Fran and Dave have been permanent fixtures of The Great Wall Marathon since 2002. The first year, Thomas Thomsen from the Danish Athletic Association was responsible for presentation and execution of the technical meeting two days before the marathon. In those days, the marathon was a purely Danish affair, and Thomas was able to do the job in a competent and professional fashion in his own language. In 2001, however, the marathon became more international, and the information meeting was led by New Zealander Rob Dixon, a former elite runner. Rob proved two days later that he had not lost his ability to run, being the first to cross the line in the first Great Wall Half Marathon.

 

 

In his capacity as vice president of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races – AIMS for short – Dave has received the runners at Yin and Yang Square every year since then to tell them about the special pleasures, challenges, rules, dangers and other things that participants need to be wary of in connection with this very special run. Fran has assisted him, among other things, by showing in a noble and purely physical fashion how the runners cross the square several times and to the applause of those present, demonstrating the end of The Great Wall Marathon.

 

On marathon days, Fran and Dave are comperes, both at the start of the race and throughout the day at Yin and Yang Square. When the runners cross the line happy and tired, Fran and Dave welcome them over the loudspeakers. At the gala party after the race, it is customary for Dave to be the compere while Fran honours those runners, who for some reason or the other, deserve special mention.

 

Fran and Dave are from Australia and sport has played a major role in both their lives. Fran played basketball in her youth, later becoming an able 400-metre runner. One of the most memorable moments in her life was when she was selected for the torch relay of the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000. Before finding her dream job as traveller in sports travel, Fran had a career in the IT industry.

 

 

Dave’s active marathon career has brought with it many impressive results. He is the longest-standing run director in the world, and he lives and breathes for his work. Long-distance running is particularly close to his heart. One of his life’s greatest assignments was as director of the marathon at the Sydney Olympics. In addition to running, Dave has also worked in athletics for many years.

 

Fran and Dave run Cundy Sports Marketing and Run Fun Travel, and together they have travelled the world organising marathons and other spectacular runs. The Great Wall Marathon is one of their regular annual fixtures.

 

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Preparations not ideal

 

Training conditions were not ideal for this year’s run. My kind of work is always hectic at this time of year, but that wasn’t all. Emil had been confirmed in April, which required a good deal of preparation. At the same time, the boys had returned from another short trip just before departure for China. They had been on a long weekend to England to go to a football match in Liverpool. To top it all, I had been training for a month with a sore foot which was still a bit swollen.

 

New airport

 

Nevertheless, we left Denmark arriving in Beijing on the morning of Wednesday 14^th May, landing at a completely new giant airport built for the upcoming Olympic Games. The runway was not right next to the airport buildings, so we had to take a Metro to the baggage conveyors in the arrival hall.

 

 

Hotel conditions

 

That year, we were to stay at the Qianmen Hotel, where I had previously stayed one night the day of arrival, and for the third year running we were to stay at the Yuyang Hotel in Jixian after the inspection tour to the Wall on Thursday. The hotel had previously been a bit of a disappointment, but this year we got a pleasant surprise. There were now computers and Internet in the rooms. They may have upgraded in connection with the Olympics.

 

 

Day excursion

 

 

On Friday 16^th May, I went on an excursion with the group. This time our guide was Jakob Blaabjerg Pedersen, who lives in China and is a highly competent tour guide. What is more, he is a very nice person. I have been lucky to enjoy Jakob’s company many times in subsequent years.

 

 

The day’s tour took us first to the local market in Jixian, where we got an impression of how private initiative was making a return to Chinese society after being repressed for many, many years. The free market was in a state of fervent growth.

 

 

Next stop was the Duleshi Temple, originally built during the Tang Dynasty in the period 618 – 907 according to our calendar. The temple is particularly famous for its ancient wooden pavilion and a large number of rare frescoes.

 

 

Finally, we drove further east to see the Way of the Spirits, which consists of large stone figures of animals and humans, and we also visited the graves of the Qing emperors. This is a huge, impressive burial site where five of China’s emperors, 14 empresses and 136 first concubines are entombed.

 

 

The pasta at the party that evening was the most delicious I’ve ever tasted. After two years with the thumbs down for the hotel’s kitchen, things had really looked up.

 

 

Better breakfast

 

 

The day of the race, 17^th May, started with breakfast and to my great satisfaction I was able once again to ascertain a considerable improvement. There were bananas and jam on the tables, among other things. Jakob had obviously made his influence count, and on the bus he offered us more bananas and biscuits, too.

 

 

Earthquake tragedy

 

 

The ceremonial speeches lasted longer this year for rather tragic reasons. The day before I left Denmark, the northern province of Sichuan had been hit by a huge earthquake which had cost the lives of more than 50,000 people. The opening ceremony was affected by this tragedy. Everybody was urged to donate money to the victims, and a minute’s silence was held for the dead.

 

 

Manageable run

 

The marathon was nowhere near as tough as the year before. We had the weather on our side. The sun was not burning hot, and the temperature was not extreme. We had feared it would rain and make the steps on the Wall and a goat track dangerous, but only a few drops fell along the route.

 

 

My run was going completely to plan, and I was up the mountain and over the Wall within 40 min for the first time. From here, the run proceeded reasonably well. The fact that I had not trained that much for a year was not a big problem.

 

 

Fortunately, the marathon organisation functioned really well this year. We got what we needed in terms of water, power drink and bananas. My negotiation of the Wall the second time around also went well.

 

 

Moving welcome

 

Almost at the end of the run, one of the people from my group came towards me and said the whole group was waiting for me. A bit further along one of them gave me a Danish flag, with which I was to cross the line.

 

 

The whole group stood there cheering me as I entered Yin and Yang Square, as did everyone else in the stands. At the finishing line, I got the world’s longest bear hug from Thomas, before it was time to shake hands with a lot of people I knew and some I didn’t know. Then it was time to go over to the group and thank them emotionally for their fine gesture. After some food, a beer and an interview with cnn.com it was time to head for Beijing.

 

Finisher jersey

 

On the day of the inspection tour, I had bought a fleece jersey with the marathon logo on it. I decided to make it my own personal GWM finisher jersey with all the years I had run on it. The jersey would then be updated every year. On the Sunday, I went to the Silk Market to talk to the tailors. The first couple of them either couldn’t do it or didn’t understand what I was on about. The third was able to do the job. Now it was just a question of negotiating the price and agreeing when it would be ready. Everything was in place.

 

 

On my return to the hotel, I had to struggle with a taxi driver over the fare. He wanted to drive without the meter and intended to cheat me, but I was a bit too experienced, so that didn’t work. We did find a solution, however.

 

Wonderful gala party

 

This year too, the huge gala party was held at the big Beijing Hotel. This was for the third year running. The evening went according to tradition, and Søren Rasmussen made a speech about the marathon’s history and how it had come into being. I thought it was nice to hear about the marathon’s Danish origins, a fact not everybody was familiar with.

 

 

Dave, Thomas and Henrik Jørgensen presented the prizes. The latter had been an official since 2004, and as the winner of the London Marathon in 1988 he is fully aware of the significance of the 42.195 kilometres.

 

That year’s winner was the Mexican, Romualdo Sanchez Garita with a time of 3:18:47. Again, he had set a record for the run since the route was changed in 2000.

 

After the winners had been announced, Dave’s wife, Fran, got to her feet to pay homage to various people for their performances. She also mentioned me. As I remember it, what she said goes something like this:

 

“There are about 6,000,000,000 of us in this world. You are among the very few, who have completed the world’s toughest marathon. Among you is one person, who has completed all nine of them: Henrik Brandt from Denmark. Henrik, would you please stand up.”

I stood up and was applauded by the entire amphitheatre.

 

Respect for the victims

 

Monday I had a meal at McDonald’s, where I quite unintentionally made a fool of myself. When I had eaten, I wanted to order one more burger. But then I wondered why there was nobody else at the counter and why all the staff were standing up straight in silence. Without giving it a thought, I started to place my order. But in words and with gestures they let it be known that they were observing silence for the many victims of the earthquake. Out of respect for the victims of the tragedy I immediately stood still, too. It seemed like an awful long time, but I was later told that from 2.28 to 2.30 p.m. there had been two minutes’ silence throughout China. While we stood there, I repeatedly heard sirens. All the traffic outside was at a standstill, with many cars hooting their horns and sirens going off in the streets. The flags were at half-mast everywhere, and three days of national mourning had been declared throughout the land.

 

Evening visit to the hutongs

 

On the last evening, a good number of us went with Jakob to the nearby hutongs, where we drank beer and enjoyed grilled lamb on spits. It was very cosy, and the food was delicious.

 

The Olympic City

 

The final little experience on that year’s trip was had on the way to the airport. We drove out into the vicinity of the Olympic City. Here at a distance, we could see the new Olympic stadium, known as the “Bird’s Nest”. We also saw an official Olympic building shaped like a torch and a completely new tour. Unfortunately, getting any closer was not permitted. This was understandable enough, because the official opening of the games was only a few months away.

 

 

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I didn’t run that many marathons in the last couple of years of the decade. The annual trip to The Great Wall Marathon was obligatory, of course, but there were other priorities in life, although I did go on training runs.

 

Particularly radical changes in 2007 caused me to focus less on marathon running than in previous years. This upheaval meant that the focus had to be elsewhere. Looking back, I realise that this has been the right choice.

 

I had been going out with Karin since 2003 and roughly speaking one can say that it was a marathon run between our two homes. Since we were both alone with our kids, our love life for four years had been part-time with alternating visits to each other’s homes at weekends. But in the summer of 2007 she moved in with me at my house. From being a single father for several years, I had now become a family man with children of different marriages.

