The name speaks for itself, a race that goes around - not three lakes - but three waters outside Stavanger. The 3-lake race is one traditional half-marathon that has been organized since 2006, and I myself have participated five times. Actually was 3-lakes my first half marathon and longest race ever, back in 2008. Back then there were a few hundred participants and I still remember the ecstatic feeling that came over me when I crossed the finish line on that beautiful November Saturday 11 years ago. The time was 2.08, and I was very satisfied. Since then it has decreased, and a half-marathon person is in time of writing, 1:37 a.m. I have also run 3 lakes in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, so this will be my fifth at to rap.
The 3-lake race always starts on the first weekend in November, and with its location in Western Norway, it is always linked great excitement to the weather. However, for this year's edition, which starts on Saturday 8 November, the weather gods definitely on the organiser's side, with glorious sunshine, about zero wind and a few plus degrees - better you can hardly get it at this time of year.
Then back to the race itself and the trail. The route has a total of 173 meters of elevation gain, so it is not flat half marathon we are talking about. The beautiful surroundings still make up for the elevation gains that mostly come around 10 km. Up to 18 km, the trail is slightly hilly, while before the mile is run it is quite flat. In fact, one starts with nearly 2 km downhill, so your legs tend to float away for the first ten minutes (or seven- eight for those who run a bit faster).
The start takes place outside the DNB arena, which is located a few km outside the center of Stavanger. The trail turns down towards Store Stokkavatn, where you run 3-4 km along one side and then turn over to Hålandsvatnet, which you run rund hele (7 km).
The first part of Hålandsvatnet is almost completely flat, while the latter half is somewhat hilly with three steep (but luckily not so long) slopes. When you have reached about halfway through the race, you re-enter the path as continues around Stokkavatn and you continue along the lake for a few km before you get to try a couple of opposite slopes.
At 18 km you turn towards Mosvatnet, which is the last of the three and run two/thirds of the round, because you need the last kilometer to get down to the finish area which is the same as the start.
Worth mentioning is that large parts of the trail are on gravel paths - should I guess, you run around 15 km on gravel and the rest on asphalt.
The 3-sjøersløpet is a popular half-marathon and a great running party for the whole city and region. In 2015, it was set participant record with 3,000 runners, while for 2019 somewhere between 2,500 and 2,700 are expected. It gathers runners in all categories, from the almost completely professional, to the "man in the street".
One of my best memories dates from 2016, when I ran with my then 13 and a half year old son. We had ran a few trips of 12-13 km in advance the month before, and it went well for him to run in to 2.15 (even beat the mother in a solid final sprint).
This is what the organizer writes about the race:
3-Sjøersløpet is a race that aims to motivate more people to take on the challenge of completing a longer distance.
The race is organized every year on the first Saturday in November. This is too many on the eve of the season and is thus a good starting point as a target for training throughout the year. The course of the race goes through well-known areas where they most people in the region run and the race thus appeals to the breadth of exercisers in Nord-Jæren.