Fast becoming one of our favorite races is the Hreppslaug race near Borgarnes Iceland.
This was the second year in a row that we visited the lovely countryside in Skorradalur to race 14km on country roads between farms, fells and rivers.
Hreppslaug is just over an hour’s drive from Reykjavik, a perfect evening trip and you get to drive through a tunnel under a fjord!
Last year (2015), for some strange reason, there were only 7 participants in the longest distance. The race deserves a lot better and fortunately this year there were many more. At the start we met many people we knew including our friends Molly and Elizabeth from the USA who had corresponded with us at RunningInIceland before the race.
The start of the race is at the charming Hreppslaug, Swimming Pool, which was built in 1928 and run by the non-profit youth organization “Íslendingur”. Hreppslaug is preserved as a cultural heritage. It is one of the oldest pools in Iceland and has recently been restored. The water in the hot tub and swimming pool comes directly from hot springs close by.
The course is a circle in the Skorradalur valley. It is entirely on roads but cars are rarely seen. Half of the course is on dirt roads. It is amazingly beautiful and so very quiet and peaceful as you mainly hear your own breath. The amazing scenery keeps your mind occupied and horses and sheep cheer you on. The course is flat except for that killer hill just before the middle of the race, which makes the aid station at the top very welcome to say the least!
There are very friendly and cheerful volunteers at every turn on the course so there is no chance of getting lost.
The weather was perfect. And our friend Elizabeth won the women‘s race.
After the race everyone is invited into the swimming pool where they have the prize ceremony and raffle prices. You can also buy delicious homemade soup, which we did last year and tasted great. This time however on the way back we stopped at a new pizza place in Borgarnes, highly recommended.
The race is held at the beginning of August and has three distances: 3km, 7km and 14ms2 km.
Photos by Pétur Örn Sigurðsson
