After Eritrea’s Dawit Seare outsprinted him in Copenhagen, Ingebrigtsen returned to Sandnes with a point to make. Just weeks after watching a World Road Running Championships gold slip away in the final 100 meters, the Norwegian found the perfect response – winning twice on the streets where his running story began.

Ingebrigtsen won the inaugural Runfest Norway’s 1500m on Friday in 3:40.7 before returning less than 24 hours later to claim the 5km in 13:26. Running alongside brothers Henrik and Filip, the Norwegian turned the event into something more personal than another race on the calendar: a celebration in the place where his running journey began.

The 1500m took him through the center of Sandnes, with a headwind making the task slightly tougher. Ingebrigtsen stayed behind pacemaker Žan Rudolf before making his move with about a minute left. He pulled away from Andreas Fjeld Halvorsen to win by 2.6 seconds, while Sigurd Tveit finished third in 3:47.8.
The result produced a Norwegian sweep of the top six.

A day later, Ingebrigtsen returned for the 5km. He resisted the temptation to dictate the race early, instead sitting behind the leaders before accelerating with roughly 300m remaining. Halvorsen again finished second, this time in 13:28, while Ethiopia’s Abdrselam Worku took third in 13:29.

For Ingebrigtsen, the wins carried extra meaning because these were not unfamiliar roads. He grew up running around Sandnes, putting thousands of training kilometers into the same streets where he was now hearing the home crowd roar.

After Friday’s race, he described winning there as a season highlight, particularly because of the atmosphere created by the local community.

The weekend also showed just how far the festival’s ambitions stretch. Runfest Norway brought elite athletes and recreational runners together across the three-day event, with 2,540 registered participants across the 1500m, 5km, 10km and half marathon. The program also included a running summit and activities for schools.

“The world’s best runners are part of the circus, but everyone can participate,” Ingebrigtsen said, describing the festival as a celebration of running joy.

That message fits the event’s concept. While elite names such as world 3000m steeplechase record holder Lamecha Girma and a strong Kenyan contingent added star power, ordinary runners were given the chance to share the same festival weekend.

Biniyam Melak added another Ethiopian victory by winning the 10km in 27:29, while Malin Hoelsveen took the women’s 1500m and Wilma Bekkemoen Torbiörnsson won the women’s 5km in 16:26.

Yet behind Ingebrigtsen’s comfortable-looking weekend was a season that had been anything but simple.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s remarkable turnaround puts bigger goals within reach

Only months earlier, Ingebrigtsen was still trying to work his way back from another troublesome chapter with his Achilles. He underwent surgery in February and later revealed that a setback in May prevented him from training properly for another two to three months.

When he finally returned to serious training in July, the clock was already ticking on his season. He refused to let it disappear completely.

At the European Championships in Birmingham, Ingebrigtsen immediately returned to the top by winning the 5000m for a fourth consecutive time. He then captured the 5000m at the Ultimate Championship in Budapest in 12:59.24, breaking 13 minutes on the track for the first time since 2021.

But his return has also taught him to approach racing differently. “When you chop up your body and go inside to fix a certain problem and suit up again, there’s definitely no guarantee that it’s going to be good ever again,” Ingebrigtsen said after his Budapest victory.

That realization has changed his priorities. Rather than forcing his way through every setback, he has emphasized patience, consistency and listening to his body.
The lesson became particularly clear at the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen. Ingebrigtsen looked set to win the 5km after moving ahead inside the final 200m, only for Seare to surge past him in the closing stretch. Seare won in 12:56, leaving Ingebrigtsen with silver in a Norwegian-record 12:59.

The result was disappointing, but it also showed that his competitive edge had survived the long absence. Just weeks later, he was back in Sandnes, racing on consecutive days and winning both times.

That may have been the most encouraging part of Runfest Norway. Ingebrigtsen had once admitted that watching races while injured was his “worst nightmare.” Now he is racing again, building momentum and, perhaps most importantly, learning how to stay healthy.

With 2027 ahead and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics approaching, the Norwegian knows the road will demand patience. For now, though, he could not have asked for a better reminder of why he runs.

Two races. Two wins. And both came on the streets that helped make him who he is.