Mosfellsbæ tindahlaup (formerly 7 peat jelly) is a race that climbs tens of kilometers of hiking trails up the mountains and valleys of Mosfellsbær. The area is located in the outskirts of the capital area and combines the advantages of urban and rural areas, but one of the main characteristics of the environment is vast expanses and untouched nature.
Four distances are offered, so it should be beginners as well as finding a suitable route.
Running trail 12 km – 1 peak
The race is from the sports area to Warma on the outskirts of the village, after a walk, through the school area of Lágafellskóli, through Klapparhlíð, on the western side of the road and from there to Skarhólabraut and into a footpath that leads through the forestry at Hamrahlíð. The riverside is at Úlfarsfell up the stream above the forestry and on the peaks. From there it is east of the mountain with a direction at Hafravatn. Arriving at Hafravatnsvegur, keep him in the settlement at Reykjavegur and into Reykjamel down to Varmá and alongside it on a footpath underground under the western road at Varmá and then into the sports area at Varmá.
Running trail 19 km – 3 peaks
The race starts at the sports ground at Warma in Mosfellsbær. The race is on a paved footpath on the outskirts of Mosfellsbær and through the school area of Lágafellskóli, through a suburb under the western road, across Skarhólabraut, into a walkway and into forestry at Hamrahlíð in Úlfarsfell. At Ulfarsvellir, follow the gili, and go straight to the first tip . From there it is east of the mountain with a direction at Hafravatn. Continue on Reykjaborg by Borgardal, two peaks . When arriving in Reykjaborg, the policy is taken north of Reykjaborg, about Húsadal and over Warmarm and up to Reykjafell, peaks three. From there, the race is down to Skammadal, south and west by Helgafell and through a settlement on Vesturlandsvegi and underground with Ásland and after a walk over Varmá and into the sports area at Varmá where it is reached.
Running track 34 km – 5 peaks
The race begins at the sports ground at Varmá in Mosfellsbær. The race is on a paved footpath on the outskirts of Mosfellsbær and through the school area of Lágafellskóli, through a tunnel under the western road, over Skarhólabraut, into a pedestrian walkway and into a hamlet at Hamrahlíð in Úlfarsfell. At Ulfarsvellir, follow the gili, and go straight to the first tip . From there it is east of the mountain with a direction at Hafravatn. Continue on Reykjaborg by Borgardal, two peaks. When arriving in Reykjaborg, the policy is taken north of Reykjaborg, about Húsadal and over Warmarm and up to Reykjafell, three peaks . From there, the race is down to Skammadal and forward to the top corner of Æsustaðafjall , four peaks . Continue south after the mountain and the direction is taken east to Tordalsbrún and forward to Helminn. Then the direction is taken at the peak of Grímmannfell , five peaks . Then go west Flatafell and continue down to Speedway. Then the race along Þingvallavegur to the west is down the valley after Hjól / walkway to Undersund and after-bike / walkway down to Värarmá and across the bridge and into the sports area at Varmá where the goal is reached.
Route 38 km – 7 peaks
The race begins at the sports ground at Varmá in Mosfellsbær. The race is on a paved footpath on the outskirts of Mosfellsbær and through the school area of Lágafellskóli, through a suburb under the western road, across Skarhólabraut, into a walkway and into forestry at Hamrahlíð in Úlfarsfell. At Ulfarsvellir, follow the gili, and go straight to the first tip . From there it is east of the mountain with a direction at Hafravatn. Continue on Reykjaborg by Borgardal, two peaks . When arriving in Reykjaborg, the policy is taken north of Reykjaborg, about Húsadal and over Warmarm and up to Reykjafell, three peaks . From there, the race goes down to Skammadal and continues to the top corner of Æsustaðafjall ,peaks four . Continue south after the mountain and the direction is taken east to Tordalsbrún and forward to Helminn. Then the direction is taken at the peak of Grímmannfell , five peaks . Then go west Flatafell and continue down to Speedway. Then cross across Mosfellsdal and that Mosfell north of the church has come across all the gills, and then bend to the west by the way to the highest corner of Mosfell , six peaks . Then go south down the mountain and around the farmhouse at Hrísbrú. Continue down the road and at Þingvallavegur. From there is held on Helgafell , seven peaks. When the peak is reached, go south west and come down to Helgafell. Go through a settlement to Vesturlandsvegi and underground with Ásland and after a walk over Värarmá and enter the sports area at Varmá where the race ends.
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A unique Trailrace
I like to do a race when I travel and found this one. My wife (not a big runner) and I signed up for this back in 2017 I think. … MORE
I like to do a race when I travel and found this one. My wife (not a big runner) and I signed up for this back in 2017 I think. Doing so online was somewhat difficult as there are no instructions in English, but by using google translate I was able to decipher how to get in, and with a couple emails, it was taken care of.
As stated above – my wife isn’t a big runner but had FOMO, so we opted for the shortest distance (which in hindsight was probably a good idea so we didn’t get too sore while on vacation). Race day was cold and wet with showers. I was one of the only people at the starting line wearing shorts and no hat or gloves. They pre-race briefing was done in Icelandic and English which was helpful, and the other entrants were also helpful, translating along while he was speaking in Icelandic, although that proved unnecessary.
You head off out of town on a sidewalk/greenway, through a couple neighborhoods and then you see the beast you’re going to climb. We were quickly shuttled to the back of the pack once the climbing started as they was muddy footing and a slope that made it more of a scramble than a walk/run up. Gradually the slope decreases but I think we had four or so false summits and each one crushed my wife’s spirits a little more.
When we finally got to the peak (man it was cold) the attendants looked us over and decided we would survive and pointed us off the back side of the mountain where it was a scramble down the rubble and as mentioned, hunt for the red flags. A couple ditch crossings, then you’re back on roads and returning to town. The aid station had closed up shop by the time we got there (and we were admittedly very slow, but no time cutoffs were presented – but that being said we were able to finish and get a time).
I enjoyed the event. My wife got spooked from the terrain and high winds. On a nice day (do you get those in Iceland in September?) it would’ve been fabulous. If we were to return, I’d do it again, and she’d probably go shopping and wait for me and we’d both likely have a better time.
Choose 1, 3, 5 or 7 peaks
This is definitely an event for locals in Iceland with only limited information available in English (on their Facebook page only) but worth the effort if you like running off-road … MORE
This is definitely an event for locals in Iceland with only limited information available in English (on their Facebook page only) but worth the effort if you like running off-road in nature. And it’s really off-road after the first few kms. Thankfully it didn’t rain or it would have been quite treacherous. Chose from 4 distances based on how many hills you want to run up and down (I did 19km and 3 peaks). Only some parts of the course follow a path, and in the second half of the run you need to keep a constant eye out for the little red flags marking the course because you are running across wilderness, seemingly randomly. I’d still recommend it even though I had to back track twice to find the official route. 16 out of 65 runners missed one station completely this year making the results something of an estimate. Swag? What swag? But really this race is all about running rough in Iceland so it might be a little incongruous for too much corporate sponsorship. Mind you, there was a Jeep parked halfway up the first hill in the middle of nowhere which was a pretty effective advertisement for the sponsor. Everyone was super friendly towards the four foreigners, and it felt nice to participate in a local event away from the usual tourist treadmill. Definitely the toughest race I’ve ever done and I was completely fine with a slow time so as not to break an ankle or my neck. The overall winner for this distance was 60 years old, so I suspect some home court advantage.