I had already made the decision to avoid a Scottish or even UK marathon. I'm not sure why I made that decision. Maybe I felt if it was within a driveable distance then there would be less of a commitment to train for it. I started looking abroad at continental options. My criteria were:
- a fairly flat route
- minimum of revisited ground (one big loop preferred)
- low risk of terrorist attack
- direct flights from Edinburgh
- 1st half of 2018
There were a handful of options considered, before settling on Copenhagen which seemed to fit the bill in most areas and having previously visited the city in 2003, I knew it was a pleasant place.
Flights and Accommodation
I registered for the race at the beginning of December 2017 after researching flight times and prices. Hotel accommodation was the usual lottery, but I settled on the Andersen Hotel which was advertised as a 'boutique' hotel in the centre. It was located near the central train station so would be easy access from the airport, but also to the race start. We flew with Norwegian Air outbound, and EasyJet inbound.
Training
I then looked at a training plan and signed up for a couple of races in the build up. Firstly the Alloa Half-Marathon in March, then the Balmoral 15miler in April. These would hopefully give me an indication on my fitness and stamina levels.
Unfortunately the enduring winter and the Beast from the East (part 2) resulted in the Alloa Half being postponed so I had to make up my own routes. I tried to do a run on Tuesday, Thursdays and Sundays, with my weekend long runs being over 20km and increasing by 2-3km each week. My final 'long run' was in mid-April, four weeks out from the marathon when I ran along the Fife Coastal Path from Anstruther to Kirkcaldy. It was 38.9km, rather longer than I had wanted to do but I made sure to take regular breaks and gels at every 10km.
On three days I went out for some 'interval' training whereby I ran to a nearby road hill and ran reps between lamp-posts. 4 up, 3 down to the top, then 4 down, 3 up. Although this felt brutal, especially on Clermiston Road, I like to think it was beneficial.
My race at Balmoral the following weekend on 22nd April was fantastic. I started a long way back in the field and spent the entire race overtaking other runners as we trotted round in the shadow of Lochnagar.
On May Day, 2 weeks out, I decided to run to the summit of Arthur's Seat for sunrise at 05:30, then home in time to get to work. That ended up being 17.3km.
Gear
I ended up buying some new road shoes with the Run4it voucher I had received from Balmoral. I had been using a pair of Brooks GTS 14s since the Coll Half-Marathon in 2016 and although they had served me well, I thought I'd like to try a new pair for the marathon. The staff in the Maybury store were very helpful and reassured me that the shoes would be fine as long as I ran a couple of 10kms in them before Copenhagen (which I did). In the store, they watched me running on the treadmill (I'm sure they had to suppress laughter at my weird gait). The next generation of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18 was their advice. For clothing, I decided to take a technical-tee and my vest to wear depending on the weather, plus my blue Kielder top. I would wear my Kalenji shorts as they caused the least chafing of my three pairs. For fuel and hydration I used a waistbelt to hold four gels, one for each 10km. I carried one litre of water in my Camelbak.
The Race
The hotel was 25mins walk from the start so after a large breakfast of alpen, croissants and other pastries, I set off on my route through the Meat-Packing district to Islands Brygge. It was cool, but bright and blue skies were imminent. As I walked, other competitors appeared from apartments and hotels and soon I was in a line of people heading the same direction with numbers pinned to our t-shirts. Into the start pens, I timed my final pee perfectly, with a queue for the urinal that lasted 10minutes, until 09:20.
I found a spot between 3hr50 and 3hr40 pacers who had helium balloons floating above their shoulders. There was piped music playing from a large amp nearby. Everyone looked nervous. People with earphones checked their playlists, others checked watches, some hugged, wished each other luck for what they were about to go through. And finally we were off!
It took a couple of minutes of shuffling/walking/jogging/walking/jogging before we passed over the start line where an amplifier was bellowing out some thrash metal at a massive volume; I couldn't get going fast enough. Off we went over the Lang Brygge and down the long straight to the Tivoli Gardens where Sally had said she'd be standing. I looked and saw her on the other side of the road. She was oblivious to me so I shouted hard and waved.
I felt good and the atmosphere was amazing with so many people lining the streets. At 3km came the first water station with a spray fountain across the wide street. A lot of people headed towards it, but I felt no need at this stage and kept plugging along. I did take a short sip from my camelbak.
I'll try not to describe every kilometre, but the points I remember were passing Sally at around 12km near Nyhavn when my number had become detached from one of the pins and I was preoccupied by that. On the long run along the dual carriageway towards 15km I could see the 3h30 pacers about 150m ahead and tried to catch them. At 21km I was starting to struggle, and by 30km I was really struggling. I had to stop at every water station to drink and catch my breath.
At 38km, the 3hr40 pacers came whizzing past as I was drinking at a water station. I couldn't believe the pace they were running at and immediately tried to latch onto them, to no avail. They were gone, and so was I. My pace was down to 10min miles now, but I dug in and tried to focus. I think I had one more break and then managed to continue to the finish with the increasing crowds and noise cheering me on. Over the Lang Brygge again, underneath and then into the final straight. Noise rising, people passing me, keep running, focus, keep going, there's the finish, keep going! And thats it! The guy in front of me does a cartwheel over the line, another person is being helped onto a stretcher, someone else has cramp.
