Jon Albon-Bergen Fjelmaraton

Since moving to Bergen, there’s a certain running route that‘s become a favourite when compared to all the others, so you could imagine my excitement when I was told that there was a race along this famous path.

 

The race is called the 'Bergen Fjellmaraton’ but the route is known as 'Vidden' and instead of a full marathon it is closer to a half. It starts by climbing Bergen’s tallest Mountain, Ulriken (643m), before following a wide curving ridge all the way round to descend towards Bergen via another favourite area called Fløyen.

To have a mountain race such as this within running distance from my home is a dream and it looked as though the route would suit me too. The initial climb isn’t too steep by Bergen standards and would leave the majority of the rest of the 21km route as technical running with a slight decline. We would climb close to 900m in total but the course record is still a blistering 1hr 35 minutes!

Having not taken part in any mountain races so far this year I was intrigued to see how I would fair. Thankfully, as we started the initial climb, I felt great and found my work rate was below what I’ve been accustomed too in training – even though I was climbing fast enough to open a lead.

Once up this first climb I let loose; the mountains are my favourite place to run in and I truly felt as if I was flying across the technical terrain. There are a few short sharp inclines that surprise you along the route but I managed to keep my work rate high and was soon nearing the finish still in first place; 1hour and 38 minutes after starting.

 

I can’t describe how much fun this race was and it should serve as a great introduction to mountain running before I attempt the Dolomites and Tromsø Skyraces later in the summer.