 

As far as employment was concerned I had worked since 1990 for our family company Wolle’s Nature System. Since the early 1920s, the firm had developed herbal medicine, manufactured in accordance with, among others, Chinese principles. I was the company director, and it was in the cards that the job was one I would have until I retired.

 

Working with alternative (supplementary) medicine has been connected with witch hunting through centuries. In the old days, they used to burn people at the stake. Things haven’t been that savage in my time, although I have experienced being hounded. Unfortunately, it is in some people’s nature to rip other people off for the sake of their own gain. That’s the way it is in the natural medicine business, where even other human beings’ health is not sacred in the hunt for dishonestly earned money. Fortunately, we have authorities and legislation on our side to combat these cheats and swindlers. The problem is, just to make absolutely sure, they also clamped down on honest companies that make products for the benefit and pleasure of people with a variety of complaints. This had a noticeable impact on our company.

 

For years, I had struggled to attract politicians’ attention and get changes made to legislation that would enable the industry’s “ranger” to go into the forest and remove the sick trees and care for the healthy ones instead of just felling all of them. I ended up banging my head against a wall many times.

 

The company received an enforcement notice from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration on the same morning as I flew out to Greenland in 2005. I obviously could not do anything about it at that point in time. But I could worry about it on what should have been a pleasant journey as well as during my marathon. This was followed by a long struggle resulting in considerable lawyers expenses. It was all to no avail.

 

The hopeless situation affected me both physically and mentally. It made me ill, and I totally lost faith in the future of our venerable family firm. I, therefore, informed my family that, in the long term, I would be pulling out of the firm. I stepped down on 28^th September 2007 after an extended phase-out period.

 

I wasn’t left entirely without an income, although it did involve a voluntary nosedive. I had been running a small accountancy firm since 1987, but as an extra job there were limits to how much income it could make. I had been doing NLP training for a few years, most recently as a conversation therapist, trainer and coach. I hoped to be able to create a living for myself working with human values. Karin had also been on several similar training courses. To begin with our goal was to make sure that I could earn a living. Whether the blame lay with the economic crisis that began at that time or with other conditions is difficult to say. But the fact is that the business didn’t really get underway.

 

I then had to focus on my accountancy business and gradually brought about growth with an increasing number of clients, so I eventually started making a satisfactory living.

 

Just to round off the story of Wolle’s Nature System, I can tell you that we sold the company to new people in 2009 but that they subsequently went bankrupt after 18 months. An era of 88 years came to an end.

 

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Big surprise

 

My eighth trip to China began with departure on Tuesday 15^th May. The group consisted of just nine people, so we quickly got to know each other.

As so often before, I flew out with Peter Fredberg, who, most unusually, was travelling without his wife this time. But this was not the most remarkable thing about my meeting with Peter. He started by asking me if I wouldn’t mind dropping out, so that he could have the record to himself, but in the same breath he told me that he was intending to run the half-marathon. This came as a complete surprise to me, and I had never thought it would happen. A few years previously I had thought it was a shame that Søren had to stop. Now it looked as though I might be the last Mohican.

 

Far East

 

This time we were put up in the Hotel Beijing Far East. After seven years of staying at hotels of an excellent standard, this one left much to be desired. They had little faith in their guests, and on arrival we were asked to make a deposit against damage and theft. I had never experienced that before.

 

 

Cycle taxi mafia

 

I was visiting the Forbidden City in the afternoon with some of my fellow travellers, and when we wanted to return to the hotel we were waylaid by some bicycle taxis, who wanted to drive us to the hotel but we refused. We got into a taxi, but the driver was also harassed by the taxis and felt threatened, so he refused to drive us. In the end, we had to walk back to our hotel.

 

 

Sudden notability

 

At Thursday’s information meeting at Yin and Yang Square, Dave Cundy announced that I was the only person, who had signed up to run the full marathon for the eighth time. So now it was official that Peter would only be running the half-marathon.

I suddenly realised that there was a tremendous difference between being one of two and being the only “eternal runner”. I was interviewed by a journalist from the Associated Press, who had a photographer with him, and several others came over to talk to me. I ended up missing the group bus and had to drive off with some others as we headed for the inspection tour of the Wall. A record number of runners had signed up this year, too, which meant we had to queue up several times to get over the Wall.

 

The sissies’ race

 

The first time I met Peter after the official announcement of his participation in the half-marathon I said to him: “What the hell Peter, are you going to run the sissies’ race?” I did not intend to gloat, I was just saying the same as he had three years earlier to Søren.

 

A hot day

 

Like the previous year, we stayed at the Yuyang Hotel in Jixian. It was still not particularly impressive, but I could live with that. The problem was, though, that they had little understanding of what a marathon runner needs to start the day.

 

 

The run was one of the toughest ever for me. When we arrived at six in the morning it was very cold, and I had to put on long trousers and a jersey. The temperature later changed, and we ended up around 33°C.

 

 

Dehydration

 

When I reached the halfway mark and was about to head off up the intermediate distance mountain, there was no water at the water station. They only had power drink in disposable cups that I couldn’t run with. There was no water on the section across the mountain either. On the other hand, I was given a small flower by a little Chinese girl, which I fixed onto my running number. There was still no water when we came down off the mountain, so this time I got some power drink in a water bottle and had to continue on that.

 

 

At 29 kilometres, I was running along a dusty dirt track and twisted my left ankle. I was afraid the run was over for me. I walked for a while on my sore foot and fortunately, the pain dated completely.

 

Widex Marathon Team

 

That year, a very special group was taking part in the run. The Danish hearing aid manufacturer Widex had brought along a team with 42 deaf or hearing-impaired runners from 11 different countries. This had been organised in connection with the launch of a new exclusive hearing aid called “Inteo”. The challenge had started in 2006, when the participants began a six-month training programme under the leadership of the Danish athlete and former European Ironman Champion, Morten Fenger. Most of the people in the Widex Marathon Team were running their first-ever marathon. They completed all the world’s toughest marathons, particularly thanks to the support and coaching they got from Morten Fenger, among others. After the run, Widex denoted €7,500 to Deaflympics 2009. The amount was set on the basis of the runners’ individual and joint performance during The Great Wall Marathon.

 

I came across several runners from the Widex Marathon Team and their coaches during my run. The latter functioned almost like sheepdogs, running back and forth to make sure that everyone was keeping up and providing supportive resources to runners in trouble. It has to be said that they were entirely successful.

 

A shrewd but true comment

 

My second crossing of the Wall was a veritable ordeal. I was completely exhausted after the first stage and struggled up the steps, forced to take a breather once in a while. At one stage, a well-trained Widex team support guy approached me. My Danish flag rather gave my nationality away, and he asked: “Do you realise how much easier it would be for you if you got rid of those last 15 kilos?” And he was quite right. At that point in time, I weighed 108 kg. I answered: “I know, and I intend to do something about it.” “You’d better get started,” he said before shooting off like a gazelle.

 

 

At that time, all the runners had their name and nationality printed on their race numbers, and I noticed his name. It was Morten Fenger himself. I didn’t do anything about my weight for several years, although I often recollected Morten Fenger’s words and his name, which I never forgot.

 

A lavish welcome and a garland

 

It took me three quarters of an hour to run the first kilometre along the Wall. At that time, I was sure that I would never make it within the time limit. What I hadn’t realised at that time was that I was near the top of the Wall, and that from then on it would all be downhill.

 

 

After six hours and 58 minutes, I had crossed the Wall and had regained my optimism. From then on it was “only” downhill, four kilometres in all. I ran most of the first kilometre and occasionally walked. It was on this section I had to make sure I could make it. After I had convinced myself that I would manage to cross the line within the time limit, I could relax and switch between running and walking along the final stretch.

 

 

As I approached the finishing line, I had the feeling that I would burst out in tears as soon as I crossed it. But that didn’t happen. On the home stretch, I heard David Cundy announcing that I was the only person to have finished all eight races, and the crowd applauded me. I obviously didn’t see the winner of the race crossing the line, but I’m sure my welcome equalled his.

 

 

As always, Thomas presented me with my medal. He had also brought along a large garland for me on account of my special status. It was all deeply moving, and I still have that rosary. I managed to wrap it in a large bag and fit it into my hard suitcase, so today it is still hanging in my office.

 

Runner with transplanted heart

 

Every marathon has its stories, big and small, happy and sad. That year, the world’s only marathon runner with a transplanted heart participated on the Wall. The 45-year-old Englishman John Fisher had undergone heart transplant surgery seven years earlier. His own heart had been far too big, but he got a new chance in life when a young man carrying a donor card lost his life in a traffic accident. Prior to this run, John Fisher had completed ten marathons with another man’s heart.

 

Another example of someone running despite physical handicap was the Dane Søren Kruse Lilleøre. A diabetes diagnosis didn’t stop Søren crossing the line in an impressive ninth place. I had the pleasure of being in the same group as him, when we were both in Greenland in 2005.

 

Despite the extreme heat that year, the medical team only had to treat minor injuries. That year’s winner was the Spaniard Salvador Calvo with a time of 3:23:10. If one disregards the easier route of the debut year, this was the overall record. My time was my historic worst, at 7:45:32.

 

 

Problematic trip home

 

Our journey back to Beijing was a travesty, because our driver couldn’t find the way. He had to turn the bus around several times and head off in another direction, only to find that he was still not on the right track. This was not exactly what we needed at this point in time, and it took him more than four hours to find the Hotel Beijing Far East.

