Mensen Ernst Memorial Run

The run goes over a distance of 10 km, mostly on asphalt and without many ups and downs. Start and end in the Modig Stadium in Fresvik.

Mensen Ernst was a Norwegian distance runner, originally a sailor. In 1818 he became a professional runner, courier and mail runner. Ernst is said to have performed a number of sensational races, including in 1832 from Paris to Moscow (2,500 kilometers as the crow flies) in 14 days. In 1836 he is said to have run from Istanbul to Calcutta and back again (over 9000 kilometers) in 59 days.

During an attempt to cross Africa from north to south, Mensen got Ernst dysentery and died in Egypt. He was buried by the Nile, where the burial site is now flooded by one of the Aswan dams. A memorial stone was unveiled at his birthplace Fresvik in 1987.