Machine-translated from Faroese and not yet reviewed. Read the original.
Tomorrow, Sunday, is another big Faroese marathon day. Two major marathons that usually have Faroese participants take place tomorrow. In Germany, one of the world’s very biggest and best marathons is being held tomorrow. Berlin Marathon always draws a lot of Faroese runners, and this year around 40 Faroese are taking part. In Odense, Denmark’s second-largest marathon will be run tomorrow. H.C. Andersen Marathon is also hosting the Danish Marathon Championships on Sunday.
Faroese names to watch
Several of the Faroe Islands’ strongest marathon runners will be racing tomorrow. As mentioned, the Danish Marathon Championships are in Odense, and that is where our strong card, Valborg Heinesen, will compete, representing Sparta. It has been a while since Valborg last ran a marathon. That was before she really started structured training, so we can expect rather more of her now.
Judging by the start list, there is a good chance that Valborg will be competing right up at the front among the top five. There is no clear favourite on the day. On its website, Dansk Atletikforbund names four strong women who will be competing for the Danish Championship medals. Valborg is not mentioned, but I definitely think they have forgotten a name there. A lot can happen over such a long distance, and Valborg has a good chance of competing for the medals. We’ll say no more than that, but it will be exciting to follow online. The race starts at 09:00 Faroese time.
The rising star of Faroese women’s running, Marna Egholm, is also racing tomorrow. She is among the many Faroese running in Berlin tomorrow. Marna has been running very well recently, and a time under three hours is within reach. So far only Joan Bláfoss has gone under three hours, but hopefully both Marna and Valborg will follow her lead. Marna in Berlin and Valborg in Odense.
Valborg Heinesen runs the H.C. Andersen Marathon tomorrow and is expected to be part of the battle for the Danish Championship title.
We should not expect any super time from the men that could threaten Absalon Hansen’s Faroese record. But our veteran runners are very strong. It will be exciting to see how fast Henry Olsen can run. He turned 50 this week and therefore has the advantage of being among the youngest in the 50-54 age group. On top of that, Henry is in the form of his life, and a time under 2:50 is by no means impossible.
A large group from Bragdið is in Berlin, and their training has long been geared towards this challenge. Every single runner has their own challenge. Some want to break the four-hour barrier, others 3.5 hours. Some want to set a personal best, while others just want to finish.
FÍF wishes everyone the best of luck tomorrow. Remember to run the first 25 km with your head and the last 17 with your legs.
You can download an app from the Berlin Marathon website and use it to follow all the Faroese runners. The race in Berlin starts at 08:00 Faroese time
The same applies to the race in Odense, where Valborg is running with bib number 120.
Checking that everything is in order at the start. Tina, Krista, Eydna, Bjørt, Hergerð, Ann and Petur Martin (photo: Ann Thomsen)