 

Taxi drivers refuse

 

After the speed gala party of 2006, this year’s was a dignified event, like all the gala parties since then. As always, we began with sparkling wine, Chinese entertainment and a lavish buffet. Dave was compere and responsible for presenting the awards, and I was also presented to the audience.

 

In keeping with tradition, I attended the after-dinner party, and we had a problem getting home. The taxi drivers didn’t know our hotel, or perhaps they didn’t want to drive there. We had a fine map with us from the hotel, but the first two drivers couldn’t take us. I had the same problem the following day, when two drivers refused to take me home after a shopping trip.

 

Pleasurable farewell dinner

 

On the last evening, Monday, 21^st May our entire group went out to enjoy a farewell dinner together. We had a good walk to an Australian restaurant someone had recommended. Here I had the most delicious red steak you can imagine and a salad to go with it. We walked home again later in the evening.

 

World celebrity

 

I got onto the Internet at the hotel and tried to google myself for fun in connection with The Great Wall Marathon. It was amusing and overwhelming. A total of 736 media the world over had written about me, although there wasn’t much variation in what they wrote. A couple of reporters had written articles and the same texts were repeated in many places.

 

Duped by Hotel Beijing Far East

 

When I awoke in the last morning, it was pouring with rain outside. I was just happy that I didn’t have any errands I had to run.

 

But I had a problem when I came to check out. On the Saturday after the run I had drunk a couple of well-earned glasses of red wine and managed to knock over a glass, so that the sheet on the vacant bed in the room was wet and stained. I had removed the worst of it and expected the chambermaid to change the sheet the following day. But she didn’t, and I really didn’t care. Now the hotel wanted 90 Yuan of my deposit in compensation for the sheet. I found this unacceptable because they could simply wash the sheet and a completely new sheet couldn’t cost that much in China. But the hotel staff insisted that it was an oil stain that wouldn’t wash off. I argued my case for a long time with five different Chinese, but they stood their ground. In the end, I had to pay and regard the event as one more curious experience in the East. My thoughts of Hotel Beijing Far East were not particularly warm at that time.

 

 

Rosary in danger

 

When we arrived in Copenhagen on the Tuesday, I got stopped at the customs and became rather anxious. For starters, I had bought more than I was allowed to bring in, and I had also bought counterfeit goods, which I was not sure I was allowed to import. Most of all, though, I was nervous about the huge garland in my big suitcase. I was unsure about the legality of importing flowers. I readily answered all the customs officer’s questions and told him that most of my purchases were in my green fabric suitcase. He had a look through it and asked me a few questions about prices, etc. He commented on some counterfeit Calvin Klein underpants but made nothing of it. He also searched my hand luggage, but fortunately not the large suitcase I was afraid he would open.

 

 

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Bonus points at play again

 

During The Great Cruise Marathon in 2004, we met Maria and Robert from Tórshavn. They told me about the Tórshavn Marathon and it attracted my interest already then.

 

In March 2006, it dawned on me that I had a load of SAS bonus points that were about to expire. I discovered that I could share with Karin and that we were free to choose a destination in Northern Europe. We decided on the Faeroe Islands, which we found rather fascinating and had never been to before.

 

About the Faeroes

 

The Faeroes lie to the north of Scotland between Iceland and Norway, at the heart of the North Atlantic Gulf Stream. The country consists of 18 islands with a total area of 1,399 square kilometres. No point in the archipelago is more than five kilometres from the sea. The highest peak is 882 metres, while the average height is 300 metres above sea level.

 

The climate in the Faeroes is temperate, and the weather is extremely changeable. One moment the sun may be shining from a cloudless sky, and the next it is misty and showery. But the air is always clean and fresh no matter what time of year it is.

 

The Faeroes are not in the EU but are a self-governing part of the Danish realm. The islands have their own currency with the same exchange rate as the Danish Krone and which can be used throughout the realm. The population numbers less than 50,000, of whom almost 20,000 live in the capital Tórshavn. The vast majority of the population depend on fishing for a living.

 

A dilemma

 

I booked a long weekend with Scandinavian Airlines, and at the same time e-mailed Robert for info about accommodation and tourist destinations.

 

To my amazement, Robert wrote back that we would be up there on the very weekend of the Tórshavn Marathon, which put me in something of a dilemma. It was the first time I was travelling with Karin without a marathon as part of the package, and she was looking forward to it. I had attached great importance to the trip being just for the two of us – and without running shoes. But now I found it difficult to imagine myself in the streets of Tórshavn staring at the numbers on people’s backs without wearing one myself. Karin would believe forever that I had known about the run beforehand and that it was part of a hidden agenda. But loving as she is, she said I should sign up for the marathon.

 

Accommodation problems

 

We had trouble when it came to booking accommodation. There was not much to choose from in mid-July, and the marathon was perhaps part of the reason. We had contact with hotels, youth hostels, private accommodation and the tourist office, but none of them could provide an optimum solution, and we rebooked several times before finally finding a solution with the help of the tourist office.

 

Yuk, what a stench

 

We arrived in Tórshavn on the evening of 13^th July and went straight to the tourist office to pick up the key of the flat we had booked. They told us there had been a problem with the drains, but that they believed the problem had been solved. When we arrived at our flat in the middle of the town and opened the door, we immediately shut it again. The stench was intolerable. We had no option but to go back to the tourist office and tell them we couldn’t stay there. With a lot of toil and trouble they succeeded in finding us private accommodation, although it wasn’t quite as central. It wasn’t exactly luxurious but by that time we simply needed somewhere to stay.

 

 

We ended up in a children’s room in a basement with two awful beds. We had a fine living room with a television and a not entirely hygienic kitchen. All the same, we chose to eat at home and cooked food bought at a local supermarket.

 

Sightseeing in the capital

 

Friday we went sightseeing in Tórshavn. We wanted to hire a car on the Saturday, but there was none available. Had we known we would have booked in good time before we left home.

 

 

We picked up my running number later in the day and went to a pasta party at the town’s stadium. Here we met Robert, who it turned out was the organiser of the marathon. We told him about the coincidence of the trip and the run. He laughed. Like Karin, he didn’t believe me either, when I told him I had no idea that the marathon would take place at this time.

 

 

Outing with obstacles

 

Saturday we went sailing off the bird cliffs, but we almost didn’t go because of a mistake by the tourist office. We had bought tickets for the bus and the sailing trip, but when we got to the bus terminal there was no bus. We waited for a while, and then a man who had an errand at the bus terminal came along in a car. We asked him about the bus, and he said it didn’t run on Saturdays. So there we stood tickets in hand, like a right pair of idiots. By coincidence and fortunately for us, the man was an employee of the firm that owned the boat we were to sail on, and he gave us a lift.

 

 

The bird cliffs

 

This trip gave us the opportunity to see the Faeroes from a front row seat. We sailed past Slættenæs, a deserted village on the island of Vágar by the unique, vertical bird cliffs north of Vestmanna.

 

 

We got right up close to the cliffs and tilting your head back and looking up you grasp the grandeur of the bird cliffs. It was a very special experience seeing cliffs towering a half kilometre into the air.

 

The trip had been most enjoyable, although the sea got a bit rough on the way back, which was not very pleasant.

 

Marathon in the rain

 

 

The Tórshavn Marathon is traditionally run in mid-July, when the weather is cool and ideal for running marathons in. This year, however, I would not have minded better weather.

 

 

Sunday 16^th July was race day, with the start at 12 noon. We walked to the start in pouring rain, which unfortunately lasted for most of the day. The festive spirit at the start of the Little Archipelago’s national marathon was constrained. The clerk of the weather wasn’t on our side that day.

 

 

 

 

The first 5.8 kilometres took us through the streets of the town. This section was shared by all the categories, marathon, half marathon, Fun Run and 5.8 kilometres. A shorter, three-kilometre Fun Run consisted of a kilometre and a half through the town and back along the same route. After the tour of the town, the two long-distance categories continued along the coast road and back again the same way.

 

 

The half-marathon distance was arduous, but there was no traffic. There were two long hard hills just before the turning point, so these also had to be negotiated on the way home. The marathon runners also ran over these hills but then continued along a completely flat stretch along Kaldbaksfjorden to the village of Kaldbak, where we turned about-face and took the same route back to Tórshavn. The entire route was a veritable nature experience, through immense, magnificent cliffs. The rain and mist did, however, rather limit the beautiful experience.

 

 

The weather and hilly terrain meant that the run was no “bathing holiday”. I crossed the finishing line within the time limit of six hours, albeit as the very last – more than one hour after the next to last.

 

 

Out on the town with tired legs

 

My legs gave me no rest that night, and I tossed and turned in the bed. Despite my aching legs, however, we walked around town all day on the Monday and really got our money’s worth from our visit to this charming, hilly town.

 

 

When we walked to the bus on Tuesday morning, it was raining again, making a delightfully fresh end to an agreeable trip to one of Europe’s most north-western backwaters.

 

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Much-needed recovery

 

More than seven months would pass between my third run in Greenland and my seventh in China. The break was a welcome one, although, throughout the period, I kept on doing light training. This was, of course, stepped up in preparation for the next.

 

 

This year I left home on Tuesday 16^th May, and the trip was entirely traditional. I had signed up for the group without planned outings, which gave me the freedom to do what I wanted. On the day we arrived, I went to the Pearl Market to talk to some tailors. I ordered a blazer set to wear at events at our local bird shooting club, with chest pocket emblems and ties with the club’s logo on them.

 

We spent the first night of the trip at the Qianmen Hotel. I had previously eaten at this hotel, and in the years to follow I would stay at this excellent establishment several times.

 

On the Thursday inspection tour to Yin and Yang Square I noticed that many of the runners and members of the medical team were not there. That was a bit odd.

