Bergen Marathons: Why I Haven’t Been Here for a While ;)

Chasing after training sessions, good food, relaxation, and work didn’t leave me much time for writing. But I do have some personal successes to share!

At the end of April 2024, I participated in the fantastic Bergen City Half Marathon, and at the beginning of June, I completed the Bergen Mountain Half Marathon. Just a year ago, I ran my first 5 km, and I never would have thought that I’d be able to complete the Bergen half marathon – known to be quite challenging due to its mountainous terrain.

The most important thing I want to highlight is that anything is possible if it’s well planned. Preparing for a half marathon requires not just training but also personal determination to follow through with a well-prepared plan. I started my training late, only in March, so my training schedule was very tight – I couldn’t miss a single run.

I also read a lot about preparation on professional runners’ websites because it’s better to learn from others’ mistakes than from your own. Of course, I made my own mistakes too, but ultimately, I proudly finished the half marathon with a much better time than I expected and than GPT-4 calculated for me – I finished in 2:39:57! That is my great success!

On June 6th, the 11th Bergen Fjellmarathon took place – a half marathon in the mountains surrounding Bergen. I assure you, it’s a Viking adventure! The weather was terrible, it rained non-stop for four days before the race, so there was mud everywhere, it was slippery, and it was cold. I ran this half marathon last year, so the course was not a surprise to me, but the weather conditions were simply awful!

I managed to get a time 12 minutes better than the previous year, but I was overjoyed to have reached the finish line in one piece. I’ll just add this – the Norwegian government should give me a Norwegian passport without me having to apply because only crazy Vikings can take on such a run!

Despite everything, it was fantastic because, for me, being in the mountains, with nature, and challenging my own weaknesses is worth the most. I didn’t have the best finish time, but I had the best time with myself.

Warm regards to you all, and I wish you success in achieving your goals, even the smallest ones – because that’s our joy and our pride!