The Gothenburg half marathon

I love Sweden and running so I needed no persuading when the opportunity arose whereby I could combine the two. I hadn’t raced in Sweden since the Stockholm half back in September 2012 which turned out to be one of my favourite races ever so perhaps Gothenburg could steal Stockholm’s crown?

I arrived in a rainy Gothenburg and got the bus to my hotel which was humongous. It was the official race hotel and was also playing host to the race expo where some 64,000 registered starters would be turning up over the course of Friday afternoon and Saturday morning to pick up their race numbers. In case you mistook your eyes you did read that correctly. 64,000 runners. It’s the largest half marathon in the World which is amazing. Were the streets of Gothenburg going to be wide enough to host all of the runners I thought?

I made my way into the expo for a quick dash to get my number. I was in the first start wave (just after the elites) at 1pm on Saturday afternoon. The last start wave was due to go at 4pm again demonstrating the volume of runners there were going to be on the day. It was also a very unusual affair to have the race on a Saturday (Stockholm did this too) but I was enjoying the Swedes train of thought by having the race on a Saturday allowing participants to indulge in a celebratory drink on the evening post race (and enabling one more day post drinking / running for recovery before the return to work.)

After packet pick up I was free to enjoy what the city had to offer. First point of call was lunch 

(meatballs of course) and a nice chai latte afterwards. As they say in The Sound of Music those are two of my favourite Swedish things. OK, so I changed the title a little bit but it’s almost the same.

Race day was here. It is a little odd not having to set an alarm to get up and even more so that I could enjoy a leisurely shower followed by breakfast overlooking the city from the 23^rd floor of my hotel. 

This was a very much different race preparation to 6 days earlier in Oxford. I started to make my way to the race just under two hours ahead of my start time. I never like to be rushed even though being in panic may do wonders for my adrenaline I have yet to find out. But perhaps Gothenburg was about to test that?

I went to the tram stop just outside the hotel to find there was already a mammoth queue of around 200 people. One of the information people informed me that the electricity on the line had actually just gone out so we would now need to queue for the bus. The line of people was overflowing into the main road already and it didn’t take someone from Apple Store’s Genius Bar to work out that when a bus arrived not many of us would be getting on it. I thought this could be the time either I miss my start time or get there by the skin of my teeth.

After a wait of around 40 minutes we spotted a tram arriving. After checking with Steven we could confirm it wasn’t a mirage and the electricity must be back up and running. The queue migrated across the road to the tram stop. Admittedly I couldn’t get on the first one but with them arriving every few minutes I was on one (and with a seat) in no time. As we were approaching our stop I overheard a guy say to his son that the pedestrian bridge crossing the dual carriage way was where he had to run to the finish line. That can’t be right I thought? Surely this number of runners would not make it over the narrow bridge would they? He must have meant that the road would be closed and we would cross there surely?

The start area was huge and there was media everywhere. Steven spotted that Scott Overall from GBR was on the elite start list. He has been at quite a lot of the races I have done over the years so it would be nice to see how he did today.

Similar to the race in Oxford it was pleasant to be able to strip down to my running gear and not feel cold as I entered my corral. We were then on the 10 second countdown (in Swedish of course) and the first of 64,000 then crossed the line.

I had met a few fellow runners the day before who had told me the first 5km were tough and had some hills. So as we descended into the park I was thinking that course seemed quite pleasant (albeit rather crowded with thousands of participants.) The park itself was pretty and the crowds were plentiful, many having setup picnics clearly ready to watch the race for the entire afternoon. As we started our ascent out of the park though I could really feel it. It definitely was a hill. As we made our way past the 4km mark I knew we were approaching the river and the bridge to cross it. What I hadn’t known was that the climb up to the bridge would be so severe. It was hard. There’s no other way to describe it. Even as we were on the bridge whilst it offered great views of the city and water below it still was an incline up to the middle where we would be given a little respite before the descent back down to water level. The climb had taken it out of me a bit but I was still maintaining a good pace around 6m 12s per mile. I was pleased with that. As we carried on we were taken through various dockyards that were now being regenerated. The city definitely had a very industrial vibe to it. I liked it. We passed Radio Sweden’s HQ which had a large crowd outside and some good tunes (mainly Bruno Mars who seemingly is uber popular in SE since I heard his music three times on the course) although a tour guide did warn me not to get too closed to people wo worked at Radio Sweden as they are radioactive. Boom boom.

