Since moving to Bergen there is a certain running route that has 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 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 favorite area called Fløyen.

To have a mountain race such as this within running distance from my home is a dream and it turns out the route would suite me a lot too. The initial climb wouldn’t be 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 have become accustomed too in training – even though I was climbing fast enough to open a lead.

Once up this first climb I let loose; in the mountains is my favorite place to run 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 some 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 this year before I attempt the Dolomites and Tromsø Skyraces later in the summer.