Performance
Chasing the Sub 3 dream with NBRO
Running is a team sport when you are part of NBRO
The marathon was once held in such high esteem that it was almost feared by recreational runners. If you toed the line at a marathon, you were racing. There has been a lot written over the last couple of years about ‘the great slow-down’ in marathon times (you can read more here, and here), but it does a disservice to those who are still out there logging 100 mile weeks on cold winter mornings, just to have a shot at a PR in the spring.
Going under 3 hours for a marathon is for many runners, a life goal. For Copenhagen’s biggest and fastest run club, NBRO Running, quick marathons are a staple of their diet. For the 2018 Copenhagen Marathon they set a plan to take as many of their runners under the 3 hour mark as they could.
Anders Rømer, co-captain and co-founder of NBRO Running, explains how somehow the sub-3 marathoners can get lost in the NBRO community.
“We'd had a sub 3 group in NBRO for years, but recently people have been talking more and more about the fast guys wanting to break 2:40, then 2:35, then 2:30. And suddenly, it wasn't considered a big deal for an NBRO runner to run a 2:59 marathon anymore, so the sub 3 group didn't get much shine.
This definitely wasn't fair from my point of view, since we're a big group of runners on all levels. And for me, sub 3 is THE magic line to cross as a marathoner”
Anders Rømer
The decision to have a sub 3 bus at the race came about after Rømer, a 2:35 marathoner himself, offered to pace a friend.
“The idea started with me offering to pace my friend Mikkel to a sub-3 marathon finish. Well, suddenly we had people wanting to join Mikkel and I, and several guys offered to pace. We ended up being a group of 30 runners; including 10 pacers”.
One of those runners was Anne Hviid, a long time NBRO runner from Aarhus, who most people know by her nickname ‘Mini’.
“When I started running, my focus was on staying in shape. 6 years later, I was confident that a sub 3 hour marathon would be possible. I have never put as much effort into my training like I have the last couple of years, and especially these last couple of months”
Anne Hviid
Hviid has completed over a dozen marathons, most recently running a 3:06:57 in the Frankfurt Marathon in October 2017.
“Knowing about the sub 3 bus gave me a very special feeling of confidence the weeks before the race.
The last couple of months I have felt very strong and my main training sessions have turned out very well. The process leading up to this race has been great, a lot of miles at my race pace”.
As they do every year, NBRO held a shakeout run the day before the race, a relaxed jog that freshens the legs and gives runners that final chance to socialise and keep their minds off tomorrow’s goal.
A 5 km run with three pace groups (4:30, 5:00, and 5:30), spirits were high and runners were relaxed in the warm afternoon sun. The run ended at the NBRO Clubhouse with a DJ, ice cream, and beers.
Often it’s not until race numbers are pinned and kits laid out that the nerves and the anxiousness kicks in. It’s hard enough controlling the controllables, and then things like the weather start to weigh on your mind. The forecast for the following day was looking hot, much hotter than usual.
“A lot of thoughts are playing around my head in the hours before the race. I’m always very nervous, mostly I wish that I could stop the time for a while".
"There were something special about this race. It gave me some confidence knowing that a whole group was waiting for me at the start line”
Anne Hviid
Race day inevitably comes around whether you're ready or not. The time for talk is over, today is about executing a plan many months in the making; a day for a clear mind, sharp focus, and giving it everything you have.
"The morning of the race, after all the pre-race routines, I was definitely ready to meet up with the crew and the sub 3 bus.
Standing on the start line with all my friends around and seeing Anders in the elite crew gave me so many butterflies in my stomach”.
For Rømer, after so many in the NBRO community rallied to offer to pace the sub 3 attempt, he was given the opportunity to chase down another PB.
“I saw Mini seconds before the race started; she looked nervous but focused. I told her to go get it, and I was absolutely sure that she would succeed”.
A relatively late start time coupled with blue skies and warm spring temperatures meant runners had to contend with more than just the 42.195 kilometres.
Jesper Kargaard Thomsen was coming off racing The Speed Project and the Berlin ½ marathon just weeks earlier (1:22:35), and was fitter than ever. This was his 4th sub 3 attempt, but he knew the weather would be an obvious factor.
“I could see, one week before the start, the one factor I can’t control could be an issue – the weather. When the start went off at 9.30 am the sun was already burning with 22 degrees Celsius and raising. I had to give my sub 3 a shot even though I knew it would be a miracle if I got under the magical 3 hours”.
David Rørdam acted as Hviid’s personal pacer for the day. “For the first 10 km I saw that Mini was in her zone and everything was going as planned. Her breathing was good, she looked strong and looked like she was flying”.
When you visualise a PR attempt there are certain things you desperately want to avoid; things like a shoe lace coming undone, your watch going flat, or needing to use a bathroom. Unfortunately for Hviid, she had a set back just before the first hour was done.
“At 12 km I had to go to the bathroom for a quick stop. I was fast out again, but knowing that the bus was in front gave me some struggle mentality. I tried to push ahead, still knowing that the time was OK”
Anne Hviid
"Luckily after 3 km I saw David was waiting for me, and he was for sure the biggest support. He tried to give me so many positive thoughts. And we found a new flow and a new mental zone”
Anne Hviid
At around the 30km mark runners hit the NBRO cheer zone, located at Queen Louise's Bridge, which marks the border between Nørrebro and inner city Copenhagen.
