Serpie Planner - event reports
Copenhagen Marathon (16 May 2004)
A well organised race in Copenhagen. This was a new route, with three approximately even laps (the first and third almost identical). This new route allowed the organisers to close off the roads for the first time for this event. The course is a bit winding, requiring some care to avoid bollards and step over kerbs, but it was quite well marshalled and there is no danger of getting lost.
Copenhagen is pictaresque; it is peaceful, clean and civilised, and a lovely place to spend the weekend. Thoroughly recommended.
Karen Hancock had a great return to marathon running after 15 years away, surpassing her own expectations to finish fourth V45 lady. Henriette Wendt completed her first marathon, achieving her goal of running under 4 hours. And I finally managed to break the 3 hour barrier. So despite the hot weather, we all came away rather pleased.
race report by Owen Barder
Copenhagen Marathon (21 May 2006)
Adding to the report from the previous year in 2005, the course was generally flat, although more undulating than advertised. The atmosphere was excellent with large support crowds (bigger than Edinburgh \'05) and was really well organised, especially at the end where space blankets, cereal bars, fruit, hot chocolate, yoghurt, fruit, strange hard raisin buns, red roses (for the women), a great wicking tee-shirt and medals were presented. Not to mention a pint of Carlsberg to aid the recovery?? Marshals were great, many on bikes to check on runners in the more isolated parts of the course and there were a number of points on the course with some musical entertainment. There were also porta-loos at most drinks stations.
One key criticism of the race was the feeding stations, all of which provided both water and powerade (lemon) , and three provided fruit (apples, bananas and oranges). In addition, there was one powerbar gel stop. The drinks at the feed stations were unfortunately handed out by unenthusiastic volunteers in plastic cups! This caused havoc at each feeding station, resulting in a 50 metre tail-back before reaching the station, due to runners having to walk to consume the fluids. I guarantee that I would have achieved my sub-4hr time had it not been for stopping, starting, struggling to grab a drink and getting caught in the slow moving traffic.
I feel that this was bad planning, and totally unacceptable to provide drinks in cups - given that this is organised by marathon runners, I think is merely a way of them cutting costs. SO top tip if you are running, take your own with you, either on the run itself or make use of the facility to put your own drinks in a box which are transported to each drinks station - I would have done this had I known! Another grumble was that the powerade was watered down so much, it was like drinking water, so I was glad that I had bought my own gel with me.
Serpie support was fantastic as usual, not sure how many of us were there, but its always great to hear \'come on serpie\' even if you don\'t know who or where its coming from!
We stayed at the Marriot Hotel on the Harbour front, which was 200m from the start & finish (very convenient but not cheap). Stay here for added convenience (or any hotel on the Harbour front) if the start is again on Vester Volgade by the Black Diamond Library.
Report by Victoria Johnson.