August 22 (AM) - Reykjavik Marathon in Photos
We timed this trip so that I could run the Reykjavik marathon on the second day to get the hard work done early in the holiday, though this only gave me one day to get over jet lag and be well-rested for the run. Thankfully, after being disciplined on the first day and only allowing ourselves a short one-hour nap, we were both able to sleep a fairly uninterrupted eight hours from 10PM - 6AM.
Starting weather conditions were quite good: calm and cool with a slight breeze. The honorary race marshal was Katherine Switzer, first woman to (unofficially) run the Boston Marathon. She was doling out high-fives at the starting line but when I went to get mine I was foiled by another runner who wanted a minute-long hug and chat.
Most of the participants were in the half-marathon and 10 km races, with only about 1200 people taking part in the full marathon. However, the half and full marathoners all started at the same time and along narrow streets so the first 5 km was the most annoying "roller derby" I've done in a while.
The crowd had thinned out by the time I met my official support team at around the 12 km mark. This was my chance to ditch my long-sleeve undershirt but the weather had gotten wetter and windier so I needed to keep it.
Once we split from the half-marathoners, the remaining course got a bit "bush league" as we left the main roads and switched to bike paths through the suburbs. There were only 1200 of us and I'm a slower-than-average runner, which resulted in patches where I was out of sight of any other runners or course marshals, and it was hard to believe I was taking part in an official race.
The middle section of the course was not particularly scenic (not ugly; just plain) as it mostly ran through suburban bike and walking trails, occasionally over the freeway, but it did offer an occasional view.
The hours wore on and my personal performance was going better than expected, as I was on pace to run a negative split and was passing dozens of people in the second half, never getting passed myself since we split off from the half-marathoner's at the 19 km marker. (No doubt the sea-level air and the forced slow pace at the start helped me along.)
The last 15 km was prettier as we looped along the sea wall around the entire peninsula that makes up Reykjavik city centre.
Note the young woman in the yellow top: I caught up with her at about the 25 km mark and we were neck-and-neck competitors for the remaining two hours of the race. We leap-frogged back and forth until about 30 km, I pulled way ahead of her at about 35 km, then she caught up and paced about 10 meters behind me for the last 5 km. (I'm pretty sure she was using me as a pace bunny. Either that or a wind-break because it had gotten quite gusty by the afternoon and in exactly the wrong direction.) Unfortunately for me, as we turned the final corner and caught sight of the finish line, she turned on the jets and left me in the dust, claiming the honor of the only person to pass me in the last 23 km. (She's just across the finish line on the left in the photo below.)
When she first made her move I was tempted to take up the challenge, but in hindsight I'm glad I didn't because I'm pretty sure she would have won. (I meant to find her after the race to congratulate her but forgot. The joke's on her though, because according to the official results my chip time was 23 seconds faster than her. Ha!) More importantly, I managed to do something this race that I never did during my last marathons over a decade before: finish the race with a smile on my face.
I was happy with my time of just under five hours. I've only lost 30 minutes in the decade+ since my last marathon. (That's the advantage of already being a slow runner when you're young - you don't lose much of a step as you age.) We totally forgot to take a post-race photo with my medal; I was too focused on what I had been thinking about for the last few hours of running: a take-out from "Reykjavik Chips" by our apartment.
A large order of fries doused in wasabi mayonnaise, and probably enough salt and calories to completely nullify the morning's work!
(P.S. Don't ask me what my race shirt says. I haven't a clue.)
Starting weather conditions were quite good: calm and cool with a slight breeze. The honorary race marshal was Katherine Switzer, first woman to (unofficially) run the Boston Marathon. She was doling out high-fives at the starting line but when I went to get mine I was foiled by another runner who wanted a minute-long hug and chat.
Most of the participants were in the half-marathon and 10 km races, with only about 1200 people taking part in the full marathon. However, the half and full marathoners all started at the same time and along narrow streets so the first 5 km was the most annoying "roller derby" I've done in a while.
The crowd had thinned out by the time I met my official support team at around the 12 km mark. This was my chance to ditch my long-sleeve undershirt but the weather had gotten wetter and windier so I needed to keep it.
Once we split from the half-marathoners, the remaining course got a bit "bush league" as we left the main roads and switched to bike paths through the suburbs. There were only 1200 of us and I'm a slower-than-average runner, which resulted in patches where I was out of sight of any other runners or course marshals, and it was hard to believe I was taking part in an official race.
The middle section of the course was not particularly scenic (not ugly; just plain) as it mostly ran through suburban bike and walking trails, occasionally over the freeway, but it did offer an occasional view.
The hours wore on and my personal performance was going better than expected, as I was on pace to run a negative split and was passing dozens of people in the second half, never getting passed myself since we split off from the half-marathoner's at the 19 km marker. (No doubt the sea-level air and the forced slow pace at the start helped me along.)
The last 15 km was prettier as we looped along the sea wall around the entire peninsula that makes up Reykjavik city centre.
Note the young woman in the yellow top: I caught up with her at about the 25 km mark and we were neck-and-neck competitors for the remaining two hours of the race. We leap-frogged back and forth until about 30 km, I pulled way ahead of her at about 35 km, then she caught up and paced about 10 meters behind me for the last 5 km. (I'm pretty sure she was using me as a pace bunny. Either that or a wind-break because it had gotten quite gusty by the afternoon and in exactly the wrong direction.) Unfortunately for me, as we turned the final corner and caught sight of the finish line, she turned on the jets and left me in the dust, claiming the honor of the only person to pass me in the last 23 km. (She's just across the finish line on the left in the photo below.)
When she first made her move I was tempted to take up the challenge, but in hindsight I'm glad I didn't because I'm pretty sure she would have won. (I meant to find her after the race to congratulate her but forgot. The joke's on her though, because according to the official results my chip time was 23 seconds faster than her. Ha!) More importantly, I managed to do something this race that I never did during my last marathons over a decade before: finish the race with a smile on my face.
I was happy with my time of just under five hours. I've only lost 30 minutes in the decade+ since my last marathon. (That's the advantage of already being a slow runner when you're young - you don't lose much of a step as you age.) We totally forgot to take a post-race photo with my medal; I was too focused on what I had been thinking about for the last few hours of running: a take-out from "Reykjavik Chips" by our apartment.
A large order of fries doused in wasabi mayonnaise, and probably enough salt and calories to completely nullify the morning's work!
(P.S. Don't ask me what my race shirt says. I haven't a clue.)
posted by Paineroo @ 4:51 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Way to go Andrew! It's a long way to go for a run but makes a great story!
Well done Pane. I'm glad I'm not the only one who (occasionally?) times his vacations around marathons.
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