 

 

Without power and hot water

 

This year, I got another hotel in Jixian, and after the rather disappointing Yuyang Hotel the previous year I was now at the Jian She. This turned out, however, to be of a similar standard. There was neither power nor hot water in the rooms, and it was quite a challenge to get things fixed.

 

Buying a suitcase –highly entertaining

 

I had the day before the race to myself, so I relaxed and went for a walk in the city. Karin’s daughter, Rika, had asked me to buy a pink suitcase for her. This was a challenge several times over.

 

 

On one street corner, I found a shop that sold bags, so I went in to see if they had the desired suitcase and found one, too. While I walked around the shop, about 20 Chinese men stood outside their noses almost pressed up against the glass, to see what this rather odd tourist intended to buy. When I came out of the shop with a pink suitcase in my hand they really started talking. I naturally did not understand what they were saying, but I’m pretty sure it was about me.

 

Pleasant weather

 

The Great Wall Marathon was run this year on Saturday 20^th May in the best whether I had experienced so far on this run. I don’t think the temperature exceeded 20°C at any time, and there was light cloud cover.

 

My entire race went as planned. I was at the top of the mountain after three quarters of an hour and over the Wall an hour later. The big main road and the incline in the middle of the run went well. I ran most of the time, although I did occasionally walk. I negotiated the uneven dirt and stone tracks with extreme caution. I had no intention of falling and sustaining an injury. I counted on getting back to the Wall by 12.30, which I did. Now it was time to pass through “hell”, although it was not hellish this year. As usual, it was tough going crossing the Wall for the second time but I had no problems and kept going almost all the time.

 

 

I crossed the line with a time of 6:56:26, which was my best time in many years. It was wonderful to run across the finishing line to meet Thomas after the difficult trips of late to South Africa and Greenland.

 

 

The event was in a state of tremendous growth, and for the first time there were 1,000 runners from no fewer than 36 nations. The medals were also bigger for the fourth year in a row.

 

Missing suitcase

 

When we arrived that evening at the Dong Fang Hotel, one of my suitcases was missing. It was the new pink case I had bought for Rika. The guide telephoned the bus driver. It turned out that it was still lying in the luggage compartment of the bus, where he had not seen it. To me it was a complete mystery how he could miss precisely this pink suitcase but I could have it back the following morning at 9 a.m., which I accepted because it only contained dirty washing and things I didn’t need. Later, it turned out that the case actually contained the bag containing my wallet, passport and other valuables, which was not at all nice. Because I also had to go to the Silk Market the next morning, I had to get hold of my money. I contacted the guide once more, who assured me that the case would be at the hotel at 7.30 in the morning.

 

At breakfast on the Sunday morning, I saw the bus arrive at the hotel entrance and immediately dashed out to get my case. Back at my table, I was able to ascertain that nothing was missing.

 

Sugar cold

 

I spent most of the day shopping at the markets. I picked up the textiles I had ordered from the tailor and bought all the far too many things other people had asked me to buy. At the Pearl Market, I went completely sugar cold, or at least something like it. I walked around in a state of confusion and couldn’t find the exit. Nor could I work out which floor I was on. As soon as I got out, I found something to drink in the fresh air and was fine again.

 

Gala party on speed

 

Unfortunately that year’s gala party was a bit of a joke. It was held at a large Beijing Hotel where the main hall was to be used for another event the following day. This meant that our event had to end as quickly as possible, so they could tidy up, clean the place and get it ready for the following day. I found it really odd that they couldn’t hire staff to do the job at night, so that we could have a decent party.

 

Dave Cundy bid us welcome, after which there was a huge Chinese show. The food was soon out of the way, and during the dinner, the prizes were presented and various people honoured. The whole event was characterised by the fact that it had to be got out of the way, unlike previous years where everything was done in a more dignified fashion. The beer taps were closed after only three quarters of an hour, and the whole party came to an end at 7:30 p.m.

 

The evening’s after party at a large bar was not the same as it used to be, either. There was very loud disco music, and I felt a generation too old. I only spent a couple of hours chatting to good acquaintances from all my years in China before I took a taxi back to the hotel shortly after 11 p.m.

 

Misunderstanding and a lurid date

 

I spent the last whole day in Beijing relaxing and shopping. The most curious happening of the day was when I was on my way home from the Silk Market. Again, it was one of those situations, where two people misunderstand each other’s body language. A prostitute was standing at the taxi rank and offered her services. I declined with a smile, but it was perhaps precisely that smile that led her to believe something entirely different and gave her hope. I got into the front seat, and she was about to leap into the back, and I had to act quickly to stop her doing so.

 

Final act for the troublesome suitcase

 

Tuesday 23^rd May was the day of my homeward journey after, generally speaking, a satisfactory trip. This day also had its curious quirk. When I picked up the pink suitcase from the baggage conveyor it had lost both its wheels, and I was given compensation for the case, which was beyond repair. It obviously didn’t want to go home to Rika.

 

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“Official”

 

I wasn’t actually going to run this marathon, although I had been on the previous incarnations organised by Adventure Marathon. But as time went by, there were so many new initiatives, most of which were repeated year after year. There was no discussion about my running in China every year, but taking part in up to four Adventure Marathon runs, each year, was unrealistic. In an e-mail in May I told Søren Rasmussen that the organisers would have to do without me this year for the first time. But Søren wouldn’t accept this, and simply appointed me as an “official”, making this my second invitation on a free trip in two years.

 

Comeback

 

Having taken part in the first trips to The Polar Circle Marathon, I also signed up in 2003. This marathon was, however, cancelled, and because the race was not run in 2004 either I thought it was a thing of the past. But this was not the way it was to be.

 

This trip started on Thursday 6^th October. This was a month later than in previous years, and I would soon feel the difference because the temperature this time was a good deal lower than previously.

 

A drunk on board

 

On the outward flight, I had quite a peculiar experience. As we approached Kangerlussuaq, I heard a commotion going on a little further forward in the aircraft. Somebody was shouting, and some of the cabin crew were engaged in what looked like a conflict. And I was not mistaken. In the seat sat a drunken man, who had been rather restless during the whole of the flight. The cabin crew had had him under observation, and he had not been given alcohol on board. But he had brought his own stuff along with him. As the plane began the approach to land, the man refused to sit down and put on his seatbelt, and when the cabin crew tried to force him into his seat he spat one of them in the face. It took four of them to hold him down and tie him to the seat. We were asked to remain seated on the apron because one passenger had to be taken off before the rest of us. The police took the drunken man away, and as he was led up the aisle by two officers the rest of the passengers began to clap.

 

A chilly affair

 

In 2001, we had stayed at the hotel adjoining the airport building and the following year at the Hotel Umimmak, but this year we were accommodated at the Old Camp youth hostel. So now I had tried them all.

 

Old Camp is Greenland’s biggest and best youth hostel, situated less than two kilometres from Kangerlussuaq Airport. Accommodation at the Old Camp is in traditional red-painted longhouses built by the Americans during World War II.

 

 

I was to stay in a small hut behind the youth hostel with a guy called Gustav. There were two rooms, a bed loft and the living room. There was light only in the living room, but the electricity hadn’t been turned on, so the radiators didn’t work either. It was perishing cold, so I went to the reception where they promised to switch on the power. However, after the information meeting at lunch time the hut was still cold. I had to wrap myself in two duvets, and later I went up to the hostel’s TV room to get warm.

 

During supper in the restaurant of the rowing club, we were given more information about the run, and when I returned later to the hut it was warm, so I was able to crawl into bed in a good mood.

 

Longer section on the inland ice

 

The day before the race, we went on the traditional inspection tour. Now it really was obvious that the race was being run four weeks later than previously. There was snow on the route, whereas previously it had only been on the ice itself.

The route across the inland ice was also different. This section was twice as long and made several loops, whereas previously it had been straight ahead in one direction and then back again the same way. At the evening information meeting, I had bought some spikes to fit on my shoes, an excellent investment.

 

Sheer hell

 

On Saturday 8^th October, the starting pistol was fired for the third incarnation of The Polar Circle Marathon, which also enjoyed the status of the first unofficial Adventure Marathon world championships. It was absolutely freezing cold, so it was a good job we were wearing the right clothing.

 

The first two kilometres were sheer hell. There were harsh frost and stiff head wind, and most of the route was uphill. You could feel it in your lungs. After this introductory hurdle, we arrived at the inland ice, where things got much easier. There was shelter here and no wind, so running here was actually a pleasure. At one stage, I ran the wrong way round a marker and was about to run out onto the ice too early. But I became aware of this and had to go back so as not to cheat.

 

A different strategy

 

I was in the company of three women, who had all originally signed up for the half-marathon. But because they wanted to run on the inland ice, they had changed it to the full marathon and planned to drop out half way. In that way, they would know that they had run a half marathon across the inland ice although their endeavours would not be officially recognised.

 

One of these women was called Camilla, and she and I were in last place as we came off the inland ice. I told her it seemed we were keeping more of less the same pace and proposed that she run the full distance. I would accompany her to the finish. This later turned out to be a great advantage to us both.

 

One of those days

 

Shortly after leaving the inland ice, approximately five kilometres, a vehicle wanted to pass us. I moved over to the side and twisted my left ankle. It hurt, but I was able to continue. After 13 kilometres, I fell over a stone as far as I am tall. This tore a hole in all three of the pairs of trousers I was wearing, and I hit my knee hard. But I got going again. With 20 kilometres left to go, I managed to twist my ankle yet again. This time, I could feel that it was not so good, although I was able to continue. Then I twisted the same ankle with 13 kilometres left to go and was finished as a runner and started walking. I was absolutely determined to finish this race. Only 102 days earlier, I had dropped out of the marathon in South Africa. There was no way this was going to happen again.