Just after this I was approaching the 7KM marker when I recognised a face pulling up next to me. It was Scott Overall. He was limping and clearly just about to stop. I noticed him too late to say some words of encouragement but having checked his results it seems he didn’t manage to complete the race which was a real shame.

As I passed KM 11 I actually started to feel more in control and in my usual flow. Perhaps I had now recovered from the bridge which was lucky as we were about to cross back over the river via another bridge to the city. Not quite as steep as the previous one but still steep none the less. It took it out of me again and I welcomed the descent down to the city on the other side. Now with only about 4kms left to go I just kept thinking about the end. I thought I could get there in about 1h 23m or so. That’s for my total time – not a further 1h 23m!

I was pacing just behind a very Swedish looking young guy who had a t-shirt on saying “Fuck cancer” on the back. I agree with his tshirt’s sentiments and used him as a pacemaker all the way to the finish.

We were near the park where we started and I could see ahead that the route did indeed cross over the pedestrian bridge that I had dismissed on the tram ride to the start. I ate my words and then made my way up the slope to get to the top. As I entered the park it wasn’t long before I saw Steven and then I was in the small stadium for the final 150m. I crossed the line in 1h 24m on the nose. I placed 107^th which I was really pleased with (although having checked back today to ensure I was still in the same position and not been downgraded by faster people in start groups behind me I seem to have actually risen to 106^th.) Not sure what happened to that person ahead of me? Disqualification? I’ll have to find out the scandal if there was one.

So it was a tough race but a good one. I am pleased to have taken part in the largest half marathon in the World and to have finished in the top 1%.

It hasn’t knocked Stockholm out of the rankings as one of my favourite city races but none the less I enjoyed it (especially the chai lattes, biscotti and cinnamon buns post-race.)

We're off!

It looks uphill doesn't it? Vaguely!! 

My result (although now it seems I am 106th?!)

P.S. At least this didn't happen to me. Not sure I would have carried on in his situation?!

http://gawker.com/what-happened-to-the-runner-who-shit-himself-during-a-h-1681442684

The Oxford Town & Gown 10km

On the 15^th May I had my first race back since the London Marathon on the 24^th April.

Post marathon I had suffered from a nasty cough for about a week which despite my best drinking efforts over the bank holiday weekend would not entirely subside. I thought alcohol was meant to kill germs?

However; by last weekend I was feeling fit and ready to take on my next race. I’ll be honest – I was grateful it was to be a much shorter one too.

Oxford is a lovely town and the day before the race I had enjoyed the sunshine whilst wandering around the stunning colleges and eating a cream tea. After all, I’d run it off the next day right?

As I settled into my hotel room post dinner (and to watch Eurovision in bed) I realised that I hadn’t bought anything to eat for breakfast. Oops. I figured there must be somewhere along the short walk into town to get to the start where I would be able to get sustenance so I didn’t worry and went to sleep.

In the morning I found out two things. Firstly; Ukraine had been victorious at Eurovision (beating Australia who were in the lead when I went to the land of nod.) Secondly; on my way into town the only place I spotted to buy breakfast was Londis. The breakfast of champions (two bananas and a nutri grain breakfast bar) was what I had to enjoy whilst still walking to the start. This was athleticism at its best.

Having stocked up on the above mentioned food I then passed Pret serving piping hot porridge. #Devastated.

Lining up for the start I was excited and relishing being able to take off my tracksuit and wait for the start gun without shivering my tits off.

We were off. The course took us through the historic centre of town and through the parks as well. I noticed I was pacing at around 5m 40s per mile for the first mile or so which was pretty fast and a pace I knew I wouldn’t maintain. At around 4km a guy mentioned to me that he had set off too fast and I agreed with him (about myself, not him!)

We looped around where we had started and soon we went past the 6km mark. I love that point in a 10km as it means you are well and truly on the home stretch. The end finished back in the park and I crossed the line in 38m 10s placing me 64^th out of around 4,000 starters. It was by no means a PB but it was an enjoyable race and still not a shabby time.

