Norway's King Haakon and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra Run Nice-Cannes Marathon

King Haakon of Norway and his daughter, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, ran the Nice-Cannes Marathon together in the south of France.

The race covers 26.2 miles along the French Riviera coastline, from Nice to Cannes. According to Town & Country, the two crossed the starting line together at 9:16 a.m.

The king finished in four hours and 43 minutes, according to the same report. The crown princess's race time stopped updating around the 6-mile mark.

The trip was kept quiet before it began. The Norwegian newspaper VG reported that the destination of the king and the crown princess was unknown before they left Norway. The Norwegian Royal House later described the trip as "a private stay abroad." It also said the Council of State, the body that handles the government's business while the king is away, is responsible for running the kingdom in his absence.

Haakon became king on August 28, after the death of his father, King Harald V. Norway is a constitutional monarchy, so the king's role is mostly ceremonial. The elected government runs the country day to day. Ingrid Alexandra is next in line to the throne, which makes her the heir.

For American readers, the setup may feel unusual. A reigning monarch and his heir took on a long-distance race in another country, and the palace said little about it beforehand. The official line stayed short and private. The race itself was public, and the finish line was open to anyone watching.

Marathons ask for months of training and a lot of plain stubbornness, whatever the crown on your head. The king and his daughter started together and ran the course on the same day. The rest of the story belongs to the people who ran it.