Winter runners defy the south-easterly gale

Machine-translated from Faroese and not yet reviewed. Read the original.

Today Bragdið organised the Faroese Cross-Country Championships. The race, held in Hoydalar, was also round five of the TF Winter Series. The weather was so-so. But that came as no surprise to anyone. The forecast had been promising storm and rain for our race all week. Even so, people entered in large numbers. Yes, once again this year there was record participation at a Faroese Cross-Country Championships, and we are very proud of that. Winter runners really are a special and stubborn breed.

Only two enquiries came in about whether the race might be postponed. One was from 3-2 and the other from Klaksvík, where for the first time they had seen Sam struggling to dock in Klaksvík, while the radio was talking about wind speeds of up to 30-33 m/s and there was torrential rain in many places.

The start in the morning (photo: Einar Vang)

It wasn’t that bad in Hoydalar, though. It was raining only a little when we started at just after 11. And although it was very windy, the wind only got in the way on certain parts of the route, which was mostly on the flat ground in front of the Studentaskúli, with a 400 m loop up into the woods. The children ran two laps (2.6 km) and the adults ran six laps (7.9 km).

With one notable exception, the race played out in much the same way as the recent races have. The exception was 21-year-old Dane Emma Klingenberg, who beat all the men except Marnar Djurhuus. Emma is at teacher training college in Århus and is on a six-week work placement in the Faroe Islands. She was therefore not part of the Faroese Championships. The women’s Faroese champion was Rebekka Fuglø, Treysti, who fairly early in the race opened up a reasonably safe gap on Rigmor N. Arge, Hvirlan, who was also running well. Tórvør Ø. Vang finished third.

As mentioned, Marnar Djurhuus won, and this was the third year in a row that he became men’s Faroese champion! His time this year was not as good as last year’s, but Marnar reckons he is in better shape and that he ran relatively better than last year. The wind and the wet ground took the edge off his top speed, however. Sam Vang, Bragdió, who was a safe second, said exactly the same. Sam has trained well this winter, and at the moment it doesn’t look as if anyone can threaten his position as “number two behind Marnar”. The battle for third place looked set to be exciting. Eirikur Hansen and Hallur Holm, both Bragdið, ran together for all of the first five laps, but just before heading out on the sixth and final lap, Eirikur slipped and lost decisive metres to Hallur. So Hallur made the podium for the first time this winter when the medals in the open category were presented.

Henry Olsen, who has won the first four rounds in the veterans’ category, did not take part today. The new winner was Hallur Holm. Jóhan “Dardus” Jacobsen, Roysnið, has been very close to the top three in several races, and now that it finally came together, he went all the way up to second place. Guttorm Sørensen, Treysti, was third. Jens R. Weihe, Frælsi, won yet another race and another Faroese title, while Pól Sundskarð and Gunnar Simonsen, both Treysti, were second and third respectively.

Ann Thomsen, Bragdið, has not won every veterans’ race this winter. But she has won every race she has taken part in. And she did so again today in style. In the battle for second place, Hergerð Heldarskarð this time managed to get ahead of Astrid Joensen, who otherwise leads the women veterans’ series. It has been very pleasing to see the large turnout of women veterans so far this year. Hopefully the good trend will continue.

Several of those who competed in the dry indoors in Iceland last weekend were back in the usual Faroese weather. Maria Biskopstø and Oddvør Josephsen, who both won gold in Iceland, were the only girls today. They have run many hard races against each other, and so it was again today. Just as out west in Sørvágur, it was once again Maria who came out on top. She has now taken the lead in the overall series, while also becoming Faroese cross-country champion.

Of the eight boys, no fewer than five had been competing in Iceland. Gunnar Sivertsen, Treysti, proved that the strong results he achieved at Stórmót were no fluke. Today he won a fairly clear victory. Bragdið’s new rising star, Niklas Kruse, was second. But here the race was closer, as Rúni Skarðhamar, Roysnið, and Steintór Egholm, Bragdið, both came in just behind. It was Rúni who went away with the bronze, while Steintór was left empty-handed.

After the race, everyone was invited to a good spread with waffles and all the good things that go with them. Now only three rounds of the TF Winter Series remain. Round 6 will be run in Fossanes on 15 February, organised by Treysti. Round 7, the penultimate round, will be in Vágur on 8 March, organised by Hvistan, and the final will be on 22 March in Runavík, when Roysnið will also organise the Faroese 10 km Road Championships.

Bragdið and FÍF thank Føroya Studentaskúli for the use of its premises and the Environment Agency for kindly allowing us to run in the area.

Einar Vang’s photos can be found here: TF VK-5 & Faroese Cross-Country Championships 2014

