From Nigel Illingworth…

Yesterday I ran a half marathon from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Malmö (Sweden). The race marked the 25th anniversary of the opening of the bridge over the Øresund strait.

If you’ve watched the TV show The Bridge, I can confirm there were bodies on the bridge, but all were receiving good medical attention. 

I enjoyed the event and experience since I watched the tunnel and bridge being built in the 1990s while working in Copenhagen and Lund, near Malmö. In those pre-bridge days you had to fly to Copenhagen Airport and then take a helicopter to Malmö Airport. 

My race time was unremarkable due to a headwind on the bridge, a long wait to cross the finish line, and the usual lack of training and ability, but I learnt two things.

Firstly, we enjoy a very high quality of race organisation in Ilkley and the UK compared to this experience. The starting waves were poorly-policed and the toilet queues huge, leading to runners all starting in the wrong order. The 20-minute wait to cross the finish line was followed by longer delays to get through a narrow exit from the finish area. Many runners waited hours for transport back to Copenhagen. We luckily skipped the queues with some un-British queue-jumping and a coach driver who knew a shortcut. 

Secondly, we enjoy a level of runner support, friendliness and safety in Ilkley and the UK which sadly wasn’t matched here. Early on, faster runners were cutting in front dangerously. Several times I had runners barging through, and often had my feet caught from behind – as a runner who has a habit of falling over, I found this very disconcerting. Worst was witnessing one runner shove another to the ground and run over him, since there was no way around. 

Overall, a great long weekend with friends soaking up the vibe in Copenhagen and Malmö, but I’ll be focussing on those friendly, supportive local trail and fell races in future. Thank you so much to all those that do such a great job organising our races.