Machine-translated from Faroese and not yet reviewed. Read the original.
The 12th edition of Top Run was special in several ways. This was the second time Bragdið organised it, after the sports club in Mjørkadalur was disbanded. The weather was the very best running weather. Just a light breeze, dry and mild. Up at the finish, 700 metres above sea level, it was calm. Conditions for running Top Run in September will hardly ever be this good again.
It was a familiar face who reached the top of Sornfelli far ahead of everyone else. And that was hardly a coincidence, as Sam Vang won Top Run for the eighth time. For the first few kilometres Sam and Marnar Djurhuus battled for the lead, but Marnar dropped out with an injury. The rest was one big solo show from Sam, who was aiming to beat Sigurð Justinussen’s old record time (45:02) and so become the second-fastest Top Run runner ever. The current record belongs to Marnar Djurhuus, who last year ran just over 43 minutes. Sam has come close to Sigurð’s time several times, but once again it was a case of so near and yet so far, as in the end he came up 10 seconds short.
8 wins in Top Run – the hard early pace with Marnar Djurhuus perhaps cost Sam Vang a time under 45 minutes.
The first woman across the line was not a woman. Maria Biskopstø is a highly talented distance runner with incredibly good oxygen uptake. But that she, a little girl of just twelve, should beat the tough Rigmor N. Arge and middle-distance specialist Rebekka Fuglø in the hardest running race in the Faroe Islands is quite incredible. Perhaps not entirely unexpected, though, as she has already shown her immense talent several times.
The top three women: Maria Biskopstø, Rigmor N. Arge and Rebekka Fuglø. Together with Rógvi Johansen, Hans Erland Thomsen and Jens R. Weihe. Maria (b. 2002) and Hans Erland (b. 2003) ran like seasoned adult runners. (photo courtesy of Jens Kr. Vang)
The best men can also expect stiffer competition in the coming years, as 11-year-old Hans Erland Thomsen showed that he is made of something very special. Overall he finished third among those under 40. That category was won by Ólavur Egholm, whom we otherwise don’t see very often at running races. But when Top Run is on the programme, Ólavur is fit for fight, and he has won many an honour in this race.
12-year-old Maria Biskopstø won the women under 40 category, and got to stand between a government minister and a two-time Danish champion.
Men over 40: Hallur Holm, Sam Vang and Andrass Joensen
Women over 40: Birna Abrahamsen, Rigmor N. Arge and Sigrid Bjartalíð
Men under 40: Einar Gregersen, Ólavur Egholm and Hans Erland Thomsen
Photos courtesy of Borgar Biskopstø.
All the results from the race can be found at this link: https://app.lap.io/event/2014-top-run/results
More photos by Jens Kr. Vang on Portalurin can be found at this link: http://aktuelt.fo/m-29502-myndir+toprun.savn?fb_action_ids=10204591484097124&fb_action_types=og.comments
