Copenhagen Marathon - 18th May 2008

Report by Michelle Wilder and Hugo Collingridge

Michelle Wilder writes:

So, why Copenhagen? Last year my friend Hugo ran the Paris Marathon and I went as the "support crew", half-heartedly mumbling that I would join in if he did another. Whoops - as 2007 progressed I realised that Hugo was serious about another race and I didn't really have a good reason not to take part.

Copenhagen was chosen because not only would it make a pleasant place to spend a couple of days site-seeing but the route was flat and it should not be too hot: Paris 2007 took place in a heat wave that was distressing to both runner and support crew. There was also the advantage that if the race went horribly wrong we wouldn't be watched by anyone we knew.

The race website has an amusing altitude graph which reveals that the race varies between 5 and 15 metres above sea level. As a marathon is over 26 miles long we thought that we could manage this. Another bonus turned out to be a very well organised race, with frequent water stations also having powerade, sponges, oranges, toilets and showers available.

The race was three laps - the first and last around the city centre and the middle one to the south. It was the most well-mannered start to a race I've ever taken part in, with competitors politely waiting for their turn to start in roughly the right area for their ability - no pushing or shoving here - so I started off at the pace I intended to run at alongside runners going a similar speed. At eight miles I felt tired and weary but realised that this was it - I wasn't going to be running much faster or slower, and I wasn't going to be more tired or weary. It was just plod, plod, plod onwards.

I had a bit of a wobble at eleven miles on the second lap with a dull stretch of road alongside a railway line with no spectators and a field that had, for the moment, thinned out. My dodgy knee was hurting and the painkillers I had taken earlier had yet to kick in but later at the half-way point I was on time at just under two hours ten minutes and the plodding continued.

At twenty miles I started looking for this "wall" that one is supposed to hit but couldn't find it. Around me most of the other competitors had started to walk - so presumably they had - and it was quite motivating to spend the last six miles overtaking people. I pushed on for the last two, very long, miles and eventually the finish line was behind me and a feast of goodies provided by the organisers in front of me: not only more water and powerade but also yoghurt, muesli bars, hot chocolate, bread rolls and also a (low-alchol) beer tent conveniently sited next to the finishing line. Actually the last thing I felt like drinking was beer but a surprising number of competitors were lapping it up.

My time was 4 hours 23 minutes which Ifelt was ok as I am a slow runner but the second half was disappointedly four minutes slower than the first and I am usually pretty good at pacing.

Thinking back I'm not sure whether on this race and on this day I could have gone much faster. At the end I felt relieved and chuffed but not unbearably knackered and although the next day my dodgy knee wouldn't hurt I wasn't otherwise stiff, just a bit tired. I've no idea if this is good or means that I didn't try hard enough. It was a half-hour walk back to the hotel which we managed alright and we also found the energy for post-match "celebrations" in the evening although with just three bottles of beer it wasn't the wildest night either of us have ever been on.

So! Would I recommend this race? Yes - maximum points for organisation and facilities; lots of enthusiastic spectators; wide closed roads allowing competitors to spread out and a (mostly) interesting route.

Hugo Collingridge writes:

'Nervous' cannot begin to describe how I felt at the start of what was my second Marathon, (my first since joining Manchester Tri Club) in Copenhagen on May 18th. My previous attempt at the distance, in Paris last year, had been hampered by a combination of searing heat and a poorly thought out pacing strategy. I was hoping that track sessions with the club would have helped me to overcome the second problem but the weather was out of my hands. Fortunately, we were greeted on Sunday morning by a cloudy sky, which seemed to have been shipped over from Manchester especially for us.

The first thing that I noticed at the start of the race was the absence of people in silly costumes, with the exception of a group of exuberant Danes pushing a polystyrene model of someone called 'Erhard Filtenborg'. I have no idea who this is and would be grateful if anyone could enlighten me. As were waited to start, the runners were led into a rousing chorus of what I presumed was the Danish National Anthem. Most people seemed to be singing along, which suggested to me that there weren't many non Danes in the race.

Once we had got underway, I had no trouble keeping a consistence pace, thanks to the excellent pace makers (or 'fart holders' in Danish. Tee hee). The crowds were also very supportive, without patronising the slower runners. The water stations were well organised and did not appear to run out.

After 20 miles of sticking to the pace makers like glue, I found myself having to really dig deep to keep going. During this time, I questioned my sanity on several occasions and struggled to remember why I had decided to put myself through this torment in the first place. However, I kept going and soon reached the finish line, with a finishing time of 4 hours 58 minutes and, even more pleasingly, with only 14 seconds difference between the first half of the race and the second. I had beaten my previous time by 40 whole minutes and had kept to a pleasingly consistent pace. Job's a good 'un!

The first sight to greet runners on passing the finish line was a stall with, not water, not sports drinks, but large plastic cups of lager! I was very tempted but declined. Luckily there were plenty of more conventional refreshments as well.

This was a friendly and well-organised race, which I would recommend to anyone, especially those who are new to Marathon running. Copenhagen is a great city and is relatively small, which is a good thing because you won't want to do much walking after running for 26.2 miles!

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