Iceland Volcano Marathon & Half
Run Through a Geological Hot Spot with the Iceland Volcano Marathon 2025
Set near Lake Mývatn, at the divergent boundaries of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, the Iceland Volcano Marathon 2025 route will take you on an adventure through a hotbed of geothermal activity with geysers, hot springs and lava rock.
The route traverses single-track trail, plains of lava lock and several minor volcano craters. The massive Hverfjall crater is a wonderful focus point on the route. As they run the rim of the crater, runners will pass through soft, black volcanic sand, as well as through the ethereal lava fields known as Dimmuborgir, or “Dark Fortress,” and under a wild natural arch. Here at Marathon Tours & Travel we will take care of your accommodation, entry and logistics so you can focus on the challenge ahead.
Please note the information is related to our 2024 packages and is subject to change for 2025.
2025 package to be updated after the 2024 event takes place (August 24)
Meals Included
Enjoy daily breakfasts & a post-race celebratory dinner
Guide
Our English-speaking tour leader will support you
Transfers
Transportation Reykjavik-Mývatn / Húsavík & return
Trip Extension
Trip extension available upon request
Accommodation
Various hotels, from economy to deluxe
Entry
Guaranteed race entry for a distance of your choice
Celebration Party
Celebration dinner with transportation included
Excursions
Selection of excursions available
Coopah
2 week free trial for Coopah training plans
Travel Package Information
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Itinerary
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Wednesday 21 August 2024
Arrival Day – Welcome to Iceland!
Arrive at Reykjavík. The day is yours to discover the world’s northernmost capital city at your own speed!
Thursday 22 August 2024
Iceland’s Scenic West Coast & Race Briefing
After an early breakfast, board the bus for a scenic drive up along the west coast of Iceland. Along the way, the guide will tell you about Iceland. In the afternoon, you will reach Akureyri, known as “The Capital of the North,” which lies just 100km (62 miles) away from the Arctic Circle. Here, race officials will provide a race briefing and distribute your goodie bags while we enjoy a snack meal. After the briefing, continue to Mývatn/Húsavík where you will get settled into your hotel.
Friday 23 August 2024
Mývatn Route Highlights
On today’s tour you will visit some of the places that are on the marathon route including Dimmuborgir, Hverfjall and Hverir solfataras. Enjoy the sights of lava structures, craters and boiling sulphur mud pits before a visit to the steaming grounds in Bjarnarflag where locals bake their world-famous Geyser bread. Meet a local who will explain the story behind the tradition and you’ll have a chance to taste a bread baked in nature‘s oven, heated by the geothermal heat from geysers.
Saturday 24 August 2024
Race Day
Today is the big day – the Iceland Volcano Marathon is on! Runners will have the rare opportunity to run the dirt and gravel roads around the majestic Hverfjall crater. At the finish line, a BBQ lunch will be served to participants. Shuttle busses will then take all participants back to their hotels.
Monday 26 August 2024
Farewell Iceland or Hello Extension!
After an early breakfast, you will board shuttle busses that will drive through Reykjavík to Keflavik International Airport (KEF). Expected arrival at Keflavik Airport is 14:30. Knowing this, it is not advisable to book your flight out of Iceland earlier than 16:30* on this day. Not ready for the adventure to end? Join one of our optional extensions or book extra nights in Reykjavík.
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Extensions
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Extensions & Excursions
Please note these extensions are for our 2024 packages. 2025 to be confirmed and updated after the 2024 event takes place.
Pre-Tour: The Golden Circle – (3 days)
Take a tour of some of Iceland’s most magnificent attractions.
East Iceland Highlights – (5 days)
Get a taste of Iceland’s overwhelming outdoor attractions by exploring everything from waterfalls to glaciers to black sand beaches.
Geothermal Nature Baths – (3-4 hours)
Soak – literally – in the magic of Iceland’s geothermal activity.
Whale Safari – (7 hours)
Meet the friendly giants of the sea in the breath-taking surroundings of Skálfjandlói Bay.
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Packages & Rates
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Please note the information below related to our 2024 packages and is subject to change for 2025.
2025 package to be updated after the 2024 event takes place (August 24)
Marathon Tours & Travel Iceland Volcano Marathon Packages
Each package includes the following:
- Transportation between Reykjavik-Mývatn/Húsavík and return
- English-speaking tour leader
- 1 night accommodation in Reykjavik
- 4 nights’ accommodation in Mývatn or Húsavík
- Meals according to itinerary
- Celebration dinner including transportation
- Exclusive Iceland Volcano Marathon reusable water bottle
- Selection of tours and excursions (see details under “Extensions”)
- 2-week free trial of Coopah bespoke training plans. Details on how to claim will be sent in your booking confirmation email
Guaranteed race entry
- Marathon or half-marathon – £240
- Quarter marathon – £130
Race Entry Includes:
- English-speaking race officials
- Medical team
- Timekeeping
- Transport to the starting point
- Manned drink stations including safety equipment
- Start number and medal
- Exclusive Iceland Volcano Marathon T-shirt
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Hotels
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Although likely to be the same, the 2025 hotel packages will be updated after the 2024 event takes place (August 24)
Mývatn Hotels
Vogar Ferdathjonusta (Economy Package):
This is the location of the marathon finish. Rooms are basic, but clean and comfortable, and toilets and showers are on shared basis in the hallway. A breakfast buffet is served in the common dining area. The kitchen is open to guests and allows you to cook your own meals for lunch and dinner. Groceries are available in the supermarket in the village of Reykjahlid one mile from the guesthouse.
