I have known and written for long that Germany for sure is such a great country to visit and be in and especially for running marathons. The “German” countries like Germany, Austria and Switerzerland are just superior in the craft of logistics and it is very rare that the maratons in these countries are not top events in all details of such events.

Yet, we are still up for surprises ! And what a delight to discover the artful city of Düsseldorf

and the great experience of Düsseldorf Marathon ! This is a gem, the route is great and the race delivers many scenic spots and a stunning finish at the bed of the Rhine.

See or relive Düsseldorf Marathon 2013 here:

Düsseldorf Marathon 2013 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)

Düsseldorf Marathon 2013 – pictures by Tor Rønnow (English)

Düsseldorf Marathon 2013 – bilder von Tor Rønnow (Deutsch)

After half a year with injury I finally booked yet another marathon and in my favorite city of all – Rome !

I am far beoynd the point where I find the number of marathons interesting in itself, nowadays I emphasize quality and experience far more. And Rome is for sure one of the places where everything come out with top grades – the museums, the race, the food and the general atmosphere. I’d really have liked to be able to “compete”/perform, but with average 5 K a week since october, this is not possible at the present. Makes me feel like this :

Ok, Maratona di Roma 2013 was obviously a specacular and very well organized event. It was of course a loss not to pass San Pietro according to the normal course map but I still give my credits to the race organisation for keeping everybody well informed during the time of uncertainty of the enthronement of the new Pope Francis.

The last 8 km of the route were the “normal” ones including the outstanding and spectacular finish at the Colosseum. Please find the complete race report in the links below.

Rom Marathon 2013 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)

Rome Marathon 2013 – pictures by Tor Rønnow (English)

Maratona di Roma 2013 – foto di Tor Rønnow (Italiano)

By tradition, I hereby give my you my take on the best marathons in 2012, i.e. amongst the ones I have participated in myself. Best does not necessarily mean ‘objectively best’ but does also emphasize the magnitude of the experience including ‘other’ factors such as city/nature facilities etc. not to mention my own performance.

I have divided the marathons into four groups and as always, you find links to the races via ‘My marathons’ in the menu.

Overall
1. Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon (Denmark)
2. Jungfrau Marathon (Switerzerland)
3. BMW Berlin Marathon (Germany)
4. Prague Marathon (Czech Republic)
5. Vienna Marathon (Austria)

City marathons
1. Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon (Denmark)
2. BMW Berlin Marathon (Germany)
3. Prague Marathon (Czech Republic)
4. Vienna Marathon (Austria)
5. Hamburg Marathon (Germany)

Nature runs
1. Jungfrau Marathon (Switerzerland)
2. Stockholm Jubileum Marathon (100 years 1912-2012) (Sweden)
3. Venice Marathon (Italy)
4. Kalkminemarathon [Limestone Mine Marathon] (Denmark)
5. LøbeMagasinet Rudersdal (Denmark)

Small races
1. Dr. Nielsens (Denmark)
2. Kalkminemarathon [Limestone Mine Marathon] (Denmark)
3. Kalundborg Vintermarathon (Denmark)
4. Sydkyst (Denmark)
5. Skinnermarathon (Denmark)

These are lists based on my personal experiences, of course. To mentain memory of the best races ‘ever’, I have a category of the ‘all-time best’ marathons as well. Here, the big marathons do live up to their famous names !

Best ever
1. New York (USA)
2. Zermatt (Switerzerland)
3. London (England)
4. Rome (Italy)
5. Chicago (USA)

Sometimes you’re in luck, sometimes not. The latter was sadly the case for this year’s showcase of the Venice Marathon, the race saw some of the worst weather conditions ever and Venice City saw the highest floodings for two years during the marathon weekend.

Venice Marathon is special as for being a point-to-point marathon very similar to Boston Marathon, ie. a very long roadtrip in the country side…

… and endning up in the midst of the real deal, Venice City, at the very end.

The race is flat and probably quite fast under normal conditions and the organisation is “ok” (with some serious flaws, mind you). However, there can be little doubt that the real and primal attraction of this marathon in indeed Venice City itself…

… a romantic and seductive city…

… obviously with the Marcus Square and the Rialto Bridge as the most known attactions.

See or relive Venice Marathon 2012 here including pictures of Venice City:

Venice Marathon 2012 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)

Venice Marathon 2012 – pictures by Tor Rønnow (English)

Venice Marathon 2012 – foto di Tor Rønnow (Italiano)

I, the Dark Knight of marathons,

LOL, have visited Berlin Marathon twice before but this dates back to 2004 and 2006, being my marathon races no. 2 and 28 . A few more runs have been added to my list meanwhile, however, I was quite excited to revisit the German Capital for it’s famous often World Record setting race, one of the five World Major Marathons and for sure the race with most danes in it besides Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon (in Denmark).

We runners were blessed by a day with perfect weather for running, 14-16 degrees Celcius, no wind.

The route in Berlin is adventureous and diverse…

… alone the start itself is an experience for life …

.. with the swift passing of the Siegessäule…

… and many spectacular sights along the route…

… including the place (Rathaus Schöneberg) for the legendary words of President John F. Kennedy…

… and of course the Brandenburger Tor, almost, but only almost, named after me.

Obviously, Berlin Marathon is recommended with the highest possible of grades !