 

Teamwork

 

I said to Camilla that she should just keep on running, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t believe it would make much difference to her finishing time. She also believed that our teamwork benefited both of us, and she had no intention of leaving me behind when I had helped her get so far.

 

We continued together at a fast trot, and I took the time at each kilometre marker. To begin with it took us ten minutes to complete a kilometre, but in the end it was taking as 13 minutes. At no point did we stress ourselves or panic because we could see that we could finish within the time limit. The only concern was my foot. I twisted my ankle three times as we were walking, but fortunately things didn’t go completely wrong. Camilla had to sit down on a stone once in a while to massage her foot. I just continued, and she would jog along and catch up with me.

 

 

The nurse Karin Rishøj drove past us several times, but I didn’t dare tell her about my foot for fear of being taken out. Five kilometres before the end of the run, we were given hot elderberry juice to drink, which was the most delicious “meal” of the day.

 

A wonderful reception

 

A welcoming committee was waiting for us at the finishing line. As the last to finish the run, we walked across the line hand-in-hand with a time of 6:39:32. The limit had been seven hours, so we were in good time. This was the second time I had completed a whole marathon in the company of another runner and oddly enough, both times were in Greenland. Thomas gave me a big hug and told me with tears in his eyes that he was proud of me. That moment made it all worthwhile. Søren was also there to give me a warm hug that said everything.

I went to the shower where the doctor, Mogens Rishøj, attended to me and ascertained that I had a “tennis ball” on the side of my foot, so I was told to take a shower, after which Mogens came in to bandage my foot.

 

Minor injury

 

Afterwards, I was hardly able to walk down the stairs and had to be helped out to a car. I was so cold it was pathetic to behold. I was driven to the youth hostel together with Camilla and was so cold I had to be helped into the hut.

 

I lay on my bed and did nothing but watch films for an hour and a half, after which Camilla and a guide came to see me. All the tender loving care was wonderful and after a while I began to feel better.

 

Camilla as my dinner partner

 

By the time evening came I was able to put some weight on my foot and was ready for the gala party at the rowing club restaurant. I asked Camilla if she would be my dinner partner. After nearly seven hours struggling together, I felt we should enjoy each other’s company that evening.

 

I was not ferociously hungry although I did have a surprisingly good appetite after the run. We had fish as a starter, followed by reindeer, then coffee and cake later on.

 

Later in the evening, we went out to see the Northern Lights. It was very interesting, but I was completely shattered after a hard day, so I decided to skip the party and take the first bus back to the youth hostel.

 

A lazy day and Greenland coffee

 

The day after the run was one of the few when I pottered around on my own. I spent some time at the computer, prepared my damaged running gear and packed my suitcase.

 

In the evening, I went to enjoy Greenland coffee with Danish doughnuts around a fire in the tepee at the youth hostel. Greenland coffee consists of coffee, whisky, Kahlúa and heated Grand Marnier. It was a bit like drinking Irish coffee. Like everything else in Greenland it is very expensive, but I paid gladly, more for the experience than the taste.

 

Time for a break and recovery

 

Monday 10^th October was spent travelling home. A cold long weekend and a physically demanding marathon were now behind me. Now it was time to recover after a tough year, so that I could be ready for the marathon year 2006.

The Polar Circle Marathon 2005 meant a lot to me. It was valuable and refreshing for me to make a comeback, having dropped out in South Africa. It was also of great value to me that I completed the run despite all the accidents that had occurred along the way. And Søren’s gesture of inviting me in the first place and then welcoming me over the finishing line was indescribable. Up to and including this run, I had been on all Adventure Marathon’s trips. I knew, however, that I was not going to run this very special race again. It was good to do it three times, but that was enough.

 

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I completed the communicator course of my NLP training in the autumn of 2005. The course is for people who want to acquire the skills required to communicate ideas to large and small groups of people. Just a few years before, it would have been surreal for me to take a course like this. Back then, I wouldn’t have been able to string together more than a couple words in front of a small gathering without getting totally confused and losing the thread. But as part of the NLP Master Practitioner training I did a modelling project with two other people on the course, “Communicating with a good own state of mind” The project represented a giant leap for us as communicators.

 

I now faced the next assessment. On Sunday 11^th September 2005, I was to present a project concerning teaching and presentation. Of course, it was in my right foot to call my project: “A world of marathons,” with the subtitle: “Six years of marathons and travel on four continents.”

 

 

I had half an hour for my presentation and realised that there wasn’t much time and that I could easily spend twice as long. For others on the course, teachers and other people who had turned up, I chose to talk about the marathon as a concept, what it’s about, the history of the marathon and the distance and in particular about my experiences on the trips I had combined with marathons. It wasn’t just a matter of telling a story. The material also had to be vibrant and interesting, which could be achieved, among other things, by influencing the senses of the audience.

 

I had spent a lot of time in preparation. At one point during the lecture, and at the end, I played a well-known running song and had put together a short video with excerpts from my experiences. Before I started, I gave everybody a glass of power drink and a piece of energy bar to put them in the mood of a runner. I taught them a couple of words of Chinese: nihau for hello and gambei, for cheers when you have to empty the contents of your glass in one go.

 

Earlier that year, I had bought some small Chinese bowls at the Pearl Market in Beijing. I gave each of the participants one to take home, and each bowl contained a little tiger balsam, whose strong, characteristic smell also gave them something for their sense of smell. I could have used sweaty T-shirts or socks, of course, but that would probably have caused a riot! Anyone who wanted to try out the sport and feel the physical effects of running was given the opportunity, because I had brought along a training machine for use during the lecture.

 

 

There was plenty for the eyes to behold, too. A clothing store had lent me two mannequins, which I had dressed in running gear. One was dressed for summer, with shorts, shades, a peaked cap and a running number on its chest. The other wore winter clothing with a woolly hat and a reflective waistcoat. The biggest challenge was that the mannequins came without heads, but I made and painted heads of papier mâché. This job had taken rather longer than I envisaged! In addition, I also hung photos and posters from my marathons. I laid out my scrapbooks, running logs, water bottles, medals and running gear for all to see. There were brochures from Albatros Travel to take home, and I was, of course, wearing running shoes, T-shirt and jogging bottoms.

 

The lecture went just fine, but, just as I had thought, there wasn’t enough time. I was alone, however, in thinking that they had missed out on anything. During the lecture, I made a binding public commitment to run The Great Wall Marathon at least ten times in all. At that time, I had run it six times. So ahead of me I now had one long-time goal and three more short-term, but also much appreciated, intermediate ones.

 

 

I passed the assessment in teaching and presentation, and later on, other tests as well. So that year I became an NLP Master Communicator.

 

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The glass was overflowing

 

The spring of 2005 was a busy and stressful period for me. Our family firm was challenged and faced a battle for survival, and at the same time it was the season for ending the annual accounts and tax returns for clients of my own accountancy firm.

 

I also had my hands full on the education front. In 2003, I had embarked on a NLP Practitioner training, and the following year, I continued my studies to become an NLP Master Practitioner. I had now got as far as the Communicator training, and there were course modules to see to and regular group practice sessions to attend. We had read up on theory while at the same time preparing for the final assessment in the autumn.

 

At the same time, I was doing my running training and didn’t refrain from doing runs. Within just two months, I had run the Five Towers and the London Marathon in April; and in May, I ran the traditional Great Wall Marathon. I had enough on my plate, particularly as at that time I was a single parent of my two sons with all that involved in the form of shopping, cooking and much, much more.

 

With the benefit of hindsight, I was not at all ready for the trip to Africa as we reached the end of June. It was as though my cup was full, and I could not pour any more in without it spilling over. From a mental point of view, I simply wasn’t ready for another marathon, and when we left Denmark on Midsummer’s Day I felt as though I had left my soul at home.

 

Running among the wildlife

 

The Big Five Marathon was the sixth destination from the hand of Adventure Marathon. The Karen Blixen Marathon had not had enough runners for it to be run a second time. The Hell’s Gate Marathon was only on the drawing board. There is no doubt that a new African marathon was high on the list, especially as far as Søren Rasmussen was concerned. It was to be run in the continent’s southernmost country.

 

In the safari world, they refer to The Big Five, as in five familiar and impressive beasts, namely the lion, the leopard, the rhinoceros, the elephant and the water buffalo. All these animals are very much at home in the Entabeni Game Reserve in the province of Limpopo, northwest of the Kruger National Park, and this was where the new marathon was to be run. We would be running among the above-mentioned beasts and other African wildlife. There was no fence, no river; nothing whatsoever would separate the runners from the big game of the savannah. The park rangers would, however, be taking care of security, so that the runners could have a magnificent experience without risking their lives.

 

The nature reserve extends over the impressive Warterberg, one of the world’s most impressive massifs, and at the same time, one of the very few places in South Africa that combines magnificent scenery with a huge occurrence of wildlife, including the big animals of the savannah.

 

A party for cousins

 

Just like two years earlier in Tibet, this trip was also a family event. The boys, Elisabeth, my sister and my niece all set off on this fascinating journey. But we were definitely not the only ones who had travelled together on previous trips. Many of the regular participants turned out for this marathon. It was like meeting at a regular party for cousins.

 

We left Copenhagen Airport on Friday evening. After a stopover in London, we set off for Johannesburg late in the evening. South Africa and Denmark are on the same longitude, and we reached our destination at nine on Saturday morning.

 

As early as at the airport, we were told that not all the locals were equally honest, and while we were waiting for the group to gather, there was a man who took hold of Emil’s rucksack. Emil reacted quickly, and as he turned round the villain ran off.