The NBRO cheer zone has been legendary in previous years and was no different in 2018 (in fact, one cheer zone member had to get hospital treatment for burns on his hand after running with flares for several hours - shout outs to him).
With the wider NBRO community all aware and incredibly supportive of everyone in the sub 3 group, this was an opportunity to draw on the strength from friends and family on the sidelines. There's no doubt this helped Hviid immensely.
“The NBRO crew at Dronning Louise’s absolutely kept me going. Knowing that they where there was a mental boost. I really tried to embrace the whole cheering section. I tried to show all my love to the people and smile to them and embrace every single step. Definitely the best part of the race!”
However below the surface, Hviid was struggling. The heat, combined with the physical and mental effort required to make up for the early bathroom break had taken their toll.
“The heat was brutal, and I was struggling with the pace. I didn’t have any energy in my body and constantly needed water. After 31 km I couldn’t fight against my mental zone anymore and I had to let David run”.
“Mini kept her head high and fought like hell. She went into another zone where it was all about surviving and finishing strong, which she did”
David Rørdam
The 30km mark was not a happy place for Jesper Kargaard Thomsen either. After struggling with the heat early in the race, severe cramps, and a desire to preserve his body for the rest of his race season, saw him eventually pull out.
“I made it to the half marker and had an uplifting feeling that told me, if I can make it this far then I can go all the way. But the next 7 km in the sun showed me something else. I had to stop at 28 km and get some fluids... I tried running again because I thought I could still make the time. But at 30 km I cramped out and couldn’t move my legs. After a few minutes break I tried again but my marathon was done”.
At the finish line, Anders Rømer came in at 2:35:41, less than a minute away from his PR of 2:35:04. There, he waited for the sub 3 bus to come in, unaware of Hviid’s struggles at the 30 km mark.
“At 2:58, the timely sub 3 pacers crossed the finish line according to the plan. Mini, who had been training harder than ever in the months leading up to this race to finally make her way to The Sub 3 Club in her 14th marathon, was not with the group. Minutes passed, and her dedicated pacer David arrived to let me know that Mini had, unfortunately, dropped out at the 30 km mark due to dehydration and fatigue. Knowing how disappointed she would be, my post-race mood dropped from sky high to moderate, and I sat down in the shade”.
One runner who was with the group was Catarina Malmberg, running just her third marathon.
“Klaes, who ran by my side the last quarter of the race, told me around 37k that we were almost two minutes ahead of the three hours. I almost didn’t believe him! I think it gave me some confidence (even though my focus by then was more about finishing than running sub 3), so I kept running.
And we ran, side by side. When I saw the finish line, 600-700 metres ahead, I started smiling. I had actually wondered whether I would cry or smile if I made it. No doubt, there was a smile on my face".
Malmberg was paced by Klaes Ovesen, an accomplished runner with a 2:41 marathon best, acheived at the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year.
"Catarina did an amazing job, and I am utterly impressed by her persistence and courage...I am just proud to be a part of her extraordinary accomplishment, and I am almost sure that the tough girl could've done it by herself".
"My time crossing the finish line was 02:58:27. Sub 3. I kept smiling. And I think I will smile, everytime I look back and think of the race on the 13th of May 2018, in my hometown Copenhagen”
Catarina Malmberg
And while most assumed that Hviid had indeed pulled out of the race, she was far from done, fighting on to finish the race. “A marathon is also more than a finish-time. It can be a mental fight where you have to convince your body to continue. You have to embrace it all”.
"The last 10 km was a true fight not to quit, knowing that the main goal was out of sight. But I have never quit a marathon; if I start something I will finish”.
Some 14-15 minutes after the sub 3 bus crossed the line, photographer Pim Rinkes spotted Hviid and alerted Romer.
“Suddenly I heard my friend Pim yelling at me, and there she was - crossing the finish line all alone, completely covered in sweat, as 27th woman in the entire race. The decision to pull out of the race and stop the suffering is extremely easy and tempting - in contrast to the thought of getting back at it while being overtaken by dozens of runners and losing precious minutes on the clock”.
A week on from the race, and Hviid has a positive perspective on the race. “Maybe I’m not a member of the Sub 3 Club, but I’m a happy runner for another mark in my marathon history. I will prove my best another day. Right know I’m very proud that I finished and very proud to run a 3:13 time on a day where everything felt impossible”.
"It takes guts to dig yourself up on an extremely hot day like this, and for me, Mini really proved her status as a true fighter".
Anders Rømer
It’s hard to sum up the amazing spirit that the NBRO community cultivates, but unsurprisingly Rømer says it best. “One of the things that I'm most proud of regarding NBRO Running is the sense of camaraderie, unity and care that has evolved. For us, long distance running is really a team sport, and we want our fellow running friends to succeed almost as much as we want personal success. Over and over, I've seen people genuinely happy for others runners' achievements while failing or being injured themselves. We don't see a lot of envy amongst us”.
As for Hviid, she’ll be back to get into that Sub 3 Club one day. We’ll keep you updated.
Editor's Note: If you're as amazed by the work of photographer Pim Rinkes as we are, check him out here.
