ENTER Leisure race BMW Oslo Marathon!

Written by: Jan D. Wahl

On September 17, runners from ENTER Fritid took part in the Oslo Marathon. And Jan Wahl has made a small race report from the experiences around preparations and implementation.

We are a group of women and men who are affiliated with ENTER Fritid Kirkens Bymisjon Kristiansand who run regularly, from early spring until the snow comes. On Tuesdays we usually train intervals and on Thursdays we participate in the Terrain Carousel, during the season we participate in various running events in Kristiansand and the surrounding area, among others. such as stadium mila and the summer race.

I have been training for many years, it was not until 2015 that I started running regularly, and participated in my first terrain carousel race.

It was only at the last round of the terrain carousel that I thought it started to be fun to run, this as a result of good motivation from my training mates in ENTER Leisure and a good portion of endurance on my part.

We started up again with the running training this spring, goals were set, i.a. The terrain carousel, Stadium mila: 10,000 m, 25 laps around a football field and the Summer race in Kristiansand, where I participated in a half marathon.

These are events I had read about in the newspaper, and heard about, but had seen my participation as extremely unrealistic.

Would like to come up with some superlatives for my colleagues in ENTER Leisure.

These inspire, push forward, cheer and praise me so that one both experiences well-being with what one has achieved, and that new goals are within reach. I dare to set goals that were approached unimaginably short time ago.

The Oslo Marathon was proposed by some of the group's members; OSLO MARATHON!?, Something magical in the name, this is an event for adult girls and boys, should we, I, go there !?

Our wish was met with goodwill from Kirkens Bymisjon and ENTER Fritid, we signed up, two girls and four boys in their prime, "Oslo Marathon, hear we come"!

Three signed up for the full marathon and three for the half marathon, thorough preparations for the event were taken, many tips and advice from veterans in the running environment in Kristiansand we were overwhelmed with. "Remember to drink lots of water and get plenty of nutrition", "do not run too much on asphalt before the race", "train a lot on asphalt", etc etc., lots of well-meaning and good advice to get on the road.

We traveled from Kristiansand on Friday 16 September, were to run a full marathon on Saturday 17 for return in the evening.

The girls, who had traveled before us, had each picked up our bag with start number, shirt and information material.

The excitement was palpable in these morning hours before the race; Magnus in the group, with a skilled hand distributed sports bar and other nutrients to use during the race.

It was May 17 atmosphere in Oslo; the sun was shining, fit warm, a sea of people around Rådhusplassen. Energetic atmosphere in the form of sporty people in training clothes, music, loud speakers. Young, old, big, small, light, dark, various heavy goals, there was a diversity of people who swarmed around the starting area with the common denominator that they had set themselves the goal of running the Oslo Marathon.

The starting shot goes, the pulse is calm, "you should complete, I say to myself", lots of people both in front and behind me. Experiencing being pulled forward during the race, being inspired by these in front of me, running past many, this goes playfully easy I say to myself, now I just want to keep the flow out the rest of the race and try to increase a little a few km before the finish. I reached the finish line in just under two hours, the time was of seconds, I wanted to achieve a good running feeling and at the same time complete my second half marathon. Goal achieved!

Nice reunion with my running friends, everyone had accomplished what they had decided.

We did not get on the bus on the way down to Kristiansand until we unanimously agreed that we wanted to repeat this memorable event, the Oslo Marathon - the Manhood Test itself, also next year. It is also part of the story that next year I am betting on a full marathon, 4.2 miles, 42 km!

I would like to send a thank you to the organizers of the Oslo Marathon, all the participants who motivate and inspire, and to the running group and to everyone in ENTER Fritid who makes it possible for me to participate in this party of an event!

See you next year!

Regards

Jan D Wahl

Article is taken from the Church's City Mission here.

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MONICA
GUTUEN

AMBASSADOR

Age: 45

Residence: Bærum

Distance during the BMW Oslo Marathon 2020:
I run half, and of course aim to have the widest smile all the way.

Previous participation in the Oslo Marathon:
«10 for Grete» 2013, Half Marathon 2014 and 2015, 2017 and 2018 and marathon in 2019.

Three words that describe me:
Outgoing, Smiling, Energetic

Instagram: @muddylicious