I enjoyed another cream tea post-race. I had run the one off from yesterday and surely banked a little extra to have another today? 

Shocked that Australia are in the lead in Eurovison. How is that possible?!

Stunning Oxford:

Breakfast of champions on the go:

I'm done:

Buenos Aires: a run in the Big Apple

So it's been a long time ago but I went for a run in Buenos Aires back in January of this year.

It was on a private running tour and whilst the finer details are now probably a little wasted I wanted to share the highlights:

 - I had a private running tour with these people http://www.urbanrunningtours.com.ar/eng/index.html

 - It was thoroughly enjoyable

 - We covered around 14km across the city during the morning

 - We saw the city come to life as commuters hit the roads

 - We passed a giant flower sculpture

 - We passed some amazing street art

 - We stopped at the polo and racing track

 - We crossed the superb large boulevards in the city

 - We passed through a quiet part of town that was hard to believe was just behind the hustle and bustle of the city

 - I would recommend doing this tour if you have the chance

 - Buenos Aires is one of my favourite cities in the World.

City 23 done: Rio

So onto the last city. I couldn’t quite believe it. Taking stock of what I had achieved so far it really did feel a little surreal. Technically I had already raced in every summer Olympic city as the Games in Rio were not due to take place until August 2016 and I was heading out for my race in Rio in January of that year.

I had never been to Latin America and running in Rio gave me the perfect excuse to visit a few places that had been on my wish list since a youngster. I had a two week trip coming up which consisted of Rio, the mighty Iguassu Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina, Buenos Aires and a short hop over to Colonia in Uruguay. I was beyond excited. It may not have seemed so as I am more of a shout about it inside kind of excitement but believe me when I say I was eager to get underway.

First stop Rio. I had a few days to explore the city before my race and a splendid few days they were. I was staying at a hotel directly on Copacabana beach. I challenge you to say the name of the beach without bursting into the Barry Manilow number. Couldn’t do it could you? Well maybe you could and that is the gay in me coming out (again.) That aside I began each morning in Rio with a run along the beach. The promenade is fantastic and full of runners, cyclists and pedestrians at all times of the day. The main road was actually closed on a Sunday so that the public could use it traffic free all the way along the beach. It was bloody marvellous and with the huge waves and amazing mountains (including the World famous Sugar Loaf Mountain) in constant view it was a real treat to be able to run this way. It was a perfect way to people watch and take in sights of very toned men (thanks for those Brazil), a large woman in a g string (no need for that Brazil) and a woman chasing her pet chicken across the road which seemed to be trying to provide an answer to the age old question of why the chicken crossed the road.

The city itself was fantastic. I visited the colourful Lapa Steps, climbed to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain (oh ok I’ll admit I got the cable car with everyone else) and took the train up the mountain to Christ the Redeemer (where I inappropriately muttered “Jesus Christ” to myself when getting frustrated with the gift shop being overrun with tourists) which dominates the skyline and sees every man and his dog taking selfies with JC himself. I am also now one of those people. It was all splendid and sums up why this city truly is World class and deserved of Olympic status. I am not lying when I say that my mouth dropped open at some of the views I was able to take in none more so that those from one of the Favelas that I visited. One thing I will say is that this must be the only city in the World where the wealthier residents live lower down than the poorer. In the Favela I went to a bar that had what I can only describe as million dollar views. In any other city the location of the bar would be beyond premium and cost a fortune to reside in. In Rio; however it remained a piece of the Favela and thus was surrounded by crowded and small houses for those with limited means.

Enjoying a Pina Colada (which in Brazil seems to have an additional ingredient of chocolate which I am not too sure about) on the terrace of said bar I was in awe of not only the coastline and natural beauty but the organized chaos of the favela below. Due to the steep climb up the hillside there are motor cycle cabs at the bottom of the village to take people up to the top. Rumour has it that when Rihanna was in town she organized a drinks party in the same bar that I was in but had not been able to reach it as her car was ambushed with fans when they knew it was her. Allegedly she returned to the bottom, put on a crash helmet and got a motorbike cab up to the bar without anyone even batting an eye. I did not have the same problem as Rihanna and my car made it up to the top with no fans stopping. However; perhaps my status in Brazil was due to change and the story in three days’ time would be totally different?

