Marit Bjørgen is ready for her first marathon. In November, the cross-country ski queen will run the New York Marathon, and the newcomer sets a high goal.

Even though Marit Bjørgen has now moved from the professional ranking and is done with her long-distance comeback, she is still in good shape, setting big and ambitious goals.  

Autumn’s big goal is the New York Marathon, the ski queen told at the launch of her new book earlier this week.

“It will be interesting. The aim is to run in under three hours,” says the 42-year-old to Aftenposten. 

To fulfill her ambitions, Bjørgen trains between five and seven sessions a week. The bulk of the training naturally consists of running: she runs four to six times weekly. Most runs are carried out by Bjørgen in Nordmarka, with start and finish at her front door. In addition, she has a strength session a week.

However, Marit Bjørgen is not the only former cross-country skier making a marathon debut this autumn: Dario Cologna is running the London Marathon in October. The Swiss, who retired after the 2022 Olympic season, is now part of the mentor team of the new Team Aker Dæhlie.

This is the New York Marathon 2022

The New York Marathon will be held this year on Sunday, November 6. 

For the first time since the pandemic, the New York Marathon is ready to welcome 50.000 participants, which is the limit for the race. The organizer has received more than 84.000 entries.