OVERVIEW: A 620km run across Iceland (east to west) without a support crew. Everything I needed was carried in a Montane 44l Trailblazer rucksack. I completed this adventure in 12 days giving an average of 50+ km a day.
GETTING TO THE START: I flew from Heathrow Airport to Reykjavik Airport. There is a shuttle bus into town (about 50 mins). I stayed two nights here (Room with a View apartments) to get final prep completed. I then flew from Reykjavik Domestic Airport (can walk there from city centre) and flew to Egilsstadir Airport. I arrived on a Sunday so there were no buses or taxis. Walked a couple of KMs into town and then hitchhiked to Seyðisfjörður (25km).
Day 1 – 53km: Started Early and head west back to Egilsstadir, bought more food supplies and then pushed on to wild camp about 30km further on.
Day 2 – 61km: Wind blowing straight at me made it hard work. After about 25km found a hostel and ate a donut and drank coffee. Hard going in the afternoon but stunning scenery. The wind made setting up tarp difficult so pushed onto the small campsite at Möðrudalur.
Day 3 – 35km: First 10km was amazing – beautiful scenery and listening to Queen Greatest Hits 2. Got tough in the middle and needed to rest a bit. This is normal for me on day three. The afternoon got easier. Lots of black flies so had to run to stop them bothering me! Great little wild camp spot.
Day 4 – 47.8km: First (and only) experience of steam and volcanic activity. Pretty special. Made it to Reykjahlíð and resupplied at the supermarket (last proper market for a couple of hundred km…) Met a Polish runner (Shimi) going from north to south. We had lunch together, visited the pharmacy for nappy rash cream and then decided to run together. Managed to get off the asphalt and at the beginning of the more rural part of the run. Wild camped next to a lake.
Day 5 – 45.5km: Damp day to start but nice to be off the beaten track. Saw a grouse. After 25km stumbled upon a campsite with a restaurant so ate burger and rhubarb pie! Pushed on to Aldeyjarfoss where my friend Raoul would be joining the run. Amazing waterfall and a loo!
Day 6 – 35km: Waited for Raoul who managed to hitchhike from airport to us by 1.30pm. Started running on the F26, which is the route through the highlands of Iceland. Managed to squeeze in a 35km of running to get us to a beautiful river.
Day 7 – 57km: We decided that due to different running speeds we would all run together and meet at a designated sport. Today that was a Mountain Hostel. Nice to be running in a more rural and harsh environment. The scenery as moonlike and the weather pretty miserable in places. River crossings didn’t quite live up to expectations (too small). Arrived at Nyidalur FI Mountain Hut in 7.5 hours. Nice to be able to buy more Snickers and crisps!
Day 8 – 55.5km: Continued running solo. Made great progress in the AM and due to the agreed endpoint, decided to stop for a proper meal at lunch (normally just snack). Scottish chap pulled over and gave me a beer – I drank it! Really fun last 13km run to a beautiful camping spot next to a river.
Day 9 – 60km: Last day in the wild Highlands and on rough tracks. Also last day with Shimi. We all started together but ran solo after the first couple of kilometres. Really stunning scenery but a cruel wind later on in the morning. Lake Hágönglón is a stunning chalky green colour! After about 40km the track reverted to asphalt. Stopped at a service station to regroup with Raoul. Shimi had split off to continue south. Raoul decided to sleep in a hotel so I headed off solo to find a camping spot.
Day 10 – 49km: Raoul and I had agreed to meet and camp at Árnes, where there was a shop. Over the last 10 days my left leg had developed a consistent pain (especially when asleep) so made the decision to move finish line to Reykjavik – still running from east to west but a little shorter. Run today went from harsh and wet to greener and dryer. Really great downhills and a nice light rain. Ate way too many sweets at the shop!
Day 11 – 54km: Best running speed of the whole adventure. Agreed to meet Raoul Selfoss which was 42km away. There was a nice gravel/dirt track along the side of the road for most of the day. Felt strong when started so decided to run it as a marathon. Managed 3 hours 54 minutes with a full backpack! When Raoul arrived we devoured pizza and then added a further 12km to get to the next town, Hveragerði. Enjoyed a beer and camped in a crowded campsite!
