The Blue Lagoon is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. It is a geothermal spa located in a lava field close to Grindavik in the Reykjanes peninsular. The National Geographic magazine once listed it as one of the 25 wonders of the world.
Bathing there is truly a unique experience.
Running at the Blue Lagoon
It is an even a greater experience after a refreshing run, and all runners who visit the Blue Lagoon should consider starting off their day by running a fantastic route that showcases the dramatic rugged landscape of Reykjanes, a geological wonder in its own right.
The route is uncomplicated and very easy to follow. It takes you through lava fields with geothermal water, mountains in the distance and smoke rising out of the earth.
The harsh desolate beauty is unlike anything you will see on the Icelandic ring road.
The route takes you around Thorbjorn Fell which is a free standing mountain next to the Blue Lagoon. The route is mainly on asphalt road but partly on trail paths.
Directions
Here is a map of a scenic 10 km long circle that starts and ends at Blue Lagoon.
Start from the car park entrance at the Blue Lagoon.
Turn left and follow the road for approximately 4 km to Grindavik.
There is very little traffic on this road but be alert and visible if running in the dark. You should have Mt Thorbjorn on your left hand side the whole way.
As you reach Grindavik you turn left and run approximately 300 meters until you turn left again on to a path which is called Ingibjorg Lane (Ingibjargarstígur).
The lane takes you through green grass and small woodland next to Mt Thorbjorn, and then through the lava to the end of the route, right at the entrance of the Blue Lagoon.
There are plenty of variations of this route available as well:
- The route can easily be shortened by turning left closer to Mt Thorbjorn instead of running all the way to Grindavik.
- The route can be extended by adding a circle in the town of Grindavik.
- There is also a trail up Mt Thorbjorn which is 243 meters high. The mountain offers a great panoramic view over Reykjanes peninsula on sunny days.
More photos taken on the route are here below.
runninginiceland.com 
Hello. We are visiting iceland in july. Can we run around the lagoon on our own or we need to join a race ? Tks
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Hi Veronica, it should be no problem to do it on your own, just remember that part of it is on a road so be considerate and take care even if there should be very little traffic.
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I will do this track tomorrow, before entering the Blue Lagoon. I hope I don’t get lost 🙂
I can’t leave Iceland before running at least one day!
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Thank you for this website… It is a real source of inspiration. I will be in Iceland with my daughter end on July and I will definitely be trying this route. By the way is there any race on the southern coast between July 21 and 27? Thanks 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 Unfortunately all the races that week are in the north or east of Iceland!
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What is the route like in April/ May or September/October? weather issues?
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It should be perfectly fine Lorna, but as always you have to look out for the weather forecast. There could be snow in April or May, hardly in September or October although it is possible! It can also be very windy so just have a good look at the weather forecast and don’t go if it’s terrible.
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Are there any organized events to run the Lagoon?
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Hi Ken, I don’t think there are unfortunately
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This looks great! I’ll give it a try.
Do you know of any trail races that take place in March 2019?
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Hi Richard.
Unfortunately there are no trail races in March, for two reasons, the weather is unpredictable as it is still winter here and also the short days that time of year make it difficult to run outside of the lights of the city.
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