A medal is passed over my head and someone else hands me a bottle of water. I stagger forward, away from the line and noise then step over a fallen barrier to sit on the kerb. I took my camelbak off, hat off, glasses off and held my head in my hands. That was hard work!
3hours 41minutes 22 seconds. 1714 / 7886
Flights and Accommodation
I registered for the race at the beginning of December 2017 after researching flight times and prices. Hotel accommodation was the usual lottery, but I settled on the Andersen Hotel which was advertised as a 'boutique' hotel in the centre. It was located near the central train station so would be easy access from the airport, but also to the race start. We flew with Norwegian Air outbound, and EasyJet inbound.
Training
I then looked at a training plan and signed up for a couple of races in the build up. Firstly the Alloa Half-Marathon in March, then the Balmoral 15miler in April. These would hopefully give me an indication on my fitness and stamina levels.
Unfortunately the enduring winter and the Beast from the East (part 2) resulted in the Alloa Half being postponed so I had to make up my own routes. I tried to do a run on Tuesday, Thursdays and Sundays, with my weekend long runs being over 20km and increasing by 2-3km each week. My final 'long run' was in mid-April, four weeks out from the marathon when I ran along the Fife Coastal Path from Anstruther to Kirkcaldy. It was 38.9km, rather longer than I had wanted to do but I made sure to take regular breaks and gels at every 10km.
On three days I went out for some 'interval' training whereby I ran to a nearby road hill and ran reps between lamp-posts. 4 up, 3 down to the top, then 4 down, 3 up. Although this felt brutal, especially on Clermiston Road, I like to think it was beneficial.
My race at Balmoral the following weekend on 22nd April was fantastic. I started a long way back in the field and spent the entire race overtaking other runners as we trotted round in the shadow of Lochnagar.
On May Day, 2 weeks out, I decided to run to the summit of Arthur's Seat for sunrise at 05:30, then home in time to get to work. That ended up being 17.3km.
Gear
I ended up buying some new road shoes with the Run4it voucher I had received from Balmoral. I had been using a pair of Brooks GTS 14s since the Coll Half-Marathon in 2016 and although they had served me well, I thought I'd like to try a new pair for the marathon. The staff in the Maybury store were very helpful and reassured me that the shoes would be fine as long as I ran a couple of 10kms in them before Copenhagen (which I did). In the store, they watched me running on the treadmill (I'm sure they had to suppress laughter at my weird gait). The next generation of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18 was their advice. For clothing, I decided to take a technical-tee and my vest to wear depending on the weather, plus my blue Kielder top. I would wear my Kalenji shorts as they caused the least chafing of my three pairs. For fuel and hydration I used a waistbelt to hold four gels, one for each 10km. I carried one litre of water in my Camelbak.
The Race
 |
| Ready to go - in the hotel room |
The hotel was 25mins walk from the start so after a large breakfast of alpen, croissants and other pastries, I set off on my route through the Meat-Packing district to Islands Brygge. It was cool, but bright and blue skies were imminent. As I walked, other competitors appeared from apartments and hotels and soon I was in a line of people heading the same direction with numbers pinned to our t-shirts. Into the start pens, I timed my final pee perfectly, with a queue for the urinal that lasted 10minutes, until 09:20.
I found a spot between 3hr50 and 3hr40 pacers who had helium balloons floating above their shoulders. There was piped music playing from a large amp nearby. Everyone looked nervous. People with earphones checked their playlists, others checked watches, some hugged, wished each other luck for what they were about to go through. And finally we were off!
It took a couple of minutes of shuffling/walking/jogging/walking/jogging before we passed over the start line where an amplifier was bellowing out some thrash metal at a massive volume; I couldn't get going fast enough. Off we went over the Lang Brygge and down the long straight to the Tivoli Gardens where Sally had said she'd be standing. I looked and saw her on the other side of the road. She was oblivious to me so I shouted hard and waved.
 |
| The pacers come past Tivoli Gardens |
I felt good and the atmosphere was amazing with so many people lining the streets. At 3km came the first water station with a spray fountain across the wide street. A lot of people headed towards it, but I felt no need at this stage and kept plugging along. I did take a short sip from my camelbak.
I'll try not to describe every kilometre, but the points I remember were passing Sally at around 12km near Nyhavn when my number had become detached from one of the pins and I was preoccupied by that. On the long run along the dual carriageway towards 15km I could see the 3h30 pacers about 150m ahead and tried to catch them. At 21km I was starting to struggle, and by 30km I was really struggling. I had to stop at every water station to drink and catch my breath.
 |
| This was at 29km, feeling it now! |
At 38km, the 3hr40 pacers came whizzing past as I was drinking at a water station. I couldn't believe the pace they were running at and immediately tried to latch onto them, to no avail. They were gone, and so was I. My pace was down to 10min miles now, but I dug in and tried to focus. I think I had one more break and then managed to continue to the finish with the increasing crowds and noise cheering me on. Over the Lang Brygge again, underneath and then into the final straight. Noise rising, people passing me, keep running, focus, keep going, there's the finish, keep going! And thats it! The guy in front of me does a cartwheel over the line, another person is being helped onto a stretcher, someone else has cramp.
A medal is passed over my head and someone else hands me a bottle of water. I stagger forward, away from the line and noise then step over a fallen barrier to sit on the kerb. I took my camelbak off, hat off, glasses off and held my head in my hands. That was hard work!
3hours 41minutes 22 seconds. 1714 / 7886
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| Free beer! |
