Polar Night Half Marathon

Had a very exciting half-marathon last weekend, up in Tromso, the very north of Norway!  I’d always wanted to go to this city, and the race there is quite a big one, so it was a good excuse.  Plus, with the solar activity of the sun being strong this year, there was no better time for a chance of seeing the Northern Lights!

I flew up, via Oslo, on Friday, and checked into the hotel.  It was quite late by then, so I just had a simple dinner in the hotel restaurant which was not too expensive.  Mind you, everything in Norway is expensive – the cheese and tomato pizza I had was around £15!

The next morning I made the most of the included breakfast and eat my fill, both to fuel me for the race and so I wouldn’t need to buy lunch.  The race was not until 3pm, so I could get away with a big breakfast.  I ventured out into the city and had a walk round the town.  It was dark, but there were actually a few hours of lightness every day, and although the sun never came up fully, the sky was a beautiful blue-pink and made for some lovely photos as it reflected off the water.  It was lighter than I expected actually, and warmer too – we got very lucky as it was around +2 degrees during the day, and 0 in the evening, down to -2 at night.  It could well have been well under 0 during the day and -10 in the evening for the race!

I had to go and collect my race bib at the city hall, and this was a good opportunity to meet other runners.  Over 60% of participants were from outside of Norway, including quite a few Brits.  There’s not many races where you get a chance to run a half marathon 200 miles into the arctic circle, but still enjoy a well organised running event and short-haul flights from the UK, so this explains why it’s so popular!  Major bragging rights, but without the huge time and expense of travelling to a remote polar icecap region!

We lined up at the start just before 3pm.  It was dark by then, but the streets were well lit and the crowds were excellent.  I wasn’t sure what to wear, as it hovering between 0 and -2 degrees and I have run in -5 in the UK several times.  In the end I went for a long sleeved running top, light high-viz jacket, thermal tights, thick gloves and a beanie.  I also took my new hydration pack.  This turned out to be fine.  There were about 1000 entrants, including a small field of 10k runners.

The first mile was fairly easy, as it was on the main road – which was closed – and it had been cleared from snow and well gritted.  It was slightly uphill, but it did ease us in gently.  We left the town centre and went onto the pathways into the neighbourhoods.  There was a lot more snow here, and the paths were much icier, although they were generally very well gritted.  Further out though, there was more ice and it was quite undulating.  It got colder too, as we ran out towards the airport which is quite open, so there was a very biting cold wind.  The route was a simple out and back, with a small loop around the airport.  There were plenty of water stations, one of which gave out sports drinks.  It was really surreal, running in the dark alongside water, while just about making out the mountains surrounding the city.  Although it was very hard work, I really enjoyed it.  The buzz among runners was also brilliant, with faster runners on the “back” encouraging us slower ones on the “out”!  There was a reasonable 3 hour time limit, which for some runners was certainly needed given that these were hardly PB conditions to run in!

The last few miles were hard work, as they were mostly uphill, plus the snow had been compacted a lot more so was even more slippery.  I felt like I spent a lot of energy just trying to keep my balance!  The roads were re-opened too, apart from a very short stretch coming up to the finish line, so it was back to running on the snowy paths when we got back into the city.  I wasn’t sure what finish time I had in mind when I started the race, if there had been more snow I would have predicted over 2.40, so at the half way point having judged the conditions I went for a time between 2.30 and 2.35.  In the end I just about got in at 2.29 having exhausted myself in the last 2 miles, which I was very happy with!

We got a lovely medal with an engraving of snow flakes, plus drink, bananas and a foil blanket.  No hanging around though, I cooled down very quickly so went straight back to the hotel for a very hot shower!

That night I was in for a treat as I was booked in for an aurora trip.  We took a boat out into the fjords and we ended up watching the beautiful lights for well over an hour!  They were amazing and I am so glad to have seen them that weekend.  Half marathon followed by an aurora sighting is the perfect way to spend a day in the arctic circle!  I am not sure what was more fun – or more surreal – it was a truly unforgettable experience!

If you get the chance to do this race I really recommend it.  Pics below!
1. Banner at the race start
2. Tromso high street
3. Tromso high street shops
4. Midday over the bay