Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra crossed the finish line of the Marathon Nice–Cannes in 4 hours, 42 minutes, and 59 seconds, edging out King Haakon by a mere two seconds.
The result, confirmed by official race data on SportUp, provides a definitive conclusion to a weekend of speculation regarding the royal pair’s performance along the French Riviera.
The confusion surrounding the final standings began on Sunday when the Crown Princess’s electronic timing chip stopped transmitting data shortly after the 9.9-kilometer mark.
While King Haakon’s time of 4:43:01 was processed immediately by race officials, the Crown Princess was initially listed as a “Did Not Finish” (DNF) on tracking platforms. This technical glitch persisted despite video evidence geolocated by VG showing the father and daughter running together near Juan-les-Pins at the 30-kilometer mark.
The 42.2-kilometer route, which follows the Mediterranean coastline from the Promenade des Anglais in Nice to La Croisette in Cannes, proved to be a challenging test for the royals.
As noted by TV 2, their combined effort resulted in an average pace of 6 minutes and 42 seconds per kilometer, or roughly 8.95 kilometers per hour. For King Haakon, the race concluded with a placement of 6305th in the men’s category and 934th within his age group, as reported by TV 2.
Former top runner Marius Bakken commented on the physical demands of the event, telling VG:
“First and foremost, it is an achievement to get through such a long race, and it is likely limited how much time he has had for training. It is fun that he can engage in running and probably enjoy it.”
The sentiment was echoed by NRK athletics commentator Jann Post, who framed the royal appearance as a positive influence. “It is fun that we have a King and Crown Princess who spend time on this and are part of the running wave that is washing over Norway right now. A good role model for people,” Post told VG.
The marathon took place during a private trip abroad for the royals, a detail confirmed by the Royal Palace on Saturday. While the King returned to his official duties just three days after the race, he did not comment on the physical toll of the 42-kilometer trek.
Throughout the course, both royals were observed running in the company of unidentified individuals, and TV 2 was unable to determine whether these participants were security personnel; the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) could not comment on the race.
Reflecting on the difficulty of the Nice–Cannes course, Gerda Fasseland, a Norwegian runner who completed the same marathon in 2024, noted the specific challenges facing the late-stage participants. She told TV 2:
“It was a very nice trip along the sea, but on the last kilometers there are some tough hills that made it very heavy. In addition to the fact that it was hot and that it just got hotter and hotter throughout the day.”
The official result now settles the brief mystery regarding the Crown Princess’s performance, officially recorded under the name “ALEXANDRA INGRID” with start number 8983.
