppet’s problems, they received a text message from El Char stating: 

“The portrayal of our financial situation does not accurately reflect the actual circumstances. Any legal disputes will be handled directly with the involved parties—not in the media. We are experiencing significant interest and engagement around Janteloppet, and we are working to enhance the relevance of cross-country skiing for future generations.”

FACTS: Here are the creditors 

• ARTISTPARTNER AS: 658,440 kr (2 claims)
• ALL THINGS LIVE NORWAY AS: 500,000 kr (1 claim)
• TONO SA: 202,389 kr (3 claims)
• Lillehammer Olympiapark AS: 174,090 kr (1 claim)
• BOHUS LILLEHAMMER AS: 143,365 kr (2 claims)
• EQ TIMING AS: 103,537 kr (1 claim)
• Lillehammer Sentrum Drift AS: 58,781 kr (1 claim)
• Trafikkforsikringsforeningen: 24,952 kr (17 claims)
• ERNST & YOUNG AS: 24,625 kr (1 claim)
• Polaris Media Midt-Norge Salg AS: 20,860 kr (1 claim)
• Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen AS: 7,500 kr (1 claim)
• Riverty Norway AS: 5,137 kr (11 claims)
• AIMO PARK NORWAY AS: 3,300 kr (3 claims)
• Vegfinans AS: 2,959 kr (1 claim)
• Lillehammer Kommune Parkering: 2,773 kr (1 claim)
• Rada Reiseliv SA: 2,371 kr (1 claim)
• If Skadeforsikring NUF: 2,113 kr (1 claim)
• Vipps Mobilepay AS: 1,987 kr (1 claim)
• Visit Lillehammer AS: 1,844 kr (1 claim)
• Kredinor Finans AS: 1,642 kr (2 claims)
• Finn.no AS: 133 kr (1 claim)

Aiming to set a new standard for cross-country skiing

Janteloppet is Petter Northug’s signature event. He helped establish the race in 2018, initially with Red Bull as the main sponsor. When the controversial Austrian energy drink giant withdrew in 2023, Northug took full ownership of the event. 

He then made a bold statement by relaunching the race with a new concept, aiming to be more spectacular and inclusive than any other ski race. In 2024, the race served as the Grand Finale of Ski Classics. 

In 2025, Northug withdrew the race from the prestigious long-distance series. Together with his new wealthy investor Reda el Char, he relaunched Janteloppet once again, enticing participants with a million kroner in prize money. 

Public outcry ensues

However, controversy arose. Janteloppet promised a million kroner in prize money for both men and women in the elite class. Then came the announcement that there would be no elite class for women, but they could participate in a 20-kilometer show race instead—a course designed for recreational skiers. 

The prize pool was also withdrawn, leaving the 20-kilometer race with no prize money. The women were informed of this only the night before the race. At the last minute, the organizers decided to allocate 60,000 kroner in prize money for the women, far from the original prize pool. Meanwhile, the men competed for the original amount.  

Following the scandalous race, there was significant public backlash. And just a month before this year’s race, Janteloppet had to cancel the elite class.