 

Bus trip and local information

 

We now had a few hours’ journey ahead of us by bus. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the area. He had lived there for seven years and was a university-trained biologist. We learned a lot on the bus journey, among other things about the difference between rich and poor. South Africa’s 10 % poorest earned 1 % of the nation’s overall income, whilst the 10 % richest earned 50 % of the income.

 

On the onward journey, we heard, among other things, about the people of the northernmost province which during a period from 1852 was independent of South Africa. Part of the province’s population originally came from Holland and are known as Afrikaans. Not surprisingly it is the whites, who are wealthy and the blacks poor.

 

We later drove into the Warterberg area, which gets its name from its numerous rivers, streams and wetlands that characterise the scenery in this part of the country. Warter stands for everything related to water, whilst berg means mountain. Here they keep wild animals for slaughter because they are more resistant to disease than a tame livestock.

 

Unauthorised electrical installation

 

In mid-afternoon, we arrived at Pedi Bush Camp and were shown to our tents. These were spacious and had two beds in each. We moved one bed from Elisabeth’s tent, so that the boys and I could sleep together.

 

 

The camp had no permanent electricity supply, and so each tent just had two light bulbs supplied by a generator to light up the tents for a period every morning and evening. But there were no sockets, and thus no way to charge electrical devices. The camp manager, therefore, offered to take our mobiles with him at night to charge them. This was not optimal, though. We had other things with us such as laptops and video equipment which needed power and which we wanted to be able to use after the camp manager had gone home in the evening. As the son and grandson of electricians, I soon found a solution. I always take a screwdriver and a pair of pliers with me on my travels, and they have been very useful on several occasions. This challenge was greater than anything I had previously seen, however.

 

 

It wasn’t as easy as on other occasions to open a plug and attach the wires. The lamp fitting was screwed onto a wire. In the fitting were two needle-sharp pieces of metal, which cut into the cable, making contact and lighting the bulb. With a lot of patience and considerable difficulty, I succeeded in wrapping the stripped ends of my extension flex around the two sharp bits of metal. We were excited to see if there would be power in my four-socket extension when the generator was powered up later on. The operation was a success, and we were now able to charge morning and evening, even though I realised my unauthorised installation was not quite by the book. Like at a hotel, a chambermaid came every day to empty the waste bin and sweep the floor, so to avoid attracting attention I hid my invention behind our towels.

 

Wildside

 

We saw our first wild animals on the very first day. After an information meeting in the camp’s open dining tent, we went on a short drive to the reserve by 4×4. Here we saw lions, antelopes, gnu, zebras and rhinos.

 

As soon as the sun went down at 6 p.m., we were reminded of the fact that it was winter in this part of the world. It immediately turned perishing cold. The temperature could creep up to 15-20 degrees C during the day, but during the night it was only a few degrees.

 

 

That evening we were, however, headed for more civilised conditions. We were driven by 4×4 to Wildside, another camp where other groups were staying. Here, all the groups ate a meal together in the restaurant before being entertained with local song and dance around a campfire.

 

 

Wildside was a good deal more luxurious than Pedi Bush Camp. There was a restaurant, a bar, and toilets and showers, as well as electricity in the tents. When the guests went to bed at night, their beds had been warmed up by electric blankets. This must have been the local equivalent of business class. On the other hand, they didn’t have the same freedom of movement, which we enjoyed in our enclosed area. Wildside was not fenced in, so the guests were not allowed out in the evening without a guard.

 

Bitterly cold

 

As we drove back to Pedi Bush Camp later that evening, we could really feel the African winter. It hadn’t occurred to me that the boys and I didn’t have enough warm clothing along with us for the evening’s outing. A quarter of an hour’s drive in the 4×4 without warm clothing was an ordeal. We were each given a large waterproof cape to put over us to take the worst of the wind, but it was still very chilly. Back at our camp, we put on some more clothes and sat around the campfire.

 

Before going to bed, we went to the kitchen, where we were each given a plastic water bottle full of boiling-hot water. We also wrapped up and covered ourselves with warm blankets. It wasn’t easy to keep warm, but we managed.

 

Because there was no electricity, we had brought torches with us. Each tent also had a kerosene lamp. We were living under primitive conditions, but for us, this had been a deliberate choice to get this very special experience.

 

A relaxing day

 

On the Sunday morning, we were driven to Wildside for breakfast. Once bitten, twice shy, as they say, and this time we wore more suitable clothing and after the sun came up we had no difficulty keeping warm. We spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon relaxing at Pedi Bush Camp.

 

 

Later in the afternoon, we went on safari in 4x4s and shortly before sundown, we took a break with the rest of the vehicles. We were served beer, wine or water and enjoyed the most incredible sunset. Everything went very quickly, and when the sun had disappeared the temperature immediately plummeted, and it was cold again.

 

 

We also spent that evening gathered around the fire in our camp. Holger, always game for a bit of competition, decided that we should guess how many marathons the group had run altogether.

 

Inspection tour

 

By the Monday, the whole group smelt of the same – and it wasn’t of Chanel No. 5. There was no water in the camp, so we had to manage without, and everybody had to put up with the smell.

 

The day began with a shared breakfast for all the groups at Wildside, after which we set off on the inspection tour of tomorrow’s route.

 

The first 20 kilometres of the run looked reasonably humane, but then the party ended. What followed was an extremely steep, rocky mountainside, which continued for several kilometres. At that point, I thought to myself: “I can’t do that” – and that was despite my routine on the Great Wall of China and other equally challenging runs around the world. The time limit of seven hours ought not to have been so off-putting, but it was for me. I seemed completely to have lost faith in myself, and the conviction that had helped me through major challenges for the last six years had vanished. My wonderful sentences: “What you don’t have in your legs, you must have in your head”, and “If you can dream it, you can do it”, gave me no strength whatsoever in this situation. I had nothing on which to support myself, and my dream seemed a long way off.

 

The half marathon course was slightly longer than traditional, as they were to run the final 23 kilometres of the marathon route. This would give them the pleasure of the formidable ascent at the start of their race.

 

 

The last 20 kilometres of the run would take us up and down tracks with small stones and gravel, and all I could see here was the risk of falling and hurting myself. Everything seemed rather hopeless right now, on the day before the race.

 

In the finishing area, we were given lunch, after which we got our running numbers. I was given number 1, although I didn’t really feel there was much number one about me at that time. The boys were both going to run the half marathon and were in good spirits.

 

We had supper that evening in our own camp. It consisted, of course, of pasta and spaghetti, as is traditional the day before a run. We also ended this evening around a campfire.

 

The Big Five Marathon

 

The starting pistol for the first Big Five Marathon was fired at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 28^th June 2005. The first nine kilometres went really well for me. My legs felt good, and I laid the strategy of running slightly faster at the outset to give myself more time later in the run. But after nine kilometres, I realised how serious things were. We were now running in loose sand, which was hard going and took a long time. I was struggling at the back of the field, with only the pick-up vehicle behind us. After a while, I found no consolation in calculating the distance compared to the time limit. I reckoned it would be difficult for me to reach the finishing time.

 

 

 

The dreaded crisis

 

When I reached the 19-kilometre mark, I met the dreaded hell. The long, steep mountain track I had been fearing was now ahead of me. I struggled to get a move on, now at the back of the field. It was tough, and I hadn’t even got halfway through the marathon.

 

 

A kilometre further up the track, I got cramp and had to sit down. The ranger in the pick-up vehicle asked if I wanted to drop out. But I didn’t. I continued although it was obvious to me that there was little hope and that I was highly unlikely to finish within the time limit. After a few hundred metres, I had to lie down on the track once again. A runner from the pick-up vehicle, who had dropped out came by and gave me a massage, but I couldn’t get to my feet again. There was no way back. I had to drop out! They got me up and gave me some support, and I almost toppled over the side of the 4×4.

 

Physical problems

 

All things considered I was lying very comfortably in the car for a while, but it didn’t last long. I started feeling really cold and was given a blanket to put over myself, but not long after I felt really poorly and had to be sick over the side of the vehicle. All that came up was a little fluid, but I moaned, feeling as though I was about to suffocate. Thankfully, we soon reached the nurse, Karin Rishøj, who got me dressed up warm and gave me some electrolyte fluid to drink, after which I began to recover.

 

The 4×4 then drove up to the finish, where I was given something to eat. Dropping out for the first time, made me feel very dejected, particularly on a trip like this.

 

A valuable lesson

 

The fact that I didn’t finish can still annoy me so many years later. On the other hand, though, the episode was a valuable lesson I would not like to have done without. I am now convinced of how important it is to have the right belief and the right convictions when you set out to do something. This doesn’t just apply to running long distances, but also in all aspects of life. For example, when you set yourself the goal of writing a book about running marathons all over the world! I am now also more aware of the fact that you mustn’t pour more into the glass than there is room for. It has happened again, but then I was aware of why things did not go as I might have wished.

 

The boys at the finish

 

It is an ill wind that blows no good. My sons have run a good number of races over the years, but I have never before had the opportunity to meet them at the finish. I had plenty of opportunity to do so that day, which was wonderful.

Steffen crossed the line with a time of 2:45:37. He had cramp and a huge blister which required medical attention. But after a bit of TLC and a massage by the physiotherapist he was soon back in shape. At age ten, Emil was the youngest participant in the run, but he was far from the slowest. I ran the final hundred metres holding hands with him and was both happy and moved. Emil clocked a time of 3:46:47 and a lot of people crowded round him at the finish. He just stood there, shy and modest, saying nothing. But he must have developed quite an appetite, because he rapidly consumed seven sandwiches and had quite a lot to drink.

