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A Spontaneous Arctic Run at 12 in the Night, with the Sun above You.
The flight descended over Tromsø, giving me a view of the Tromsøya island. The city of Tromsø sits on the Tromsøya island, and I could see snow-capped mountains and tiny houses on both sides of the Tromsø Bridge. This detour was not part of my plan.
I read about the Midnight Sun Marathon while I was in Copenhagen. Witnessing the Northern Lights in Tromso was always on my bucket list. But the aurora sighting was out of scope at this time of year. Yet, I could not walk away, especially while I was in Europe. At the risk of breaking my budget, I was soon aboard Scandinavian Airlines, which whisked me off from Denmark to Norway.
I flew to Tromsø two days before the marathon, and in retrospect, it was a good decision. The registration was still open. I paid NOK 845 (entry fee) for the half marathon registration, NOK 150 more than I would have paid if I had booked in advance. The entry fee ranges from NOK 400 to NOK 1150, depending on your preferred category – the 42.2 km full marathon, the 10 km Coop Mila, or the 4.2 km MSM Mini-marathon.
Tromsø is a small island 350 km north of the Arctic Circle. It is often called the capital of the Arctic, owing to its rich diversity and history. Not to mention its position as the second-largest city within the Arctic Circle. It also hosts the Midnight Sun Marathon in June every year, which attracts thousands of runners from across the globe.
Summer in the Arctic Circle comes with plenty of sunshine, thanks to the Midnight Sun that shines even at night. In June, the daylight was "on" for 24 hours, which gave me plenty of time to walk around the island. The walk was also a good warm-up for what was coming. While I have run 10 km marathons in Chennai and Mumbai, this was my first half marathon.
I had trouble sleeping that night, despite the blackout curtains in my room. Tiredness soon overcame the distraction caused by the light.
My second day in Tromsø was the day before the race. I collected the marathon bib and race pack from the Town Hall in Tromsø city centre. A catalogue on the information counter detailed the history of the marathon. Midnight Sun Marathon started in 1990 in Tromsø, giving runners a unique experience of night running with the sun still hovering above the horizon. It is also the world's northernmost AIMS-certified marathon.
As the weather was chilly, I bought a jacket from the MSM stall selling official merchandise of the Midnight Sun Marathon. Spontaneity sometimes burns a hole in your pocket.
Not exploring a new place is against my innate nature. But I decided to take a break during the day to rest my muscles. Choosing a hotel in the city centre worked in my favour as it was within walking distance from the start and finish line of the marathon. The hotel buffet breakfast also provided much-needed nutrition before the race.
When evening came, I left the hotel without my bag and phone to avoid queuing for storage. If you need to carry a bag for essential items, you can store it at the Kulturhuset, which provides storage for runners.
There was an electrifying festive energy all around. A crowd of runners, organisers, volunteers, and curious townsfolk had gathered around the Town Hall. There were runners from more than 50 countries, and I could hear a medley of different languages. Three fitness instructors were hosting a warm-up through dancing. As enticing as it looked, I skipped it to reserve my energy.
The race started at 10:30 pm in the city centre, where I had collected the bib the day before. For the first 2 km, I ran through the downtown area, the cosy street Storgata, and along the Tromsø harbour. The night was breezy with periods of sunshine and clouds, a surprise change from the previous years' wet and gloomy runs. The Tromsø Bridge soon came into sight, and before long, I was running on it alongside the crowd of runners.
The excitement of seeing the Arctic Cathedral made the uphill bridge incline manageable. Running over the Tromsø Bridge was a highlight of this marathon for me. A panoramic view of the red, mustard, and white traditional Norwegian houses of Tromsdalen sat against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains.
The track, for the most part, is a scenic and flat asphalt road. We followed a route by the water, breathing in clean Arctic air. Nutrition and beverage stations, medical stations, and toilets were available every 5 kilometres. Locals had gathered on the streets of Tromsø and Tromsdalen to cheer on the runners. Chants of encouragement, clapping, and offering snacks to the runners created a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Some locals had even set up a picnic-like setting along the route, while some were waving from their balconies.
It was an intense running experience, both because of the distance and since the picturesque scenery of Northern Norway provided a colourful yet rugged backdrop. It was surreal to see the mountain peaks covered in snow in June, glittering under the nocturnal sunlight. The midnight sun's energy powered me through the 21 kilometres, a surprising feat considering it was past midnight. Towards the end of the marathon, I recrossed the bridge, this time with a view of Tromso city.
Overjoyed at the finish line, I graciously received a medal with the figure of two running women and then made a beeline for the snack counter for a lifesaving banana. I stuck around the area for a while, mingling with fellow runners. The crowd was energetic even at 02:00 am when the last runners completed the race. As I headed back to my hotel, little did I know another challenge was coming. I could barely get out of bed the next day with cramped muscles.
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