In case you did’nt know: we have lots of beautiful Nature in Denmark ! No, we don’t carry high mountains nor vast fields but we do treat you with green forrests and heaps of sea perfect for sailing or just soothing for the mind to view. So no wonder it’s possible to create such a super mini-holiday that I just did last week with three days of horse riding (!) and, to a lesser surprise, one day of marathoneering.

Krogbækgaard

So, firstly a few pictures from the calm visit at Krogbækgaard on Læsø, a small island besides the top of Jutland, Denmark. Here, we loved the time with the islandic horses and the fun and extremely scenic trips in some otherwise not too easily accessible Nature. Woo !

Just behold this…

…and this. I can for sure recommend such a horsetrip, I absolutely loved it !

Nationalpark Thy Marathon 2012

Ok, then Saturday came a very scenic marathon as well and not too far from Læsø, namely on the westcoast of Jutland at Thy. It was my second visit to this race and this time in much better weather. Running along the sea was a blast…

.. and in all a very beautiful route (but quite tough as well).

The full picture report for these events is here: Krogbækgaard and Nationalpark Thy Marathon 2012 in pictures

I have had my eyes on Helsinki City Marathon for quite some years, in fact, so I was excited to finally go there. I must say that I am a little mixed in my evaluation of the race, I feel a bit cheated on “City” and the fact that HCM is supposed to be a Capital Marathon – after all, Helsinki is the Capital of Finland !

On the other hand, reviewing the pictures I took it looks rather diverse in the stuff you pass by and for sure it was a warm and lovely day with blue sky and lots of sun.

The full picture report is here: Helsinki City Marathon 2012 in pictures

So, after 255 marathons you may ask if running marathons is still funny and still possible to experience something new ?

YES !

Actually, every race exists in it’s own right and no two days are the same. But still, some events stand more out than others. Obviously. And let me tell you about a marathon that I will remember for quite a while, namely the marathon within the Challenge Copenhagen Ironman event, the ECCO BIOM Marathon. I participated on a relay team and had, surprise, the marathon “task”. Hey, WHAT a fun thing to tun a marathon in a completely different context than usual. I started day the by watching the Ironmen cycling nearby my home…

…. and only several hours later I found myself in action.

The event was extremely well organized and the day was very warm and sunny and despite a rather severe stomachache I managed to prevail and thus cross the finish line together with my team mates Bettina Honoré and Anders Adrian. Thanks for a wonderful experience and well done (swmming, bicycling) !

I really recommend the Challenge Copenhagen event, see you next year !

See all the pictures here: Challenge Copenhagen ECCO BIOM Marathon 2012

PS: Gotta share this picture from the race 😉

Copyright Martin Paldan.

Woo, I turned 25 – again !

This past sunday I had the privilege to enjoy my most memorable marathon of all time, the truly outstanding Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon 2012. The weather was beatifully sunny and a bit on the warm side, but the route was spectacular and the crowds absolutely amazing !

I was, as last year, tracked in real time and had different kinds of media attention as well, cf. the picture story: Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon 2012 – pictures

Thus, my list of 25’s look like this:

25 27.08.2006 Landskrona (Sweden) Pictures
50 30.06.2007 Kristianopel (Sweden) Pictures
75 20.04.2008 Zürich (Switerzerland) Pictures
100 02.11.2008 Skovmaren (Denmark) Pictures
125 26.04.2009 London (England) Pictures
150 19.09.2009 Vänersborg (Sweden) Pictures
175 21.03.2010 Rome (Italy) Pictures
200 22.08.2010 Blokhus (Denmark) Pictures
225 24.07.2011 Skinnermarathon (Denmark) Pictures
250 20.05.2012 Copenhagen Marathon (Denmark) Pictures

Prague Marathon 2012

Actually, I had a busy running week up to my jubileum in Copenhagen. First, I ran the also spectacular BMW Prague Marathon Sunday 13th May 2012, the route was quite tough for a large city marathon, I think, and with cobblestones and tram tracks as obstacles. But hey, what a beautiful city to visit !

Prague Marathon 2012 – pictures

Kalkmine Marathon 2012

Then Thursday (!) came a very special event, the infamous Limestone Marathon (Kalkmine Marathon) in Jutland, Denmark, one of the toughest marathons in Denmark for sure, technically difficult to say the least and heaps of fun too, visiting two limestone mines in toto 8 times along the route !!!

Kalkmine Marathon 2012 – pictures

What a week !

The spring months April and May generally feature great European city marathons such as in Paris, Rotterdam, London, Vienna and Hamburg. This year I have been fortunate enough to participate in and complete the latter two. Indeed, great running events and indeed great experiences for the soul.

Firstly, I had a great trip to Vienna, Austria, with three of my best running mates, all of them very strong and experienced runners and together we actually passed a total number of 1002 marathons on race day ! I had hoped to compete a little but I was put aside by both cramps and, well, simply better performances than my own. Especially memorable from the race was the impressive pasta party at the City Hall in Vienna (Rathaus)…

… and the scenic finish. The course is generally flat and the race has exploded in number of participants clearly making it one of the larger city marathon events in Europe.

Vienna City Marathon 2012 – pictures

Two weeks later came Hamburg Marathon and here I had really hoped to secure a new personal best time. I was, once again, sadly disappointed to that end, the clock said 3.51.57, just about 6 minuttes worse than in Vienna. But ok, out of 247 marathon times April 2012 recorded my 3, 4, 5 and 6’rd best times overall.

Hamburg Marathon is one of the faster ones and is renowed for the fantastic crowds along the route. The passing of the harbor area is the ultimate peak of the trip…

… and as a Dane it is impossible not to become quite energized by the many danish spectators cheering the +1500 countrymen though the 42 K.

Hamburg Marathon 2012 – pictures