Race Review: Polar Night Half Marathon
Look at any list of "must do" half marathons and the Polar Night Half Marathon is bound to feature.
So, how to describe it? A race which takes place within the Polar Circle, in darkness, sub-zero temperatures and on trails formed of compacted snow and ice. In a nutshell, a totally brilliant race that you should really try and do if you ever get the chance .
I have had my eye on the Polar Night Half for many years after I saw a race report from a fellow Wimbledon Windmilers runner. I was a full time carer to my disabled child for many years and so races were limited to events only a short distance away from my home - which is not too bad considering I live in London so I still got to participate in some great races.
Things are very different for me now. Sadly my little girl died a year ago this month and just as running helped me with the stress of caring it has now helping me with my grief. I decided to make the Polar Night Half my first race of the year, and what an incredible race.
The race starts in Tromso, the Paris of the North, which I discovered is further north than Iceland and sits within the Arctic Circle. This means that for many months of the year it experiences Polar Night. For only a few short hours during the day in the winter months there is some light, like a very overcast winter day in the UK but by about 2pm it's pitch black outside.
I picked up my race number at the City Hall in the morning while it was still light and by the time the race was due to start it was pitch black. The whole town had a deep covering of snow and the closed road and off-road route was formed of compacted snow and ice (I have been told that some years it's been a few degrees warmer and there has been no snow on the route).
We gathered on the start line, apparently around 40 nations were represented. First off at 3pm was the half marathon, there was a 10k wave at 3.15 followed closely by a 5k race. I had borrowed some running crampons from a friend, these are absolutely essential for maintaining grip on the undulating course and once we set off I was pleased I had not opted just to risk my trail shoes.
The route is lit all the way by flaming torches, it passes through a suburban area with picture book scandinavian houses, families stood outside chanting "heia! heia!" to the runners, the Norwegian for "go on" . Once we left the suburbs the route followed paths alongside coastal roads, out to to the airport with a few loopy bits before winding back along the coast. The return route was brutal as the wind had picked up and I was grateful for my buff to protect my face from the freezing snow being blown across the bay. Back into town the crowds were still out despite the sub zero temperatures and I crossed the finish line as my name and number was announced over the tannoy.
Next to the finish line was a traditional lavvo tent with a roaring wood fire where runners gathered in foil blankets to warm up.
Tromso is not cheap and it's over 3 hours away by plane but worth every penny to run this incredible race. My medal has a picture of the northern lights on it, I didn't get to see them but I did get to go husky sledding in the mountains the next day.
Top tips for the race would be to wear layers - I wore a base layer, tshirt, windproof jacket, buff hat and gloves. I was originally planning to just wear my compression tights but at the last minute put a second pair over them - I'm really glad I did that, you don't realise how cold it is while you are running but when I reached into my pocket at the halfway point and found that my gel had frozen I was glad for the extra layers on my legs. I had also bought merino wool running socks from Inov8 beforehand as I was really worried about my feet becoming wet and cold. I ended up wearing two pairs of merino socks for the race and my feet were toasty. The running crampons just slipped over my normal road shoes. I had not had a chance to try them out beforehand as they are really only designed for running on ice but they were absolutely fine and in fact gave me the confidence to really go for it on the the downhill stretches.
I finished the race in 2:12. They say you should add an extra 20 minutes onto your usual HM time in this race. Personally it was the wind on the return leg which was tough as there is no shelter from houses for a few miles but I also wanted to really soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the beautiful polar night. Everyone was so friendly and the event organisation was brilliant. There were water stations and plenty of marshals and the torches lining the route meant that we didn't need headlights.
Would I do it again? Absolutely! Although I'll have to save my pennies, Norway isn't the cheapest of countries for a weekend away.
Travel Logistics:
I flew direct from London Gatwick with Norwegian Air. The airport is only 15 minutes away by shuttle bus and once you are in Tromso there are great bus services and everything is in very easy reach.
So, how to describe it? A race which takes place within the Polar Circle, in darkness, sub-zero temperatures and on trails formed of compacted snow and ice. In a nutshell, a totally brilliant race that you should really try and do if you ever get the chance .
I have had my eye on the Polar Night Half for many years after I saw a race report from a fellow Wimbledon Windmilers runner. I was a full time carer to my disabled child for many years and so races were limited to events only a short distance away from my home - which is not too bad considering I live in London so I still got to participate in some great races.
Things are very different for me now. Sadly my little girl died a year ago this month and just as running helped me with the stress of caring it has now helping me with my grief. I decided to make the Polar Night Half my first race of the year, and what an incredible race.
The race starts in Tromso, the Paris of the North, which I discovered is further north than Iceland and sits within the Arctic Circle. This means that for many months of the year it experiences Polar Night. For only a few short hours during the day in the winter months there is some light, like a very overcast winter day in the UK but by about 2pm it's pitch black outside.
I picked up my race number at the City Hall in the morning while it was still light and by the time the race was due to start it was pitch black. The whole town had a deep covering of snow and the closed road and off-road route was formed of compacted snow and ice (I have been told that some years it's been a few degrees warmer and there has been no snow on the route).
We gathered on the start line, apparently around 40 nations were represented. First off at 3pm was the half marathon, there was a 10k wave at 3.15 followed closely by a 5k race. I had borrowed some running crampons from a friend, these are absolutely essential for maintaining grip on the undulating course and once we set off I was pleased I had not opted just to risk my trail shoes.
The route is lit all the way by flaming torches, it passes through a suburban area with picture book scandinavian houses, families stood outside chanting "heia! heia!" to the runners, the Norwegian for "go on" . Once we left the suburbs the route followed paths alongside coastal roads, out to to the airport with a few loopy bits before winding back along the coast. The return route was brutal as the wind had picked up and I was grateful for my buff to protect my face from the freezing snow being blown across the bay. Back into town the crowds were still out despite the sub zero temperatures and I crossed the finish line as my name and number was announced over the tannoy.
Next to the finish line was a traditional lavvo tent with a roaring wood fire where runners gathered in foil blankets to warm up.
Tromso is not cheap and it's over 3 hours away by plane but worth every penny to run this incredible race. My medal has a picture of the northern lights on it, I didn't get to see them but I did get to go husky sledding in the mountains the next day.
Top tips for the race would be to wear layers - I wore a base layer, tshirt, windproof jacket, buff hat and gloves. I was originally planning to just wear my compression tights but at the last minute put a second pair over them - I'm really glad I did that, you don't realise how cold it is while you are running but when I reached into my pocket at the halfway point and found that my gel had frozen I was glad for the extra layers on my legs. I had also bought merino wool running socks from Inov8 beforehand as I was really worried about my feet becoming wet and cold. I ended up wearing two pairs of merino socks for the race and my feet were toasty. The running crampons just slipped over my normal road shoes. I had not had a chance to try them out beforehand as they are really only designed for running on ice but they were absolutely fine and in fact gave me the confidence to really go for it on the the downhill stretches.
I finished the race in 2:12. They say you should add an extra 20 minutes onto your usual HM time in this race. Personally it was the wind on the return leg which was tough as there is no shelter from houses for a few miles but I also wanted to really soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the beautiful polar night. Everyone was so friendly and the event organisation was brilliant. There were water stations and plenty of marshals and the torches lining the route meant that we didn't need headlights.
Would I do it again? Absolutely! Although I'll have to save my pennies, Norway isn't the cheapest of countries for a weekend away.
Travel Logistics:
I flew direct from London Gatwick with Norwegian Air. The airport is only 15 minutes away by shuttle bus and once you are in Tromso there are great bus services and everything is in very easy reach.
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