Book this package if you:
Travel on a budget
Enjoy socializing (common dining room provides an area for mingling)
Would like the possibility of going straight to your room after finishing
Nice to know:
Participants staying at Vogar Ferdathjonusta will have to walk to the other side of the road for the pasta dinner at Vogafjós Farm Resort the evening before the race.
Shoes are not allowed inside the rooms, so we recommend that you bring a pair of slippers or indoor shoes.
Bed linen and towels are available to all guests.
SEL Hotel (Comfort Package):
A family run hotel with a cosy, friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Located south of Lake Mývatn in the small village of Skútustadir, this hotel is the perfect spot to explore the fascinating pseudo-craters that can be reached just by crossing the road. The hotel rooms are nicely furnished and the restaurant serves fine-tasting home-cooked dishes and offers both buffet and a’la carte menu. It is approximately 15 kilometres from the start and finish area. Race transfers are provided on race day.
Book this package if you:
Prefer a hotel with soul and personality
Enjoy easy access to Lake Mývatn and the famous pseudo craters
Want easy, high-quality meal options for meals not already included
Nice to know:
The nearby Sel Café offers alternative dining if needed Thursday and Saturday
The hotel is located 15 kilometres from the village of Reykjahlid
Vogafjós Farm Resort (Comfort Plus Package):
Vogafjós Farm Resort is a family run guesthouse, warm and cosy, built in 2005. The guesthouse consists of two log houses with ten rooms each and one log house with family rooms and smaller double rooms, all with private bathrooms – a total of 26 rooms. The rooms are well furnished. They are designed to let the guests feel relaxed while enjoying the unique natural environment Mývatn offers.
Book this package if you:
Like peace and quiet and the charm of staying in a wooden log house.
Enjoy local produce and homemade bread.
Prefer to stay next to the Finish area (325 yards away)
Reykjavík Hotels
Below are the hotels used for the first night in Reykjavik. Please note that the hotel combinations in the accommodation packages are fixed and cannot be amended.
Hotel Cabin Reykjavik (Economy Package – Standard Room):
Overlooking the bay the Hotel Cabin is a great place to explore the scenic Sculpture & Shore Walk path into the city center. Standard rooms are simple and relatively small, however comfortable for a good night’s sleep.
Fosshotel Lind (Comfort Package):
Comfortably located in the city centre of Reykjavik, near the main shopping area, Laugavegur. You will find numerous cafes, restaurants, museums and shops right at your doorstep. Klambratún, one of the city’s largest parks, is a 5-minute walk away. Standard rooms are modern and spacious.
Hotel Cabin Reykjavik (Comfort Plus Package – Superior Room):
Overlooking the bay the Hotel Cabin is a great place to explore the scenic Sculpture & Shore Walk path into the city centre.
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Event Information
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Please note the information below is related to our 2024 packages and is subject to change to change for 2025.
Confirmed Race Date: August 28th June 2025
Race Time: 07:30AM (the Marathon and Half-Marathon will start together, the Quarter Marathon will start shortly after)
The Course:
The Iceland Volcano Marathon 2025 is run on a variety of surfaces, including asphalt, soft volcanic sand, volcanic rock, gravel, and dirt. Although the race can be run in normal running shoes, trail running shoes are recommended if one is hoping for top placement. You can view a course map here and the elevation chart here.
Weather:
The Icelandic late-summer is not known to be warm. Expect temperatures between vary 5-11 degrees Celsius. If we are lucky, temperatures may rise to 15 degrees Celsius. Icelandic weather is notoriously fickle, and rain can be expected at any time.
Eligibility:
- Marathon – 18 years +
- Half-Marathon 16 years +
- Quarter Marathon 8 years + (those under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult)
Time Limit:
- Marathon – 7 hours (must finish by 14:00PM). Five hour cut-off point at the 20 mile marker.
- Half-Marathon – 7 hours (must finish by 14:00PM)
- Quarter Marathon (must finish by 14:00PM)
Awards:
Everyone who finishes their running event within the time limit will receive a Finisher Medal and Race short
Difficulty: The course difficulty is challenging
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Registration & Booking
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Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend travellers to take out comprehensive travel insurance with sufficient healthcare cover, including cover for existing medical conditions and any activities you plan to do.
If you are unsure where to start, we’ve teamed up with Bikmo. Bikmo offer tailored insurance packages that cater for both competitive and non-competitive trips, covering you for many of our running events. If you wish to book insurance through Bikmo, you can benefit from an exclusive 5% discount*, simply use the code DESTINATIONSPORT5 at their checkout. More information can be found here.
*7 days European travel cover from £16.85. Bikmo non-competitive travel insurance is arranged and administered by Rock Insurance Services Limited, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA number 300317 Bikmo competitive travel insurance is arranged and administered directly by Jackson Lee Underwriting (JLU). This promotion is provided by Bikmo Ltd Glendale House Sandycroft Industrial Estate Flintshire CH5 2QP
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Seven Continents Club ®
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The Seven Continents Club®️ (SCC) offers a unique opportunity for runners to run on all seven continents of the globe, as well as providing numerous benefits to its members. The club operates as a global frequent traveller club for runners, offering waitlist priority for high-demand events, early pre-registration periods for a number of races in popular destinations and tour package vouchers for money off international tour packages. What’s more, Seven Continents Club®️ rewards all its members for the extraordinary achievement of running marathons on each continent with their own special finishers medal and certificate of completion. Join the SCC today!
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