You are organising the Pentecost Trail Race in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland on the 16th of May 2016. Tell us a little bit about the event's nature - what makes it unique? Why should runners participate in it?
The Pentecost Trail Race starts in Hafnarfjordur, also known as The Town in the Lava. In the neighbourhood of the town in the beautiful nature you can find for example volcanos, big lava, hot springs and caves. Most people in Hafnarfjörður live on the 18-square kilometer (7-square mile) lava field called Búrfellshraun. This lava originally spewed out of the crater Búrfell, which is located about 7 km (4,3 miles) east of Hafnarfjörður and is part of the Krýsuvík volcano. We offer all runners the chance to run a 10-25 km trail run together with the club on Saturday morning where we will among other things visit the Búrfell crater.
What is the scenery like?
The race will start in Asvellir and you need only to run 400 meters to find yourself will in wild nature. First part of the run will be on the bank Astjorn - small but beautiful ponds. After that you will run to Hvaleyrarvatn lake, enjoying a nice view on the way. You will run along the bank of Hvaleyrarvatn, located in the middle of the forestry where residents in Hafnarfjörður have grown a forest from nothing during the past 75 years. Next you will run to Storhöfði - the small mountain. You will have the lava on your right side. You will climp on top of Storhöfði. You will have a great view and see many volcanos and lava when you reach the top. Finally, you will run throught the forestry where you can see for yourself how a forest is grown in Northern countries. When you have run through the forestry you will return to Asvellir where you started the race.
What do participants like about the event?
From the start, the Pentecost Trail Race has been one of best trail runs in Iceland. The race was selected as the second best trail run in Iceland in 2015, in 2014 it was fourth and in 2013 it was third. Comments from runners go from "Great run in beautiful surroundings", "Great run in beautiful Hafnarfjordur", "Probably one of the best run in Iceland", to "Most enjoyable run I have ever been involved in and whole structure of 10".
Where is your event located and how are runners able to travel there easily?
The run is located in Hafnarfjörður - only 10 km from Iceland's capital Reykjavik. It is very easy to travel to Iceland. Iceland (Keflavik Airport) has direct flights from almost all capitals cities, from the USA and Europe there are more than 40 daily flights. Biggest airlines that fly to Iceland are Icelandair, WoW, Air Berlin, Easy Jet, Flybe, Norwegian, Primera Air and SAS. We have a few hotels in Hafnarfjörður, some of them are located only a few hunders meters from Asvellir where the race starts. You can find more information and offers on our
homepage.
How many runners do you expect this year?
Last year we had 350 runners, but we expect around 500 runners in 2016. When the race was organised in 2013 for the first time we had only 120 runners. There are runners coming from abroad, since it is very popular to visit Iceland for running. There are a few thousand runners from abroad participating in the Reykjavik marathon.
Why was your event created in the first place and how has it changed over the years?
The club that organises the run has used the area for trail runs during many years. The runners in the team felt that as they enjoy this area so much, they needed to show other runners how beautiful and peaceful the area is. The best way to do that was to have an open trail race in the area. Today the area is still one of most popular areas in Iceland for runners that enjoy trail runs. Now we want to show more runners from abroad our great area and hope that they will enjoy it as much as we do.
What kind of weather conditions should runners expect to face in your event?
In May you can expect all kinds of weather conditions in Iceland, even snow (though this is unlikely). You can expect temperatures to be around 10° C, but if we are lucy we can have warmer weather.
What else should runners do in the city after/before the race?
We will offer the participants the chance to run together with the club members at 8.00 am on Saturday morning. The length of the run will be between 10 and 25 km depending on the runner. We will run partly of the course that you will run on Monday but also into the lava where you will see a world that you have never seen before. The pace will be social so runners can enjoy the nature and take some pictures as well. After the training, the club will offer you to go to the swiming pool and relax in a hot tub. It is also possible to go to the Blue Lagoon - located only 30 km from Hafnarfjörður, take a bus or rent a car to go the Golden Ring, visit Reykjavik, spend the evening in a good restaurant, whale watching or play golf on one of many golf courses in the neighborhood.
Anything else you want to tell about your event?
All runners will receive a medal when they finish the race. We have four age groups and the first three runners in each age group will get a prize. The sports distributor for Asics in Iceland will support the race and they will give 10 pairs of Asics running shoes to selected runners, as well as many more prizes. We can guarantee that you will enjoy this run! Sign up for it
here.
