Perhaps the world's fastest middle-distance teenager and most recent sub-4 minute miler met his match recently during a race on the mountain of Stolztzekleiven in Norway, held in Bergen annually.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen had a hard time reaching the top!
According to reports, the event is "the world's steepest race with an increase of 34.5 percent and the finish line at Sandvikspilen is 379 meters above sea level," according to NRK.
Finish-line video of the 17-year-old Ingebrigtsen -- who in September set an age group world record for 16-year-olds in the 1-mile run by hitting 3:56.29 -- shows the teenager struggling to regain his footing and almost falling before being caught by his father; the Norwegian prodigy had to be helped to the finish.
Read: Allie Ostrander Earns First Mount Marathon 3-Mile Crown In Alaska
He finished in 30th place.
For reference, Boise State's Allie Ostrander -- an Alaskan native who won the NCAA steeplechase in June -- won the Mount Marathon 3-Mile crown in Alaska in July and did so navigating 3,000 feet of elevation, which converts to about 914 meters. Ostrander landed the event's second-best time in its history, posting an effort of 49:19.
Vebjorn Rodal, who has run the mountain in Norway once before, said he believed the performance showed that the teenager is in shape.
The event's eventual winner was Stian Overgaard Aarvik.
The full story can be found here.
This report was translated from Norwegian