Results from the Faroese Cross-Country Championships in Hoydalar, 1 February 2014, 11:00
Boys 1998-2002 – approx. 2.6 km
1	11:24	Gunnar Ei.	Sivertsen	1999	Treysti
2	12:09	Niklas	Kruse	1999	Bragdið
3	12:20	Runi	Skarðhamar	1999	Roysnið
4	12:26	Steintór	Egholm	2000	Bragdið
5	13:15	Jákup Dahl	Ljósheim	1998	Hvirlan
6	13:31	Dánjal Dahl	Ljósheim	2000	Hvirlan
7	14:40	Hans Ei.	Sivertsen	2001	Treysti
8	14:45	Ingi	Johannessen	2002	Roysnið
Girls 1998-2002 – approx. 2.6 km
1	12:50	Maria	Biskopstø	2002	Treysti
2	13:03	Oddvør	Josephsen	2001	Treysti
Junior men 1993-1997 – approx. 8 km
1	32:24	Marnar	Djurhuus	1995	Treysti
2	36:34	Einar	Gregersen	1995	Treysti
3	37:39	Teitur	Bjarnastein	1997	Bragdið
Junior women 1993-1997 – approx. 8 km
1	38:25	Rebekka	Fuglø	1993	Treysti
Men -1997 – approx. 8 km
1	32:24	Marnar	Djurhuus	1995	Treysti
2	34:34	Sam	Vang	1970	Bragdið
3	35:19	Hallur	Holm	1967	Bragdið
4	36:29	Eirikur	Hansen	1980	Bragdið
5	36:34	Einar	Gregersen	1995	Treysti
6	37:39	Teitur	Bjarnastein	1997	Bragdið
7	38:00	Jan Elmar	Sørensen	1991	Treysti
8	38:04	Jóhan M	Jacobsen	1966	Roysnið
9	38:08	Jóhan	Simonsen	1969	Bragdið
10	38:37	Guttorm	Sørensen	1968	Treysti
11	38:56	Jonhard	Larsen	1966	Treysti
12	38:56	Arnfinn	Johannessen	1965	Roysnið
13	39:00	Marnar	Pattinson	1970	Roysnið
14	39:05	Jens	Weihe	1947	Frælsi
15	39:35	Hjalmar	Sjóvará	1966	Bragdið
16	40:25	Herluf	Jakobsen	1963	Bragdið
17	42:03	Kàri	Simonsen	1959	Bragdið
18	42:03	Hilmar	Høgenni	1962	Bragdið
19	42:11	Pól	Sundskarð	1957	Treysti
20	42:58	Egil	Olsen	1963	Roysnið
21	43:30	Arnfinnur	Helmsdal	1970	Bragdið
22	44:24	Rúni	Simonsen	1973	Bragdið
23	44:38	Rani	Rasmussen	1985	Roysnið
24	45:55	Gunnar	Simonsen	1952	Treysti
25	46:20	Jóanes	Ortind	1951	Bragdið
26	47:11	Jan	Egholm	1972	Bragdið
27	47:26	Robert	Vilhelmsen	1951	Bragdið
28	47:54	Júst	Túni	1986	Treysti
Women -1997 – approx. 8 km
(1)	34:16	Emma	Klingenberg	1992	Guest runner
1	38:25	Rebekka	Fuglø	1993	Treysti
2	40:45	Rigmor N.	Arge	1969	Hvirlan
3	42:08	Tórvør Østerø	Vang	1969	Bragdið
4	43:50	Ann	Thomsen	1966	Bragdið
5	44:43	Birna Mohr	Joensen	1970	Hvirlan
6	47:34	Hergerð	Heldarskarð	1968	Bragdið
7	47:42	Maria Svabo	Hansen	1972	Bragdið
8	49:42	Astrid	Joensen	1967	Roysnið
9	49:55	Eydna	Weihe	1969	Bragdið
10	50:39	Birna Mohr	Abrahamsen	1970	Hvirlan
11	53:18	Anna Sofía	Eysturoy	1963	Bragdið
12	53:59	Adelaid	Kirke	1968	Hvirlan
13	54:39	Bjørg	Nielsen	1974	Bragdið
14	55:00	Tina	Kruse Dam	1977	Bragdið
15	58:27	Jóhanna	Vang	1964	Bragdið
16	61:24	Eyðna	Simonsen	1964	Bragdið
17	61:33	Johanna	Egholm	1975	Bragdið
18	65:24	Ingun	Olsen	1959	Bragdið
Men veterans 1959-68 approx. 8 km
1	35:19	Hallur	Holm	1967	Bragdið
2	38:04	Jóhan M	Jacobsen	1966	Roysnið
3	38:37	Guttorm	Sørensen	1968	Treysti
4	38:56	Jonhard	Larsen	1966	Treysti
5	38:56	Arnfinn	Johannessen	1965	Roysnið
6	39:35	Hjalmar	Sjóvará	1966	Bragdið
7	40:25	Herluf	Jakobsen	1963	Bragdið
8	42:03	Kári	Simonsen	1959	Bragdið
9	42:03	Hilmar	Høgenni	1962	Bragdið
10	42:58	Egil	Olsen	1963	Roysnið
Women veterans -1968 – approx. 8 km
1	43:50	Ann	Thomsen	1966	Bragdið
2	47:34	Hergerð	Heldarskarð	1968	Bragdið
3	49:42	Astrid	Joensen	1967	Roysnið
4	53:18	Anna Sofía	Eysturoy	1963	Bragdið
5	53:59	Adelaid	Kirke	1968	Hvirlan
6	58:27	Jóhanna	Vang	1964	Bragdið
7	61:24	Eyðna	Simonsen	1964	Bragdið
8	65:24	Ingun	Olsen	1959	Bragdið
Men super veterans -1958 – approx. 8 km
1	39:05	Jens	Weihe	1947	Frælsi
2	42:11	Pól	Sundskarð	1957	Treysti
3	45:55	Gunnar	Simonsen	1952	Treysti
4	46:20	Jóanes	Ortind	1951	Bragdið
5	47:26	Robert	Vilhelmsen	1951	Bragdið