The Reykjavik Marathon was always on my bucket list to do. It wasn’t anything in particular about the race that drew me (though I had heard a lot of great things about it) but Iceland itself has always been of interest to me. Since I was going to be in Europe and my schedule had a hole in it for that date of the marathon, I quickly decided to sign-up and experience it for myself. Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland and is located in the southwest portion of Iceland. It is a city of around 120,000 people (with an overall population of 300,000 in the entire country). The Keflavik International Airport, the air gateway to Iceland is located about 40 miles from Reykjavik. The road between the two is a beautiful route with scenes that will fill you with awe at the sights of nature. Reykjavik is known to be one of the safest, cleanest cities in the world. Iceland has a 99% literacy rate, as well as many people that speak excellent English. In addition, the people of Iceland are very proud of their Viking heritage and it can be seen throughout the country as subtle reminders of their Viking ancestry. Supposedly, every Icelander can tracer his/her lineage back to the Vikings. Pretty cool! I loved the race course. The old European city sits on a peninsula a scant 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle, and much of the flat, loop course followed a rocky coastline, offering magnificent ocean vistas. The race started and finished in the heart of the city. Runners lined up just down the hill from Hallgrimskirkja and the mayor started the race with a countdown in Icelandic. The 3,000-foot snow-capped Mt. Esja appeared across the water at mile five, and marathoners eventually found themselves navigating past the harbor and zoo (impressive reindeer!) and down a bike path. Here we cruised along the Ellioaar River-famous for salmon fishing-and past a nine-foot waterfall.After the race we treated our aching muscles to the Blue Lagoon, Icelands most-visited tourist destination. At this outdoor spa, locals and tourists alike luxuriated in the enormous geothermal pools. I honestly found the milky blue waters more soothing than any deep-tissue massage. I recommend this race. youtu.be/xEsuhnb18nw?list=UU6Tj7vkMpuQn-EJpinvnduQ
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 05:08:20 +0000
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