 

Animal magic

 

I had taken a video camera as well as a still camera on the run with me, but had not had the energy to use them. Nor had I seen any animals. The boys had, though. Steffen had seen gnu, a large herd of antelopes and six zebras. Emil had seen six gnu chasing a whole herd of antelopes, as well as a few kudus. Emil said it was a bit spooky standing there on his own with these animals, and he had also found it very boring to run 23 kilometres without any company. And he was quite a little fellow to have sent off to run through the savannah alone.

 

The drama we didn’t see

 

For us, running through an area full of wild animals had been entirely undramatic. There had, however, been a cause for panic before the race got underway. As we sat around the campfire enjoying our evening meal, the camp manager told us that the previous evening the rangers had tracked down a pride of lions and kept them at bay, so they wouldn’t constitute a risk to the runners. The lions had again approached the marathon route that morning, and they had had to round them up on foot, so that the run could go ahead in safety.

 

The twenty-three armed rangers had also been in action during the race itself. Some 25 kilometres along the route, two rhinos had been charging at full speed in the direction of some of the runners. A female ranger observed this potential danger and, taking a lightning decision she forced the rhinos to change course.

 

Elephants

 

The day after the run, we were all cheerful and re-energised. Now was the time to think, not of running but of experiences. During the morning, we were picked up and driven to the Earth Song Lodge. From there, we took a helicopter tour of the entire area. It was a tremendous experience to see it all from above and get quite close to the rocky precipices.

 

In the afternoon, we visited Wildside, where we had coffee and continued on a safari trip and saw a lot of other animals in the area. During one break, we had a “Sundowner” in the form of drinks and snacks.

 

 

It gradually got dark, but that was no problem when on safari. At one stage, we heard on the radio that there were elephants in the vicinity. We drove to the location, and after a while we could hear the elephants crushing trees and bushes, but we couldn’t see them. Shortly after that, however, we could see an elephant in the bushes through the 4×4’s spotlight, and soon all of them had come out and were walking along quite close to us. We followed them in 4x4s at a distance of about 15-20 metres. All seven elephants were there, and as we watched, two of them hugged each other with their trunks, and we heard their tusks knocking together. We also saw a baby elephant, not even a year old. At first, being so close to such large and potentially dangerous animals had given us “butterflies” in our stomachs, but we soon became comfortable with the situation.

 

Gala party

 

 

 

As per tradition, there was a gala party to celebrate the marathon. It was held in a tent at Lakeside, but the tent was of the open variety, and it got very chilly, which rather ruined the fun. A huge buffet supper was served, with different kinds of hot and cold dishes. This was followed by the award ceremony, with prizes for the fastest categories and BT-watches distributed according to Peter Fredberg’s choice.

Because it was so cold, we soon found the way back to our camp and warmed ourselves by the fire with a cup of coffee before retiring.

 

 

 

Local life

 

Thursday morning began with a safari, and we caught a glimpse of a hippopotamus in the water. But it quickly dived back under again. Otherwise, we didn’t see anything on this drive, which was a bit of a disappointment.

 

 

Afterwards, we relaxed for a few hours in our camp before visiting the village of Pedi Bush. Our visit began with a historic tour, where we were told about how the huts had developed over the last 300 years. We saw huts from various eras, the doors of which were proof of the fact that the population had grown tremendously in height over the years. We also heard about how they had lived off the surrounding countryside and had had to defend themselves from lions. The local marriage culture was still such that a man could acquire three wives for 15 head of cattle apiece. He had his own hut, and the wives had theirs. The man slept alone in his hut until around midnight, after which he chose a wife for the night.

 

We ate supper together with the dissidents from the other groups along with the organisers and members of the press. We had delicious grilled lamb with salad and garniture. During our meal, we were treated to local musical entertainment, which was excellent to begin with but got a bit tedious after a while.

 

The best safari experience

 

 

 

On the last whole day at the camp, we were left to our own resources until after lunch, when we went on the best safari trip of the week. Soon after we arrived in the area, we already met four hippos grazing at the edge of the water. We drew up quite close to them and were able to photograph them unhindered. It was absolutely fascinating to get so close to these animals and watch them saunter past us. These colossal beasts looked quite harmless, and it was difficult to imagine that, with the exception of the malaria mosquito, it is precisely the hippopotamus, which kills most people in Africa.

 

Not long after, we met two rhinos in the middle of the road. We stopped to let them pass just a few metres from our vehicle. Later, five giraffes passed us by. The icing on the cake would have been to see elephants, but on that day we saw none. One of the other vehicles had spotted elephants and called us over the radio, but they had gone by the time we got there.

 

 

 

Farewell

 

Saturday 2^nd July was departure day for all the groups. Our group split up because a number of them were headed on an additional tour to Victoria Falls on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Our family also split up, and the boys and I were headed for Denmark, where we arrived some 24 hours later after a long bus trip and a transit stopover in London.

 

Thoughtfulness and mixed feelings

 

This trip and the marathon still rumble about in my head all these years later, and I reminisce with mixed feelings. Going to the Entabeni Game Reserve and seeing all the wild animals from the back of a 4×4 was a terrific experience, of course. But as far as I remember, the fauna and experience in the Lake Nakuru National Park in connection with The Karen Blixen Marathon in Kenya were far superior. Horrible experiences as a soldier have a habit of becoming sweeter overtime, but that is not the way I feel about the nights spent in Pedi Bush, the gala party in an open tent and the evening trips by open 4×4. It was bitingly cold, and I do not think back with much pleasure to that trip.

 

When I sprained my ankle in Switzerland in 2003, I immediately decided that I would return. That never occurred to me in South Africa.

 

Along with my rather negative thoughts about the physical conditions, it still annoys me from time to time that I didn’t complete the run, not least because I have finished all the other Adventure Marathons. I have regularly considered the idea of returning to South Africa to finish The Big Five Marathon, because it was the nights, the wildlife and all the cold nights that had given me my ambivalent attitude to the place. Common sense tells me that it is all due to the fact that I wasn’t in the right place at the right time that midsummer in 2005.

 

The Big Five Marathon is here to stay. It has been run every year since the first time, which goes to show that the run and the trip are considered to provide full quality by marathon runners and tourists from all over the world. But there are many runs in the world I would like to investigate, so it is all a question of priorities. I would, however, not entirely counter the idea of returning to run The Big Five Marathon.

 

Buy the book here.

 

New date

 

All The Great Wall Marathons have been run in May. The first two years, they were on the fourth Wednesday of the month, and the next three years on the fourth Saturday. From 2005, The Great Wall Marathon was run on the third Saturday of May. That was the way it was to be in the future. The sixth marathon of the series was run on Saturday 21^st May.

 

The structure of the trips starts to get a bit monotonous and predictable when, like me, you have run each and every one of them. But in saying monotonous and predictable I don’t mean boring, not by any means. I enjoy all my trips to China and look forward every year to returning.

 

Group 5 consisting of 21 guests and a guide met at Copenhagen Airport on Tuesday evening 17^th May. There was a familiar face from 2000 in the group. It was Hans, who got lost on inspection day together with my son Steffen and Lars Bom. This time, Hans was in the company of a runner by the name of Ole. They had met when Hans’ daughter and Ole’s son started going out together, so this was a father-in-law trip.

 

A city under development

 

This year, we were to stay at the Dong Fang Hotel, a fine establishment, where I have since stayed on several occasions. Having checked in, several members of the group got together to go to the Silk Market by taxi. When the driver wanted to drop us off next to a large building, I protested. This was not the Silk Market, which was usually outdoors, spreading up and down several streets. The driver stuck to his guns while I showed him a piece of paper with the name of the Silk Market written in Chinese. In the end, however, we had to get out and take a look at the place.

 

It turned out that the driver was right and that the Silk Market had moved indoors into a new building. A short distance away, I recognised the Jianguo Hotel, where I had stayed the previous year. After a while, I also recollected seeing a building site there in 2004 just next to one of the market streets. Now the small charming stalls in the winding streets had been moved indoors and turned into streamlined shops in straight lines on storeys separated by escalators and lifts. Another piece of China had become a modern city.

 

And it was not just the Silk Market that showed how the capital was in a state of rapid development. In 2001, Beijing had been selected to host the Olympic Games in 2008, and over the years that followed, one noticed pronounced developments. Many of the old hutongs and poor quarters had been demolished, and the narrow, local trading streets had been done away with in an effort to turn Beijing into a modern city on a footing with other world metropolises.

 

Guide for a morning

 

On Thursday morning, we got up very early to drive to the traditional information meeting on Yin and Yang Square. In the bus, I was appointed assistant guide. Louise had asked me to tell the others what would happen on the day as well as a bit about the day of the race, catering, showering and storing our bags.

 

The village developing too

 

When we arrived at the car park, I could see that quite a lot had been changed. Yin and Yang Square had been fenced in, and you had to go through a passage to get in. Otherwise, everything was as it was in the old days. The postcard, T-shirt and film salesmen were there to do a deal, as always.

 

After the classic walk across the Wall and some lunch, it was time to inspect the rest of the route. I was tired, so I decided to go back on board the bus and sleep instead. I was not the only one, as another runner came along, who also needed a nap, the gold medallist rower Eskild Ebbesen, a highly versatile sportsman. That same year he had danced his way to a second place in the Danish commercial television’s “Strictly Ballroom”. I was lying most uncomfortably in the bus, but was so tired that I barely noticed.

