Tórshavn Marathon almost full

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

There are still 12 days until the 14th edition of Tórshavn Marathon gets under way on Vaglið on Saturday morning, 4 June. But those who plan to wait as long as possible before registering may end up empty-handed, as only 50 places are left on the start list.

450 runners and walkers have already registered for the full marathon, the half marathon and the half walking marathon. That is by far the most ever. Last year Krabbameinsfelagið came up with the idea of including a half walking marathon in the programme, and it proved so popular that bringing it back this year was a matter of course. Around 150 people have registered for the walking event.

Bragdið has set the limit at 500 participants. This is done so as not to grow too fast and too suddenly. Last year there was a participation record with 350 runners and walkers, and it went well. And now Bragdið is trying to set the limit at 500. Everyone should of course have a good experience on a day like this, and it would be unfortunate if various parts of the organisation failed simply because you want to grow too big for your boots, says Herluf Jakobsen, who is one of the main people behind Tórshavn Marathon.

For a few years the start and finish were at SMS. This photo is from the start in 2011, when a huge crowd also took part in the public health run.

And then there are our friends from Sparta in Copenhagen. They are coming to Tórshavn in large numbers for Tórshavn Marathon. Sparta is the club that organises Copenhagen Marathon, and its volunteers and pacers are rewarded with a marathon trip from the club in return for their efforts. It should be said that the pacers have several duties at various Sparta events. The plan was for them to come last year, but the limited accommodation available in the Faroe Islands forced them to go elsewhere. But this time steps were taken early to secure enough beds for this year. There will be more than 50 of them, and we will no doubt notice their light-blue and dark-blue club kit.

Jóhan Simonsen, left, is again the chief organiser this year, while Herluf Jakobsen, right, is 1st mate. Pictured last Sunday after Copenhagen Marathon

Otherwise, preparations for Tórshavn Marathon are going well. It takes a great many volunteers to organise an event as big as a marathon, and at the moment Bragdið is filling the last posts, says Herluf Jakobsen. He says that he currently has more than 100 names on the volunteer list. But there is a limit to how much can be done before the race, because most of the work is done on the day itself.

The public health run now returns after a few years in exile. The public health run has often had a great many runners taking part, so we can expect a real running party in the town centre, in Hoyvík, out to Kaldbaksbotnur and out in Argir on Saturday 4 June.