Route: Icelandic Ring Road (Iceland)

Submitted by mattvosburgh on Tue, 05/17/2022 - 05:42pm
Location
Iceland
Distance
864.2 mi
Vertical Gain
46,092 ft
Description

The Icelandic Ring Road is the major highway of Iceland (Route 1), circumnavigating the entire country. Often driven and sometimes cycled, this 864.2 mile loop starts and ends at the same location, Reykjavik City Hall (as is a traditional start and end point of other FKTs).

The route has been modified away from the Ring Road only to go around 3 small tunnels, through which pedestrians are prohibited. The first location, going in the route's intended clockwise direction is Hvalfjörður Tunnel and the modification uses Route 47. This reconnects with Route 1 just north of the tunnel.

The second diversion is just after Akureyri in the north where a diversion uses route 83 and 84 to go around the tunnel to the north, reconnecting with Rute 1 on the east side of the tunnel. 

The third diversion is in the southeast before Hofn where Almannaskarð road is parallel to a short tunnel. 

GPS Track

Comments

I am very excited to announce that I will be doing a route I have dreamed of for years. The description of this route is my own but having arrived and in trying to drive the part that takes you out of the City of Reykjavik, I will need to amend the beginning of this to say that one needs to find the safest route out, while reaching the waypoint at the Intersection of Route 1, and Baugshlio and Sharholabraut (62.1589245, -21.7242464). I may need to adjust the route back as well. But the start/end remains unchanged, as does the majority of the route. As the first one to do this route, and despite running this by many locals, I was bound to find something wrong with it. I think 840 of this 865 mile route is much more straightforward! 

I am starting 6am local time, July 19th. The goal is to finish in 17 days which would be approximately 51 miles per day. It will be a supported run.

I can be tracked via Garmin inreach

And I will be sharing the journey, alongside my two crew members, on instagram and on my strava

 

Hello Matt!

 

Did you end up completing the run?

Thanks 

P.

User Picture
Profile picture for user Jason Hardrath @jasonhardrath

Interesting. Happy to see this on here. I have thought about this one myself since visiting Iceland.

Seems the unsupported time is by David Chong
Read more here

Also cycling the Ring Road in 52 hours, here

User Picture
Profile picture for user Punkeru

This will be a great adventure when I'll turn 40 years old(next year) 💪💪💪 I am living in Iceland since almost 2 years and this is on my list!!!

Nice way to spend your birthday 😁👊