Big surprise
My eighth trip to China began with departure on Tuesday 15th 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, 21st 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.
Buy the book here.
