Running in Reykjavik
Running in Reykjavik
Seems odd to fly three hours and a 1000 miles, just for the opportunity to run for 4+ hours and 26.2 miles, but that is what we did this weekend.
Several months ago we determined that we needed a bit of motivation to aid us in our exercise regime. A ‘stake in the ground’, if you will. So we plowed through the internet a bit looking for a summer race that we could both take part in, and perhaps see a something new of Europe, as well. The result: the Glitnir Marathon and Half-Marathon, held on Saturday, August 18 in lovely Reykjavik, Iceland.
Deciding that it wasn’t enough for the two of us to endure the rigours of training and a long run, we also managed to rope in our friends Kim and Rian. After registering for the race and booking our flights, there was no turning back. And with the four of us bonded together by our mutual goal, as well as the magic powers of Nike+, we could only look forward. And in case that wasn’t sufficient motivation for Mitch, he also agreed to run on behalf of the Venture Partnership Foundation, a UK organisation supporting innovative charities.
Thankfully, as our accompanying pictures and captions will attest, it ended up a truly magnificent holiday weekend, crowned with wonderful runs by us all. (Of course, by ‘wonderful’, I mean that we all finished without injury or issue - Shannon even did a cartwheel over the finish line). It was a beautiful day, and the miles seemed to whisk by. OK, perhaps not ‘whisk’ by, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. We even had energy afterwards to walk around the town, which was also celebrating the end of its annual Culture Week.
The day after, we parted ways for a bit, Kim and Rian taking off to explore a volcanic island, and Mitch and Shannon heading to the Blue Lagoon for a much-deserved soak in a hot spring (an Icelandic tradition - how could we say no?) All in all, very much a perfect way to have a marathon weekend.
Saturday, 18 August 2007