Mattias Bramstång

I did 3 marathons during 2013, a scenic run in Båstad, one on a fast track in Gothenburg and the last one in exotic Suriname. Quite nice experience, but the Suriname marathon in November was hard. Amazonas rain forest and 100% humidity was not easy to handle. I also did a quite different kind of run in May. Then I ran from Helsingborg to Malmö in a commercial event. Properly dressed, ancient inspired, sort of. (Take a look in the Photo Gallery).

The race began 19^th of April in Bari, south Italy. During 64 consecutive days we ran 4500k through entire Europe to the most northern place in this continent, Cape North. Week by week we ran and the friendship among the participants and helpers grow stronger and more important for every week that past. In some way everybody needed the others to keep on running. It was so nice to sense the attitude among the runners.

For me this was the fulfilment of a journey that I have been dreaming about and waiting for in many years. I was not afraid of the distance. I had no doubts of my own capacity. I just tried to be present every day, even those days with really bad weather…

St Olavsloppet Ultra 129km. From the beginning the race is a relay from Trondheim in Norway to Östersund in Sweden. The relay is a four day stage race and during the second and third day the runners have to past the national border and in the same time the mountains. During this two days there is a small start field of runners who runs the distance by themselves.

This year we were 17 runners who ran the 129km by ourselves. It was at least 25 degree Celsius at start and the sun shined on us almost all the time. The wind was strong and blow mostly from the front. During this conditions three runners from Norway and three runners from Sweden had a international match. After two days of running the Norwegian runners outrun the Swedish runners and won with an quarter of an hour. We had a great match and I enjoyed the run, the pasta party during the evenings and the friendship between us all. I finished the race with the total time of 10 hours and 35 minutes and ended up in fourth place. I’m satisfied with that.

After 18 days and 1166 kilometres I made an accomplishment of a dream. My most demanding and desired type of race was fulfilled. I had finished a transcontinental stage race. I had run from the English Canal to the Mediterranean. When I ran out on the beach, passing the finish line, a great adventure was past. A bitter but delightful feeling got me when I put my arms up in the sky. I made it, it’s over, it’s my Masterpice I thought, but in the same time I realize that these last weeks of my life never will come again. A fantastic experience that gave me experience of fatigue, pain, doubts and anxious. But most of all, and in the end, I experienced friendship, blessing and gratitude.