Shelter Islander to compete in endurance race in Norway: ‘Ironman’ event one of the most difficult in the world

Beating impossible odds, James Marshall, 42, of Shelter Island, has received a starting place in one of the world’s most exclusive endurance races.

Known simply as “Norseman,” it’s considered to be the hardest Ironman-distance (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) triathlon in the world. It takes place in the chilly fjords and mountains of Norway each August. It’s also the host of the extreme triathlon, or XTRI World Championship. 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the now legendary race.

Norseman gives away annually only 215 race slots by random lottery for the entire world, with additional quotas by country, including a maximum of 10% allotted for the U.S., meaning that only 21 American competitors receive entry each year through the lottery.

For 2023, the Norseman lottery had 8,860 global entries for the 215 race slots, translating to a 2.4% chance of being picked — before the odds decreased further due to gender and country quotas. Overall, the lottery represented 4,650 individuals, some with multiple lottery entries.

For every year that you enter the lottery and are not chosen, you receive an extra ticket in the lottery the next time you apply. This was instituted to help the odds for the large number of people who have spent years failing to win an entry due to the popularity of the race.

This was James Marshall’s first Norseman lottery entry, giving him the lowest possible odds of being chosen. He had waited years to enter, believing he was not up to the grueling challenge, until completing a similar Ironman-distance, cold-water extreme triathlon in Iceland in 2021, where he finished 9th.

Why is Norseman considered the world’s hardest triathlon? Competitors jump off a ferry at dawn into a Norwegian fjord fed by icy mountain streams, then swim 2.4 miles to shore in water as cold as 50 degrees.

They begin a 112-mile bike ride through the largest mountain plateau in Europe by first continuously climbing for 25 miles and 3,000 feet of elevation gain. By the end of the bike leg, they will have climbed more than 10,000 feet through five mountain passes while facing a variety of brutal weather conditions.

The race doesn’t provide aid stations. Each athlete must arrange for a personal support car and support team to provide food, drink and additional clothing during the bike and run legs.

A support team member must also accompany the athlete during the final off-road ascent of a 4,600-foot climb to the top of a mountain that ends the 26.2 mile marathon run and the race. In such a fatigued state, it is too dangerous for the athlete to climb alone.

With a total distance of 140.6 miles in extreme conditions, an elevation gain of 17,175 feet, and a cutoff time of 18 hours and 45 minutes to complete the race, this is what makes Norseman one of the hardest races in the world.

Congratulations, James, and know that all Islanders will be pulling for you.