Iceland review - 2013, Qupperneq 67

ICELAND REVIEW 65
The most difficult part of the race was the last 17 km
(ten miles) from the finish line by lake Rauðavatn
just outside Reykjavík to Harpa [the concert hall]
by the old harbor, where the award ceremony took place,” says
lawyer Gunnar Thoroddsen of team Subway, which took part
in the 2013 WOW Cyclothon. The race is relay style clockwise
around Iceland, and 1,332-km (828-miles) long. “I had no energy
left, I was completely drained.”
Twenty-four teams took part in the cyclaton, each consisting of
four cyclists and two drivers. The winning team, Team IP, made
the round trip in 41:03:03 hours—four minutes faster than Synir
Helga and 45 minutes ahead of WOW karlar, which placed third.
The first female team to cross the finish line was Bjöllurnar, mak-
ing it in 43:38:25 hours.
“I lost six kilos [14 pounds] in the race. It’s madness, of course,
a madness I would not have missed, but I don’t think I’d do it
again. Even if I have traveled extensively around Iceland, this
is a totally different experience. You realize how mountainous
Iceland actually is, how narrow the roads are, and the wind—
sometimes coming from all directions at the same time. Especially
in Southeast Iceland where the Ring Road is on a small strip of
land, between the ocean and Vatnajökull glacier,” recalls Gunnar.
WOW Cyclothon is a charity race with all teams raising
money through a special website. All funds go to Save the
Children Iceland.
So maybe the real winner of this year’s race was Team Atlantik
legal—they finished last in 54:49:15 hours but raised the most,
more than half a million ISK (USD 5,000). 
The winners of this year’s WOW
Cyclothon made the 1,332 km-
long journey around Iceland in
41 hours and three minutes.
WORDS AnD PHOTOS By PáLL STeFáNSSoN
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