I booked my fourth completion of Hamburg Marathon this past Sunday. The weather was good for running, less good for photographing but luckily many spectators ignored the cold and grey conditions and showed up cheering in the streets, thus securing one of the trademarks of the Hamburg Marathon: the great atmosphere along the route!
Hamburg Marathon 2014 – by the harbour
See or relive Hamburg Marathon 2014 here:
Hamborg Marathon 2014 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)
For the first time in history an IAAF World Half Marathon Championship has been held as an event open to the general public and this happened this past Saturday in my home town Copenhagen, Denmark! This was, of course, an opportunity not to be missed and the day turned out to become one of the most memorable running feasts ever. The logistics and the efforts by the Danish Athletic Organization headed by Director Jakob Larsen were flawless, the weather was perfect (almost unreal for a late day in March in Denmark) and the atmosphere all over Copenhagen was electric.
The runners were sent off by the Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and his Royal Excellecy Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark all to start and end at the square of the Danish Parlament, Christiansborg at the very heart of Copenhagen. Truly, this day was a fairy tale far beyond the imagination of even Hans Christian Andersen!
Below you find a series of the best pictures of the day and the full story is in the links. Enjoy.
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See or relive the unique and spectacular IAAF/AL-Bank World Half Marathon 2014 here:
IAAF/AL-Bank World Half Marathon 2014 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)
IAAF/AL-Bank World Half Marathon 2014 – pictures by Tor Rønnow (English)
IAAF/AL-Bank World Half Marathon 2014 – bilder von Tor Rønnow (Deutsch)
I turned 25 – again !
This past Friday I completed the spectacular Tel Aviv Marathon in Israel. The weather was beautifully sunny much in contrast to this past winter here in Denmark. See more on the race below.
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
275 28.02.2014 Tel Aviv Marathon (Israel) Pictures
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is a very modern, “western” city with an impressive skyline and all the things you would expect of an international metropol. However, the “poor orient” is always just a few blocks away, and the israelean security context is an immanent shadow everywhere in the infrastructure including accesses to e.g. shopping centers.
If a single point of interest should be singled out, it must definately be the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the collection of paintings is simply breathtaking! Visiting this museum alone justifies a visit to Tel Aviv. Go there!
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Jerusalem and The Dead Sea Experience
The Holy City Jerusalem is in the proximity of only an hours drive away from Tel Aviv. Visiting Jerusalem was a mindblowing experience, seeing the place where Jesus was crucified and the wailing Wall cannot be described in words. Also, taking the Dead Sea Experience is something only the body understands, however, the pictures might hint the fun.
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Tel Aviv Marathon 2014
The Tel Aviv Marathon 2014 started at 06.30 in the morning on the 28th of Feb. and the day and the event turned out to be so classy with soothing views on the Mediterranean Sea and many key points in Tel Aviv. The course was not deprived of hills/”bumps” so it suited me well to merge with the half-marathon runners when hitting midtown going home from Old Jaffa. In conclusion, Tel Aviv Marathon is definately your time worth while as is Israel as a turist/traveller experience.
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See or relive Tel Aviv Marathon 2014 here:
Tel Aviv Marathon 2014 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)
And a Happy New Year to you too !
I eagerly look forward to 2014 and to hopefully a much better running year than this past 2013, which turned out to be a bit of a nightmare for me personally. My left foot was in pain for most of the year, actually I have not been able to perform a proper “run stride” since August 2012 ! So I really beg for a miracle to happen to bring me back into the game, I miss the daily training and I miss to “try my best” at the marathons. Performing a sub-4 hour marathon again in 2014 would be a dream come true !
H.C. Andersen Marathon
There are a number of events that I look forward to in 2014. Obviously, participating in the World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen will be a unique experience. Shy of two months later I will celebrate my marathon 10-years anniversary in the annual NYKREDIT Copenhagen Marathon, as you know one of my favorite events. And in the autumn I hope to revisit Odense and the H.C. Andersen Marathon, the second-largest marathon in Denmark and a class act for sure !
You will find other classy races in my list for 2014, and only class events will appear on my list ! I sincerly hope that 2014 will be the year where people realize that quality is essential to, yes, everything, also running events. I think the current trend towards e.g. trail and natural running are proofs hereof . See you out there !
The City of Florence
As you might know, the author Dan Brown choose Florence as the main city in which to unfold his plot in the thriller “Inferno”.
The choice is probably not accidential when you consider the historical importance and reputation of Florence, not to mention the divene “sons” of the city, the renaissance artists like Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. So surely, having a marathon in this beautiful city is a must, and such has in fact existed now for 30 years ! Below you find my entire race report, however, let’s start with a few impressions of the city of Florence.
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The Art in Florenze
The biggest attraction in Florence must be the incredible David statue by Michelangelo. You have to stand before this 4 meter high masterpiece in marble to understand why. It is simply beyond words, yes, beyond this world ! Add the fact that it was finished in the year 1504 B.C. and you’re left with one of the most incredible pieces of art you will ever see.
A trip to Florence is justified alone by seeing David, but once there you’d obviously pay visits to the Duomo Church and to the Accademia and the Uffizi Galleries (amongst other attractions).
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Firenze Marathon 2013
Ok, the race itself, Firenze Marathon was a very nice experience ! The route was extremely scenic, the event was well organized, and the weather turned out just perfect this late Sunday in November 2013.
In conclusion, it’s pretty easy to recommend a visit to both Florence and it’s marathon race. When I re-visit the marathon through my pictures here, I’m not one second in doubt: Firenze Marathon was my best this year 2013 !
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See or relive Firenze Marathon 2013 here:
Firenze Marathon 2013 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)