In 2010 I fell in love in a brand new marathonrace, but I did not have the opportunity to participate. The same was happened the following three years, but in 2014 the opportunity arose.
The running club SAAN arrange Sunrise Marathon on the idyllic island Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. The name of the run is not randomness because it begins in darkness and ends in the morning. The Sunrise Marathon start at 3 o´clock, and gives the possibility to see the sunrise and the beautiful gently rolling countryside north of Nexø overlooking the Baltic Sea, while the participants are running. After the race, SAAN serves a delicious breakfast in Nexø Old Smokehouse. The race is held in the beautiful Danish mid-summer when the days are long and nights are only very short.
This year I traveled to Bornholm for the first time in 14 years. Last time I visit Bornholm, it was also with running shoes when I ran round the island, a total of 100 kilometers.
The weekend before this trip was happy and filled with joy. I had timely reached all financial statements included in my company and could in the weekend take me fondly of the garden.
Sunday morning I started with a nice run where I came through Boserup woods. Afterwards I was hedge trimming, so it was nice to midsummer. I was happy and relieved. It all was celebrated with champagne in the evening hours.
The great joy proved to be short. On Monday morning I woke up with severe pain in my right foot. I could not walk on it. It turned out that the foot, heel and Achilles tendon had been strained the day before when I was standing on a step ladder and leaned over the hedge to cut it.
It looked bad for my trip to Bornholm, and it was now a race against the clock. The next day I was twice the physiotherapist and once to massage. I tried with healing plasters, used sports tape, sat with my foot up sometimes, while at other times I had ice on the foot.
It was not significantly better. At times the pain was unbearable, so I had to take painkillers. The worst was when I get up in the morning, while at other times it was not so bad. Periodically I walked with a cane, and in the end of week I picked up a pair of crutches in hospital.
On Saturday morning June 28 it was still bad. It was totally surreal to think a marathon within the next day. I had purchased starting number, and bus and ferry ticket for the journey. I decided to travel, but was not sure if I could run anything at all.
Sunrise Marathon consists of a route to be taken four times. Thus, there are also half and quarter marathon at the race. In my mind, I thought that I could take a fourth marathon on crutches.
Saturday night I we went from my home on the beautiful island in the Baltic Sea. By midnight I was picked up by the bus by Kim from Saan. At his home with him and his family I was hospitably entertained with coffee, muffins and cakes. I owe them a big thank you.
At 2 o’clock we drove to the starting point of got ready for the night’s run. At 3 o’clock the race was started. I lay in the back and stayed there. Surprisingly, I was able to run. It was not fast and I was sore in the foot in every step I took.
Sunrises Marathon is known for the beautiful sunrise the runners experience during the race. But unfortunately it rained like last time I ran on Bornholm. The rain was pouring down quietly throughout the race. We did not see the sun, but could only see that it became brighter and brighter.
To my great surprise, I came steadily through the first three rounds. With the exception of drink breaks, I was constantly running, although it was not fast. On the last round I was tired and not without pain. Here I allowed myself to go every time I was going up the hill.
In some strange way I came into the goal in time 5:52:43 and received a medal I think was well deserved.
After bath and breakfast I went back home. The total journey thus took less than a day.
The next day I woke up again with a foot it was difficult to walk on. The foot was still swollen and the pain was still there. Nothing was better or worse during the weekend marathon.
If you can dream it, you can do it…