Iceland review - 2013, Qupperneq 62

60 ICELAND REVIEW
In the 30 years since the Reykjavík Marathon was first held,
running has grown to become a beloved sport among Icelanders.
Running EccEntRics
By eygLó SvALA ArNArSdóTTIr
PHOTO COURTESy Of THE reyKJAvÍK MArATHoN
a
road race was an abso-
lute novelty in Iceland;
only two other such races
existed in the country at
that time. We decided straight away that
we would have three distances, a full and
half marathon and a fun run, to have
people get used to the idea and to attract
the masses,” explains Knútur Óskarsson,
one of the founders of the Reykjavík
Marathon. On August 24, 1984, the first
Reykjavík Marathon kicked off with 281
runners. Among participants were around
90 foreigners. Since then, the race has been
steadily growing with close to 14,000 reg-
istrations in 2012, including 1,600 foreign
participants. “There’s a vibrant atmosphere
and the race is well organized. Now there
are more people cheering the runners on.
It’s great to see how the interest in running
has spread in Iceland, at first there were just
a few eccentrics,” says Gísli Ragnarsson,
who has also participated in marathons
in Boston, London and around Iceland.
“Reykjavík is my favorite. I’ll run the mara-
thon for the 20th time this year.” Today, the
Reykjavík Marathon includes six distances,
in addition to the marathon and half mara-
thon, a relay race, 10k run, 3k fun run and a
children’s run—it’s not just for competitive
runners but is also a family event.
“We’re proud of the increase in female
runners. In 1984, 23 percent of participants
were women but in 2012, they accounted
for 53 percent of participants,” comments
Reykjavík Marathon executive director
Frímann Ari Ferdinandsson. “It’s the big-
gest running festival in Iceland. I find it very
special—I’ve participated from the start. I’ve
watched it grow and it’s always a lot of fun,”
says Martha Ernstdóttir, the only Icelandic
female athlete to have run a marathon at the
Olympics, competing for Iceland at Sydney
in 2000. The Reykjavík Marathon, which is
held the third weekend of August coinciding
with the Reykjavík Culture Night, is always
a fixed event on her calendar.
The race has always begun and ended on
Lækjargata in the heart of Reykjavík, leading
past landmark buildings, through a residen-
tial area, along the seaside with a view of the
open ocean and scenic mountains, through a
park, forested valley along a river and all the
way to Grótta on Seltjarnarnes, with a view
of a lighthouse and seabirds diving into the
sea. “It’s friendlier, smaller and more rustic
than marathons I’ve participated in abroad.
It’s more comfortable, peaceful and not as
stressful,” comments one of Iceland’s fore-
most athletes, marathon runner Kári Steinn
Karlsson, the first Icelandic male athlete to
compete in a marathon at the Olympics,
placing 42nd in London 2012. “It’s an impor-
tant tradition for me to run in the Reykjavík
Marathon every year.” He has participated
in the Reykjavík Marathon 13 times and
holds the best time in the 10k run. “Foreign
runners don’t necessarily register to achieve
their best time. They come here to experi-
ence nature and tackle whatever the weather
gods have in store for them. It’s part of the
atmosphere not to know what to expect.” 