Machine-translated from Faroese and not yet reviewed. Read the original.
Many runners have met people who ask how fast you have run this or that course. And often you have been given a superior cold shoulder and told about a quick 5 km in 10 minutes or a 10 km in 25 minutes. That is, of course, a lie, so that much stands, but it is not necessarily deliberate. Someone has measured some course in the car, and perhaps used the egg timer or the big hand on the kitchen clock as a stopwatch. Who knows.
The races organised by FÍF and the clubs in the Faroe Islands are all measured quite accurately with a measuring wheel, the same kind the police use. They are also checked with GPS watches. But this is still not enough for the final results to be internationally recognised. That requires a very particular kind of measurement. So far, only the Tórshavn Marathon route has international certification.
Last year FÍF sent Heðin Johannesen from Treysti on a course-measurement course in Aarhus. The course was organised by Dansk Atletikforbund. This was so that we in the Faroe Islands can measure our most important routes ourselves. In May, Treysti is organising the Faroese Half Marathon Championships, and the club is putting a lot of energy into the preparations. Among other things, they have made sure that the route receives international certification.
On Treysti’s website there is a very interesting article about how much work goes into getting this certification.
As mentioned, it is Heðin Johannesen who has led the work. Heðin burst into the running family like a roaring lion a few years ago. He quickly became our strongest super-veteran, and his last running achievement was winning every race in the summer Grand Prix in 2009. Unfortunately, he was injured later in 2009 and has not run anything of note since. But he has not hidden away in the meantime. On the contrary, he has stayed involved at Treysti, both working his way back to fitness and helping out at races. We have also seen him on a bike at both the Kallsoy Run and at Vilt in Suðuroy. As Heðin is also an architect, it was natural that he should be the one to become our Faroese course measurer.
Read how meticulous Heðin (and Gutti) are in their work at this link.
Heðin Johannesen measures to the last millimetre.
