Ice stops the TF Winter Series at Undir Kerjum

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

Everything was ready. Runners in their droves and a big team of helpers. The rolls were buttered and the cake was baked. The wind had died down, and the sun was competing with the happy faces at Undir Kerjum to see who could shine brightest. The sports programme 3-2 was ready – yes, even doping control turned up, when the second round of the TF Winter Series was to be run on and around the horse track on Saturday at 13:00.

But there was one big BUT. The overnight frost had turned more or less the whole course to ice. There was no question of encouraging people to race in such conditions, where in places it was almost impossible to stay on your feet. An alternative course was considered, but it turned out that all the footpaths in Marknagil were also sheer glass.

It is not often that the Winter Series is cancelled or postponed. There have often been snowstorms and fierce gusts during the race, so it has taken a lot for a race to be cancelled. That made it all the more disappointing that now, in the most beautiful weather, we had no option but to cancel the race that day because of the icy conditions.

It wasn’t equally slippery everywhere, and here it was perfectly possible to run. In the picture on the left we see Ingi Johannesen and Hjalti Gunnarstein at the front and Helgi Johannesen behind. On the right are the Klaksvík girls Oddvør Josephsen and Maria Biskopstø

But the Kerjar run itself is about more than racing, and most of the runners went out with everyone else onto the paths on this lovely day for a more relaxed run, which for most of them also turned out to be a good outing. The decision to cancel the race itself proved not to be unfounded. Because even though the run could now be taken at an easy pace, there was still an accident in which someone broke an arm.

What remains is that the format of the TF Winter Series 2016-17 has to be changed. Now a maximum of seven rounds can be run, and the competition committee therefore has to decide whether four rounds will be enough to complete the overall Winter Series, or whether to stick with the five rounds. The competition committee also has to work out what the bonus system should now look like.