August Marathon of the Month: Reykjavik Marathon, Reykjavik Iceland

Reykjavik Marathon

Drastic temperatures cause for drastic measures. If you want to be guaranteed  a "cool" August marathon you may want to consider traveling north, as in WAY north, to Reykjavik Iceland. Reykjavik is the capital and largest city on Iceland, "a Nordic European island country" situated between Greenland and Europe. The highest recorded temperature sits at 79 degrees, bam!

Why run the Reykjavik marathon? I extracted the answer to this question directly from the race web-site:

There are several obvious reasons for foreign marathon runners to pick Reykjavik, not least the fact that the running conditions are usually extremely comfortable – the route is smoothly paved and very flat, while the weather tends to be breezy and in the mid-teens centigrade.

The atmosphere surrounding a race is also a hugely important factor for most runners, and the atmosphere at the Reykjavík race is electric. While the Icelanders would enthusiastically support the race anyway, it is actually planned to coincide with 'Culture Night' (Menningarnótt), a national event that brings up to a third of the entire population of Iceland onto the streets of the capital.

Another obvious reason to run is the city itself: the Viking name, Reykjavík, may literally translate as 'smoky bay', but the name in fact refers to the steam rising from Iceland's many geothermal springs. Reykjavík actually has some of the cleanest air of any city. Situated on a peninsula, water features heavily in the self-proclaimed 'Party Capital of the North', with the old-town even nestled around a large pond called Tjörnin. Teeming with birdlife, Tjörnin is like an oasis in the maze of old wooden houses covered in colourful corrugated iron that comprise downtown. Reykjavík has the very unusual feel of a modern international city trying to fit into a nineteenth century fishing village.

The race offers an atmosphere which is both relaxed and welcoming. Around 1,000 runners participate in the marathon and 2,000 in the half marathon, making both races less crowded than is generally the case in larger events. Since the Reykjavik Marathon also includes 10k, 3k fun run and children's run distances, it's also a family event.

Although only around 200,000 people live in the larger Reykjavik area, large crowds gather in the streets to support the runners. However, parts of the course pass through uninhabited areas where there are few spectators, instead giving the runners a chance to enjoy Iceland's natural environment and the spectacular scenery. The marathon passes through downtown Reykjavik, a residential area, near a salmon river, and along the beach.

So let's take a closer look at the stats for this marathon:

Course: As advertised, the course is pretty flat and scenic. It appears to be diverse, with city street portions, residential areas, bike paths, and scenic water views. It's a looped course, so logistically easy to navigate. 

Weather: The average high temperature is 58 degrees! The only issue that may arise could possibly be wind, but with the many turns on the course not too bad to deal with.

Expo: It appears to be a really small event with few vendors, as I would expect for a marathon of its size, and it appears to be far away from the city center, requiring bus or car travel.

So what would some of the negatives be? The biggest negative would be the cost. Not that the marathon itself is expensive, but apparently it's expensive in Iceland, and the air fare could be pricey as well.  Another negative is that the course is measured in kilometers, which isn't a huge issue if one isn't particularly concerned with pace, but I can imagine the brain work involved in conversions late into the run--could be maddening. There are some complaints on marathonguide.com that there are too few aid stations. I counted 9 water stops on the map, so yes, that would be fewer than I'd like, so this is something to consider. Others complained that there are areas of desolation, where there are no spectators and you don't feel like you are in a marathon. I get this sensation when I run on bike trails, which is probably the case here. Luckily, the course is varied enough to keep my interest--with scenery if nothing else.  Still, if you are into race hoopla this may not be a good choice for you. 

The best thing this race has going for it is the epic post race party! The "Culture night" involves fireworks, events in the arts and theaters, with festivities all along the city streets running well into the next day. 

This year marks the 30th anniversary, so this race has been around for quite some time. Interested?
Here is the link to the race web-site:
http://www.marathon.is/reykjavik-marathon