The race I had entered was called Corrida de Sao Sebastio. I had read about it in the ultimate runs to do around the World. Runners could choose between a 5km or 10km route and it was held on Wednesday 20^th January as this was a public holiday to celebrate Sao Sebastio. Made sense. I entered the 10km race and a couple of days ahead of the race I made my way to packet pickup in downtown Rio. The journey there was easy on the metro and I found the office building I needed quick enough. One thing I had instantly loved about Rio was the abundance of phone booths around the city. They were painted a lovely yellow and green and sported the phone network “Oi” on them. The ones outside the packet pick up office were less endearing shall we say. Inside were countless stickers for call girls; however ones with a difference. Let’s just say chick with a dick and you can imagine the rest.

Packet pick up was straight forward and I was all set for the race. The start time had been moved forward to 07:30am as it had been extremely hot in the previous weeks; although ironically the weather it seemed had now turned left at the traffic lights and was somewhat cloudy and rainy (although still around mid-twenties centigrade.)

Prior to leaving London the press office from the race had contacted me to ask why I was planning to compete in the race. I can only assume this was because I was either the only or one of the very few competitors with a listed address outside of Brazil. I explained to them about my challenge (secretly hoping they would want to do some PR) and they were thrilled to hear about it and were excited to welcome me to their event as my final race of the challenge. A few days later they contacted me to say that they had arranged an interview for me with one of the largest newspapers in Brazil called O Globo. Tres exciting. I was told to meet the reporter in my hotel the Monday after I arrived. She was called Gabriella, was 30 and had fair hair. Seemed simple enough. I went for a coffee somewhere nearby so as not to be late back to the hotel and had dressed in my typical smart casual attire. Returning to the hotel on time I spotted a lady waiting in reception who was clearly over 30 so I commented to Steven that it was definitely not the person waiting for me. Just at that time the receptionist said “Mr. Long, this is Ana and she is from O Globo and is waiting for you” pointing straight at the woman who I had just rebuffed as the reporter. Oops. Turns out she wasn’t the interviewer but the photographer and was going to be doing the shoot. Crumbs, I hadn’t really thought we would be doing an official shoot as the PR team had asked for previous race photos already so I thought they would use those. Nevertheless it was going to add to the fun.

Ana was extremely nice and shortly after our introductions a guy called William arrived and said he would be doing the interview. They both commented how smart I looked but ideally wanted me to be wearing running gear for the photo they would eventually use in the paper. A quick dash up to my room and I was changed and ready to “run” so to speak. When I say quick I was indeed speedy but still did have a quick fashion show (to myself in front of the bathroom mirror) in order to see which running top I looked best in. The City 2 Surf one from Sydney was the one that called to me.

Back with Ana and William they explained to me that the interview would be on page two of the newspaper which is a column called “tell me something I don’t know.” Essentially they were unique stories (from non-famous people) to feature every day in the paper. It seemed that my challenge met the criteria. First up was the photo shoot.

Ana suggested we go to the rooftop pool of my hotel so we could do pictures overlooking Copacabana Beach. She wasn’t convinced on the location since it has a glass balcony which would not have been conducive to clear pictures. So down we went to ground level and outside the hotel where she wanted to do pictures of me in a running position in front of the stunning hotels that faced the Atlantic Ocean. Weirdly I didn’t feel self-conscious about the process of the shoot at all. As Ana lay on the pavement to get a good angle and directed me to look forward, at her, smile or not smile it felt quite natural and fun. What your back Kate Moss, there is a new basic bitch in town. After about 5 minutes Ana said that she had all she needed and we were done. She said usually it takes a lot longer than that but she was pleased with the shots. Milan fashion week here I come I thought.

Back inside the hotel William then interviewed me for about 45 minutes. He asked about the challenge, why I ran, why I thought other people ran and had I noticed the difference in cultures in the cities that I had run in. He finished with the question that marks the essence of page 2 and “tell me something I don’t know.” Well; below is the full article (translated from Portuguese) and as you can see it not only answers all his questions but has a title which I intend to now adopt every time I make a first introduction to someone.