See or relive BMW Berlin Marathon 2012 here:

BMW Berlin Marathon 2012 – billeder/fotos af Tor Rønnow (Danish)

BMW Berlin Marathon 2012 – pictures by Tor Rønnow (English)

BMW Berlin Marathon 2012 – bilder von Tor Rønnow (Deutsch)

This Sunday I completed my 4th alp marathon and perhaps the most scenic of them all. Indeed, Swiss Alpine 42 K, Zermatt, and LGT Alpin Marathon are all incredible races and events but perhaps Jungfrau Marathon surpases them all. Not that it matters much which is “best”, it is the love for Running and for Nature that is the real deal here.

Ok, so Jungfrau Marathon starts in the Swiss city Interlaken (500 meters above sea level)

… and is actually almost completely flat the first like 15 k, then things start to happen…

.. and some really tough climbs are to be made…

… and the route ends at 2000 meters above sea level besides the majestic peak Jungfrau (4158).

I was deeply impressed by the superb and flawless organisation of this race, I was completely thrilled by the scenic landscapes of the route and I was so blessed to experience all this on a beautiful warm and sunny day in the Swiss Alps. Jungfrau Marathon is for sure a “must-have” experience if you’re into marathons.

See the stunning race here: Jungfrau Marathon 2012

In case you did’nt know: we have lots of beautiful Nature in Denmark ! No, we don’t carry high mountains nor vast fields but we do treat you with green forrests and heaps of sea perfect for sailing or just soothing for the mind to view. So no wonder it’s possible to create such a super mini-holiday that I just did last week with three days of horse riding (!) and, to a lesser surprise, one day of marathoneering.

Krogbækgaard

So, firstly a few pictures from the calm visit at Krogbækgaard on Læsø, a small island besides the top of Jutland, Denmark. Here, we loved the time with the islandic horses and the fun and extremely scenic trips in some otherwise not too easily accessible Nature. Woo !

Just behold this…

…and this. I can for sure recommend such a horsetrip, I absolutely loved it !

Nationalpark Thy Marathon 2012

Ok, then Saturday came a very scenic marathon as well and not too far from Læsø, namely on the westcoast of Jutland at Thy. It was my second visit to this race and this time in much better weather. Running along the sea was a blast…

.. and in all a very beautiful route (but quite tough as well).

The full picture report for these events is here: Krogbækgaard and Nationalpark Thy Marathon 2012 in pictures

I have had my eyes on Helsinki City Marathon for quite some years, in fact, so I was excited to finally go there. I must say that I am a little mixed in my evaluation of the race, I feel a bit cheated on “City” and the fact that HCM is supposed to be a Capital Marathon – after all, Helsinki is the Capital of Finland !

On the other hand, reviewing the pictures I took it looks rather diverse in the stuff you pass by and for sure it was a warm and lovely day with blue sky and lots of sun.

The full picture report is here: Helsinki City Marathon 2012 in pictures

So, after 255 marathons you may ask if running marathons is still funny and still possible to experience something new ?

YES !

Actually, every race exists in it’s own right and no two days are the same. But still, some events stand more out than others. Obviously. And let me tell you about a marathon that I will remember for quite a while, namely the marathon within the Challenge Copenhagen Ironman event, the ECCO BIOM Marathon. I participated on a relay team and had, surprise, the marathon “task”. Hey, WHAT a fun thing to tun a marathon in a completely different context than usual. I started day the by watching the Ironmen cycling nearby my home…

…. and only several hours later I found myself in action.

The event was extremely well organized and the day was very warm and sunny and despite a rather severe stomachache I managed to prevail and thus cross the finish line together with my team mates Bettina Honoré and Anders Adrian. Thanks for a wonderful experience and well done (swmming, bicycling) !

I really recommend the Challenge Copenhagen event, see you next year !

See all the pictures here: Challenge Copenhagen ECCO BIOM Marathon 2012

PS: Gotta share this picture from the race

Copyright Martin Paldan.

Woo, I turned 25 – again !

This past sunday I had the privilege to enjoy my most memorable marathon of all time, the truly outstanding Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon 2012. The weather was beatifully sunny and a bit on the warm side, but the route was spectacular and the crowds absolutely amazing !

I was, as last year, tracked in real time and had different kinds of media attention as well, cf. the picture story: Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon 2012 – pictures

Thus, my list of 25′s look like this:

25 27.08.2006 Landskrona (Sweden) Pictures
50 30.06.2007 Kristianopel (Sweden) Pictures
75 20.04.2008 Zürich (Switerzerland) Pictures
100 02.11.2008 Skovmaren (Denmark) Pictures
125 26.04.2009 London (England) Pictures
150 19.09.2009 Vänersborg (Sweden) Pictures
175 21.03.2010 Rome (Italy) Pictures
200 22.08.2010 Blokhus (Denmark) Pictures
225 24.07.2011 Skinnermarathon (Denmark) Pictures
250 20.05.2012 Copenhagen Marathon (Denmark) Pictures

Prague Marathon 2012

Actually, I had a busy running week up to my jubileum in Copenhagen. First, I ran the also spectacular BMW Prague Marathon Sunday 13th May 2012, the route was quite tough for a large city marathon, I think, and with cobblestones and tram tracks as obstacles. But hey, what a beautiful city to visit !

Prague Marathon 2012 – pictures

Kalkmine Marathon 2012

Then Thursday (!) came a very special event, the infamous Limestone Marathon (Kalkmine Marathon) in Jutland, Denmark, one of the toughest marathons in Denmark for sure, technically difficult to say the least and heaps of fun too, visiting two limestone mines in toto 8 times along the route !!!

Kalkmine Marathon 2012 – pictures

What a week !