Month: February 2025

Egyptian Marathon 2025

Friday January 10th 2025 I ran the Egyptian Marathon in Egypt. Find below my full race coverage from this marathon and superb tourist impressions from both the Great Pyramid in Giza and from Luxor.

Cairo and the Pyramids in Giza
My trip started out with an evening in Cairo, ie. more precisely in Giza, even more precisely: Hotel Great Pyramid Inn, where I sat eating on the balcony on the 5th floor overlooking the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx, just an incredible experience!

Egyptian Marathon 2025 (Egypt) - Tor Rønnow

Luxor and the Valley of Kings
It was a very short day, but we managed to see quite a lot: Luxor is just mindblowing! We started off with the Hatshepsut Temple, that followed by the Colossi of Memnon, the (Habu) Temple of Ramesses III and, importantly – the main attraction – the Valley of the Kings. There, we saw the tombs of Merenptah (KV 8), Tutankhamun (!, KV 62), Ramses V/VI (KV 9), Ramses III (KV 11) and the majestic Sety 1 (KV 17), just out of this world extraordinary experiences! To wander the history of the past like 3500 years is just, well, I cannot find the words for it but I am truly grateful to have seen all these sites (it will take some time to digest and further investigate). OK, so in the evening I saw also the Karnak Temple by night, another complete and overwhelming feat of the Old Egyptians, thier Gods and Pharaohs. Brilliant stuff!

Egyptian Marathon 2025 (Egypt) - Tor Rønnow

Egyptian Marathon 2025
The event carried a multitude of distances: marathon, half marathon (Luxor Run), Ramses Run (12 K) and Hatshepsut Run (5K). The marathon was four times the same loop, there were some height meters in the mix and the Sun took a toll on us slower runners as well, but overall a fine experience, well organized for sure. Oh, and in the morning: the balloons! Oh my! There were big and so many of them. Spectacular! I’d say that this marathon is not to be missed, ie. the context of the event not to be missed; Luxor!

Egyptian Marathon 2025 (Egypt) - Tor Rønnow

See or relive the Egyptian Marathon 2025 here (and in Arabic)

Egyptian Marathon 2025 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)
Egyptian Marathon 2025 – bilder av Tor Rønnow (Svenska)
Egyptian Marathon 2025 – bilder von Tor Rønnow (Deutsch)
Egyptian Marathon 2025 – pictures by Tor Rønnow (English)
2025 年埃及馬拉松 – 圖片/照片由 Tor Rønnow 拍攝(中文)
エジプトマラソン2025 – 画像・写真:Tor Rønnow(日本語)
Egyptian Marathon 2025 – photos de Tor Rønnow (Français)
Egyptian Marathon 2025 – foto di Tor Rønnow (Italiano)
Egyptian Marathon 2025 – fotos del Tor Rønnow (Español)
Egyptian Marathon 2025 – beelden van Tor Rønnow (Nederlandse)

Islamabad Marathon 2025

Sunday January 26th 2025 I ran the Islamabad Marathon in Pakistan. Find below my full race coverage from this marathon and superb tourist impressions from Islamabad.

Islamabad City and Landmarks
During my short visit in Islamabad, I joined a Viator-trip “Top Ten Wonders of Islamabad Guided City Tour” showcasing all the major landmarks of Islamabad, a brilliant way to see the city indeed! Whilst the Pakistan monument (constructed to symbolize the unity of the nation, covering a total area of 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres), located on a famous hill knows as Shakarparyaan) and the Faisal Mosque (located on the foothills of Margalla Hills in Islamabad is one of the biggest mosque in Pakistan – can accommodate about 300,000 worshipers) were spectacular, the crown of the tour was the very pictoresque Islamabad Jama Masjid Golra Sharif Mosque.

More importantly, my visit to Islamabed made me realize why Pakistan and India had to be two seperate countries. I guess I always thought of the Pakistanees as the “bad guys” after the Ghandi movie back in 1981, but after visiting Mubia (India) last year and now Islamabad, I deeply sense why these people / tribes / religions / cultures cannot co-exist, not putting any blame, just gaing a profound hinsight on the matter. This widsom alone justifies the visit to Islamabad/Pakistan and I am very humble and grateful for the experiences!

Islamabad Marathon 2025 (Pakistan) - Tor Rønnow

Islamabad Marathon 2025
The event carried a multitude of distances: marathon, half marathon, kids fun run, 10K and 5K, thus quite a big thing. On the positive side: everybody were very friendly and helpful, very nice atmosphere before and during the race, everybody were allowed to finish (ie. no 6 hour time limit upheld) and, most importantly, the event is a unique possibility to visit Islamabad and Pakistan. I’ll warmly recommend the Islamabad Marathon, see for yourself in the race report below. Whilst the overall experience of the event was “good”, I will also gently put forward these points for improvement to professionalize the event and maximize the positive experiences in the future:
1. Put forward (and in good time) more clear pre-race communication on logistics, route, etc.
2. Increase the toilet capacity by a factor of 10 plus add at least 4 “toilet stations” en route
3. Post the results online after the race maximum 2 days after the race; use netto times
4. Make the agreements with the authorities and police about road closures etc. such that the races start at the announced times

Islamabad Marathon 2025 (Pakistan) - Tor Rønnow

See or relive the Islamabad Marathon 2025 here (and in Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil and Arabic)

Islamabad Marathon 2025 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)
Islamabad Marathon 2025 – bilder av Tor Rønnow (Svenska)
Islamabad Marathon 2025 – bilder von Tor Rønnow (Deutsch)
Islamabad Marathon 2025 – pictures by Tor Rønnow (English)
2025 年伊斯蘭堡馬拉松 – 圖片/照片由 Tor Rønnow 拍攝(中文)
イスラマバードマラソン2025 – 画像・写真:Tor Rønnow(日本語)
Islamabad Marathon 2025 – photos de Tor Rønnow (Français)
Islamabad Marathon 2025 – foto di Tor Rønnow (Italiano)
Islamabad Marathon 2025 – fotos del Tor Rønnow (Español)
Islamabad Marathon 2025 – beelden van Tor Rønnow (Nederlandse)