So race day was now upon us. It was an early start to get up, shower and run to breakfast for a couple of bananas before hopping in a taxi to the start line. At this point I still didn’t know the course of the run but I knew that we would be able to see Sugar Loaf Mountain (should the mist disappear that is.) The start area was well set up and the temperature at 6:45am was already 20 degrees centigrade. It was particularly sunny but the humidity was definitely up there. There were many running club tents (all of which Steven was hoping to get a free coffee from but to no avail) and many runners who looked in good shape. I did a short warm up and joined the crowds in the starting pen. On my way there I noticed a man who looked in his 70s ready with his race number on and his timing chip tied around his ankle as he would be running barefoot. Crazy.

As we lined the start there was a man right at the front carrying a ukulele and performed a little tune whilst we watched the elite woman depart ahead of us. Totally random race etiquette but fun none the less.

Shortly after the woman had left the elite men joined the pen ahead of us. As they gathered around I thought they would be going first followed by another start of the “masses” a minute or so after. However; as the horn went the elite men were off and so it seemed were we. I was caught totally by surprise and was pulled along with the crowds across the start line. We were off!

The roads we were on were very wide so I didn’t get caught between many people as can sometimes be the case and within a few minutes I was in my own rhythm. Ahead of me I could see the 1`km mark. Surely no? As I passed it I glanced at my watch to notice I had done the first kilometer in 3m 21s. Pretty fast. Way to fast in fact to maintain in these weather conditions. I carried on just enjoying the fact that we were running along the coast. Beautiful even though the mist was blocking some of the view. As we reached around 2.5km we passed an amazing monument (to this day I don’t know what it was) and circled back on ourselves back towards the start. It was hot and I was uber sweaty. As we reached the 5km mark the road was divided into two (the left for those in the 5km race and the right for the 10km racers.) For the first time in my running career I had a small thought that I wished I were doing the shorter distance. I had no choice though, man up and carry on. The next few kilometers took us past Sugar Loaf Mountain (or Sugar Tits as Steven had come to affectionately refer to it as) and up to a superb swimming pool which marked our second turning point. The stretch back to the finish was tough I am not going to lie. The heat was something I was not used to and the water stops couldn’t come soon enough (entirely to pour on my head rather than drink you understand.)

My initial pace had as expected not been sustained I was averaging a 4 minute kilometer now which I was fine with. I wasn’t aiming for a PB. The 9km marker passed me on my left and I was on the home stretch. The finish line look gorgeous as I saw it up ahead. The 5km racers re-joined us on the left to cross the finish line and over the line I went. 38m 11s which was just outside the 38m target I had wanted to beat (from about the halfway point.) I placed 35^th which I was still pleased with given that the majority of finishers ahead of me were elite.

So that was that. My challenge was done. How did I feel? Weird is all I can say. I didn’t cry (yet) or laugh. I did; however enjoy the watermelon and bananas they gave me (along with my final medal) at the finish. I did my finish photos by the sea and in the taxi back to the hotel reflected on what I had achieved. I was silently happy.

Before leaving for the race in the morning I had posted on Facebook that only 10km stood in between me finishing my Olympic Challenge. As I logged on when I got back to the room I had hundreds of likes and numerous comments congratulating me already and saying I was an inspiration to my friends. I was really touched. As I said I hadn’t cried yet but then I read one final comment. My friend congratulated me and said that wherever my parents were (having both passed away) they would be looking down on me bursting with pride. I couldn’t hold it in a shed a few tears. I really do hope I have made them proud.

So there; I did cry at the end of the challenge which I guess I should have really shouldn’t I? I showered and made it back down to the breakfast room in the hotel in time for a late sitting. Bonus. They had champagne on the table so it was nice for Steven and I to raise a toast to what I had done.

That afternoon we flew down to the Iguassu Falls to enjoy a few days in the National Park which was beyond spectacular. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like the falls before, especially when we took a speedboat to the foot of the falls. It is one of the most alive moments I have ever felt.

All too soon my time in Brazil had come to an end but I still had a week of holidays to look forward to as I went to Argentina and Uruguay. An amazing trip to say the least.

Leaving Brazil I felt content and I was really looking forward to being able to watch the Olympics in a city I had just been to in a mere 7 months’ time.

So that was it. I was done.

Photo shoot on Copacabana Beach:

DONE!