Tor Rønnow

6 Star Finisher 7 Continents Finisher 75 Marathon countries Author of best-seller running book Mountain hiker Off-piste alpine skier Chess player

Hiking and running – the body’s spirituality

I have been a mountain hiker since the age of 4 and I climbed my first peak at age 5. Having spend more than 30 holidays in the Norwegian mountains typically walking 6-8 hours a day I believe I can be credited for some experience in the art of enduring long fatigues on the mind and body. But make no mistake: I love it ! Same thing goes about running, especially running longer distances like marathons…I think these activities can be seen as a kind of body spirituality which brings about thoughtfullness and contemplation. Like Spiderman sitting alone on the top of a skyscaber in New York, what is better than to sit on a mountain top and enjoying the quietness and the views of the landscape just explored….or when running a marathon and soaking up experiences and dealing with the important issues and thoughts in life ? The ability to endure these long-running activities and to slowly but steadily increment the forces of body and mind….is a true gift that any human should have. Wisdom may spring.

A kind of ultra ? Two marathons in one day !

I’m getting excited about this years New Years Evening. But not because of the traditional fuss, funny hats and champagne…no, beacuse I’m going to attempt two marathons within 19 hours, first one in Copenhagen (Denmark) and then the New Years marathon in Zürich (Switerzerland) beginning at 24.00/00.00 hours. I guess it’s my first ultra race in a sense, at least that’s how I have chosen to think about it. I’m sure it’s going to be a success, or at least a very un-like evening !