A question of repetition
The Polar Circle Marathon 2001 had been a great success. My experience of the run itself and the cruise afterwards in the Disko Bay were also most enjoyable, providing memories for life. Now it was time to consider taking part in the second generation of the marathon. The members of my family who had joined me on the first trip got what they had wanted from it, and so had I, but I was very keen to take part again all the same. I had been on all the previous runs organised by the Danish Athletics Federation, Albatros Travel and the tabloid BT, and of course I was going to go back to Greenland. This time, though, I would only be doing the run and not taking part in the subsequent cruise. This was the first time I would be travelling with these organisers without a companion.
I chose the cheaper trip this time and was to stay at the Hotel Umimmak with showers and toilets on the corridor. I also elected to share a double room with a stranger.
The route was to be the same as in the debut year, although there were other changes. For one thing, it would be possible this time to run a 26-kilometre ultra-half-marathon, for another, the race would also be open to all nationalities because they wanted to make it more international. There was, however, a limit on the number of participants because they estimated a total capacity of around 300.
Arrival in Greenland
We flew out of Copenhagen on the morning of Friday 6st September, and on the plane I sat next to Morten, who as it turned out was also to be my roommate. We arrived on schedule in Greenland at 11 a.m. local time and were given an envelope containing our start number and various information, as well as a key to our hotel room. We were then driven to the Hotel Umimmak a couple of kilometres from the airport building. The conditions were fine, although not quite the same standard as at the hotel in the airport building the year before. Although we stayed in double rooms without private showers and toilets, Morten and I got along fine, so everything was satisfactory.
We spent the afternoon revisiting the area, which had not changed. Later on, there was a barbecue at the youth hostel, where three large tents had been erected, so that we had shelter from the wind, and the rain, as it turned out. We ate musk ox, reindeer and sausages with various salads, rice and bread and were not late arriving back at the hotel.
A day of peace and quiet
On the Saturday, we went on an inspection tour of the route. It was great to see it again, and just as impressive and exciting to see musk ox, arctic foxes and hares on the horizon.
The route across the ice was a bit different from last year. This was not a decision on the part of the organisers, but because Mother Nature had taken the liberty of moving things about a bit. The previous year, we had been able to run or walk on the “ice road”, but this was no longer possible. This year, we had to be helped up to the “road”, and the organisers had promised to build a bridge of some kind.
There was not much for me to see that was new, so I chose to spend the rest of the day relaxing, getting ready for the run the day after. Supper was the traditional pasta party.
Yet another run in the cold
I woke up at four in the morning on the day of the run and couldn’t get to sleep again. I hadn’t run that much since my injury showed up again during The Swiss Alpine Marathon a month and a half previously, but I felt ready to run all the same. But since I had no intention of tempting fate, I had a robust stirrup of sports tape wrapped around my left foot, and Morten helped to tighten it for me to achieve the optimum effect.
It was bitingly cold at the start, but at the same time incredibly beautiful. It had snowed during the night, so everything was covered with a thin white layer. It all looked very idyllic. But if it was beautiful here, it would be even more beautiful later on when I reached the ice cap. It was the most incredible sight. Everything was white, and it looked like the perfect “Christmas Eve”. As an extra bonus, it was much easier to run in the soft snow than on the slippery ice. I managed to fall over anyway, but at least I landed in soft snow.
Good company
It had always been natural for me to run alone. Of course, I had got chatting with other runners, but we had always ended up going our separate ways to run on alone. Early on in this race, however, I met a girl named Mette. We ran more or less at the same pace and were good company for each other, and this lasted right until the finishing line.
We didn’t run very fast, and I was intensely concentrated on not twisting my ankle again, whilst Mette had problems with her knees and toes. But neither of these was a serious problem, and we supported each other well.
After 34 kilometres, I experienced a crisis. I felt completely drained of all energy and was about to ask Mette to run on and leave me behind. But she could sense my panic, ran on ahead up a hill and called out to me that there was a supply station a bit further on. That gave me back a bit of energy.
At the supply station, I drank four glasses of energy drink and was given a handful of wine gums. Although that did help a bit, my body got cold during the break and the very cold drink didn’t help. I asked Mette if she was cold and she replied in the affirmative. Later, though, she told me that she didn’t feel the cold but had refrained from saying so for psychological reasons. After a while, I was ready again and on a par with Mette.
Lost that beer again
The past year, I had won a beer by beating Søren Rasmussen to the finish. I had not received it yet, though, and had informed Jan about this the previous evening. He had offered me four beers if I could beat Søren this year, as well. If I didn’t, then we would be quits. But when Mette and I came over the hill with 800 metres downhill to the finish, I heard Jan shouting to me over the loudspeakers that I had lost. I wasn’t surprised.
Across the line together
Mette and I crossed the line together shoulder to shoulder, and there were only five runners after us. My time was 6:17:23, which was a good three quarters of an hour slower than the year before. But I had no problem with that, after my injury I was just happy to have been able to run a marathon.
It was Søren’s fault that I lost the beer I had won the year before, and he met me at the finish. I then went into a tent to get myself a hot drink to warm my frozen body and met Morten. He had come in seventh but had been dehydrated and been on a drip in the tent. He was now getting his strength back and told me that Søren had been sitting waiting in the tent for half an hour with the sole purpose of meeting me when I crossed the line. I was touched. It was wonderful to be on the receiving end of such a gesture.
On the evening after the run, there was the traditional gala dinner followed by happy hour at a discotheque.
This had been a short trip with the run as its only purpose and already the next day it was time to return home after a long weekend in the land of Santa Claus.
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