 

Average standard

 

I had slept for a couple of hours by the time the group returned, and it was now time to drive to Jixian and check in at the Yuyang Hotel. We were given some really unattractive rooms. The first thing I did was to take a bath, and when I pulled out the plug all the water ran out onto the floor. It was so funny that I screamed with laughter. But after I made them aware of the problem, a plumber quickly arrived on the scene and fixed it.

 

We had supper in the hotel restaurant. It was nowhere near as delicious as the food served the previous day in Beijing, although it did satisfy our hunger. A few of us from the group went out to have a look at the town, but we returned to go to bed before it got very late.

 

Friday, I was already awake at 4.30 a.m., which fitted in well with my daily rhythm because I would also have to get up early for the race. I now had a couple of hours where I could sit and write, take care of some practicalities and take a bath before breakfast.

 

The hotel breakfast wasn’t in any way interesting. Boring toast, nondescript fried egg, a little fruit and some dry sponge cake. Along with it were warm lemonade and something that was supposed to be coffee. The staff only spoke Chinese, but that’s the way it is when you get out of the city. The Yuyang Hotel in Jixian neither can nor should be compared with the Dong Fang Hotel in Beijing.

 

Liberating commerce

 

After breakfast, I went for a walk on my own in town. By Chinese standards, Jixian is a small and rather “sleepy” provincial town with 7-800,000 inhabitants. That is about the same as Copenhagen, which definitely puts the relative sizes of Denmark and China into perspective.

 

 

I spent several hours walking round forming an impression of life in the town and bought what I otherwise would have shopped for in Beijing. Things were markedly different here, and I was able to go about my business without being harassed by insistent sellers. I didn’t have to haggle over prices, either, because they were reasonable to begin with.

 

Stomach ache

 

At that evening’s traditional pasta party, I had a stomach ache and had to visit the lavatory several times. This was unlikely to have been due to the pasta, but I feared that I was getting a badly upset stomach. This fear was exacerbated during the night, when I slept restlessly and made several visits to the lavatory.

 

On the day of the run, 21^st May, I put on my running clothes and went to have breakfast, which, like the previous day, was boring and in no way an optimal diet for athletes who, just a few hours later, would be running the world’s toughest marathon.

 

At five o’clock, we left the hotel by bus, arriving at Yin and Yang Square just after six. My stomach was still upset, so I had to visit the lavatory, and all the water I had consumed that morning came back up again. I spoke to one of the medics about the state of my health and asked if I could have a pill. This she could not advise, but said I should let her know during the run if things got worse.

 

 

After various speeches, the run started at 7.30 a.m. I took things easy for the first five kilometres up the mountain and did the same over the Wall. After more than an hour and a half, I was back at Yin and Yan Square, with 26 kilometres ahead of me into the landscape. This first half of the run went very well. In actual fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the kilometre signs on two occasions because I had run farther than I had expected. It was a bit like Christmas!

 

Aching legs

 

A good half way through the marathon, my left buttock and thigh started to ache. Although I was able to continue, I did have to walk a lot of the way. It was overcast, so we didn’t get thoroughly baked, as in earlier years, which was rather nice, although I regretted having run in sunglasses.

 

Shortly before I arrived at Yin and Yang Square, it started raining. It wasn’t much, and it was quite agreeable, but I was concerned that it might rain so much that I would have trouble on the stones on the Wall and that the goat track would be slippery. Fortunately, this was not the case.

 

I had intended to be at Yin and Yang Square again at 1 p.m. and actually arrived there ten minutes early.

 

Psychological first-aid

 

A short way up the Wall, I met a woman in her sixties from Hawaii called Suk. She was in tears and at the point of giving up and going back down. It was her 33^rd marathon, and she had never dropped out before, but she felt awful, and her legs were failing her. I took her by the hand and made a lot of encouraging remarks as I helped her across the Wall. She was about to give up on several occasions, but we managed to get across.

 

 

By the time we had crossed the Wall and were about to set off down the mountainside, Suk was herself again. She was a little elf of a woman, who could easily run at that stage. For me, it was a bit more difficult, what with my buttock and my thigh. I walked quite a lot of the way and trotted once in a while. I, therefore, urged her to run her own race, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to leave me because I had helped her get that far. Suk kept on trotting, and I felt pressured when she called after me. After 40 kilometres, however, I didn’t allow myself to be pressured by Suk anymore. I thought Suk would be there when I crossed the finishing line, but she was not, and I never saw her again.

 

At the line, I got an indescribable reception, with tributes paid by a lot of people, not least Thomas, who, apart from my medal presented me with a little rose.

 

Proposal at the finishing line

 

Among the 761 runners divided into four distances was an American couple who ran together from start to finish. A few metres from the finish, the man fell to his knees before his “maiden”, pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket and proposed to her. Seven TV stations immortalised the proposal as she said “yes”. It has to be said that it was a rather unusual proposal, but it was by no means unique. It has happened several times, both in China and at other runs.

 

 

Exchange with great difficulty

 

When I got back to Beijing, I decided to buy a massage for my aching legs before I checked back into the Dong Fang Hotel. Communicating with the masseur was a bit difficult, so I got the works. Face, arms, chest, legs – well, everywhere. It was very pleasant and lasted an hour and a half, much longer than expected.

 

It cost 100 Yuan, and I didn’t have much more on me. Because I needed to get a quick bite to eat at McDonald’s, I was in a bit of a fix. I asked the masseur if there was anywhere nearby, where I could change some dollars. He was very kind and went with me, but this turned out to be a “disservice”. We started by going to McDonald’s to ask if I could pay with a credit card or dollars. I couldn’t. After that, we went to a couple of hotels but had no luck. Then we found two ATMs, but I couldn’t use them. By now I was really aching and just needed my bed, so I ended up just going back to the Dong Fang. I checked in and was allowed to exchange some dollars, so I was able to go to McDonald’s after a delay of almost two hours.

 

Noble craftsmanship

 

On the Sunday, I went for a walk in the narrow streets near the hotel and came across a lady sitting on a stool next to her small trolley filled with a variety of tools, etc. She was a shoemaker. I had a pair of shoes with me on the trip that I had considered throwing out because they were on their last legs. In fact, I had already bought a new pair at the Pearl Market. But I decided now to give my old shoes a last chance and went home to get them.

 

 

Her craftsmanship was excellent. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t let me photograph her. The whole operation took an hour, and I was enthralled by her work. First she glued the soles, and I thought: that will never hold. She thought so, too, obviously, because she then cut a small groove under the sole and started to sew it onto the shoe. It was just like a crochet needle, and she stuck it in from the outside and caught the thread inside the shoe. The thread was laid into the groove she had cut. It was hard work, and she winced several times as she pushed the needle through. There were some cracks in the side of the sole, but she had a solution to that, too. She filed some rubber into a fine powder, which she inserted into the cracks mixed with glue. When the glue had dried, she cut the sole to shape and polished it smooth. The shoes weren’t like new, but for about six dollars, I could use them for a while, and the experience had been worth every penny.

 

TV interview

 

The evening’s traditional gala party was held at the Sheraton Hotel, and during the champagne welcome I was interviewed by an American TV station. I never got to see the result, though.

 

The gala party was entirely traditional, just as it should be. The same applied to the after dinner party elsewhere in the city. I didn’t get back to my hotel until the small hours.

 

Gambei – what a buzz

 

I spent the last whole day of the trip shopping, and I bought quite a lot of stuff at the Silk Market, which meant yet another homeward journey with full suitcases and bulging bags, plus some excess kilos.

 

Later in the day, I went for a walk in the locality, where I got really close to life on the streets of Beijing. I was the only foreigner around, and people were busy in their tiny shops, selling ironmongery, fruit, fish and live hens. This was my tourist experience of the day, and I was probably the experience of the day for them.

 

That evening, I got a call from our guide, Louise, who wanted to hear if I and the rest of the group would join her for a farewell dinner at a nearby restaurant. Here we spent a few cosy hours with delicious food. Several members of the group made speeches, and one of them gave me a present in the form of a Chinese drink.

 

As the evening wore on, Louise thought it would be a good idea to try some Chinese rice brandy. We were each given a small glass of the brandy, and on the command “gambei” we were supposed to knock it back in one go. And so we did, after which the glass was immediately refilled. I was told the day after that the brandy had been 56 % alcohol, which probably explained the effect it had had on me.

 

 

For the first time in many years, I got thoroughly drunk and had to leave the restaurant several times to find somewhere to be sick. This was not at all pleasant, and I had soon had enough. So after my last “sacrifice”, I went back into the restaurant and said, “I want to go home, but I don’t know the way to the hotel”. A man called Bjarne could, although he said “But you’ll have to support me because I can’t walk straight”. Together we staggered arm in arm back to the Dong Fang Hotel. We must have been a sight for sore eyes

 

Time trouble for a tie

 

Tuesday 24^th May was home-going day, and my son Steffen sent me a text message asking me to buy a tie for a friend of his. But this was not far off delaying a busload of people getting to the airport.

 

I was convinced that the Pearl Market was within walking distance, but this was not the case. I had started walking, but realised before long that there was further to go than I had thought. In the end, I had to trot, and got blisters because I was wearing sandals without socks on. It took me more than 20 minutes to get there. I was bathed in sweat, and we were to meet at the hotel in 22 minutes’ time. I bought the tie and took a taxi back to the hotel, where I just managed to grab my hand luggage and splash water in my face before we were due to meet for departure to the airport.

 

At the airport, I had a few problems with my hand luggage. It was inspected and scanned several times. Fortunately, as it turned out, the only “mysterious” thing about my luggage was my medals. Otherwise the homeward journey went very well, and yet another trip to the world’s best marathon was at an end.

 

Buy the book here.