Last Day – 43.4km: The final day was the run into Reykjavik. I knew from previous runs that this would be a grind. Running was all on the main road into capital, fighting traffic and trying to navigate through backstreets. Was a little sad that this adventure would be over… Finished in Reykjavik early afternoon and enjoyed a few Icelandic pints!
Initial thoughts on the run:
I am really happy that I managed to complete this challenge as it has been on the cards for a while. A lot of people have asked how I felt about it and it has been hard to communicate that. Overall, I was a little disappointed. Here is why:
When I do an adventure I want it to test me in new ways, push me past previous limits and help me discover new strengths, both physically and mentally. On this run, I spent half of it running with other people and that meant I had to change the way I would approach the logistics. Days were no longer open-ended but capped at certain distances. This meant I never got to push myself to my limits and as a result, I felt less fulfilled than usual.
Do regret doing this adventure? Absolutely not. It may not have been how I had expected or wanted it to be but it taught me a lot of valuable lessons. The biggest being – If I want to fulfill my goals of developing as an endurance adventurer then I have to do it solo.
OVERVIEW: A 620km run across Iceland (east to west) without a support crew. Everything I needed was carried in a Montane 44l Trailblazer rucksack. I completed this adventure in 12 days giving an average of 50+ km a day.
GETTING TO THE START: I flew from Heathrow Airport to Reykjavik Airport. There is a shuttle bus into town (about 50 mins). I stayed two nights here (Room with a View apartments) to get final prep completed. I then flew from Reykjavik Domestic Airport (can walk there from city centre) and flew to Egilsstadir Airport. I arrived on a Sunday so there were no buses or taxis. Walked a couple of KMs into town and then hitchhiked to Seyðisfjörður (25km).
Day 1 – 53km: Started Early and head west back to Egilsstadir, bought more food supplies and then pushed on to wild camp about 30km further on.
Day 2 – 61km: Wind blowing straight at me made it hard work. After about 25km found a hostel and ate a donut and drank coffee. Hard going in the afternoon but stunning scenery. The wind made setting up tarp difficult so pushed onto the small campsite at Möðrudalur.
Day 3 – 35km: First 10km was amazing – beautiful scenery and listening to Queen Greatest Hits 2. Got tough in the middle and needed to rest a bit. This is normal for me on day three. The afternoon got easier. Lots of black flies so had to run to stop them bothering me! Great little wild camp spot.
Day 4 – 47.8km: First (and only) experience of steam and volcanic activity. Pretty special. Made it to Reykjahlíð and resupplied at the supermarket (last proper market for a couple of hundred km…) Met a Polish runner (Shimi) going from north to south. We had lunch together, visited the pharmacy for nappy rash cream and then decided to run together. Managed to get off the asphalt and at the beginning of the more rural part of the run. Wild camped next to a lake.
Day 5 – 45.5km: Damp day to start but nice to be off the beaten track. Saw a grouse. After 25km stumbled upon a campsite with a restaurant so ate burger and rhubarb pie! Pushed on to Aldeyjarfoss where my friend Raoul would be joining the run. Amazing waterfall and a loo!
Day 6 – 35km: Waited for Raoul who managed to hitchhike from airport to us by 1.30pm. Started running on the F26, which is the route through the highlands of Iceland. Managed to squeeze in a 35km of running to get us to a beautiful river.
Day 7 – 57km: We decided that due to different running speeds we would all run together and meet at a designated sport. Today that was a Mountain Hostel. Nice to be running in a more rural and harsh environment. The scenery as moonlike and the weather pretty miserable in places. River crossings didn’t quite live up to expectations (too small). Arrived at Nyidalur FI Mountain Hut in 7.5 hours. Nice to be able to buy more Snickers and crisps!
Day 8 – 55.5km: Continued running solo. Made great progress in the AM and due to the agreed endpoint, decided to stop for a proper meal at lunch (normally just snack). Scottish chap pulled over and gave me a beer – I drank it! Really fun last 13km run to a beautiful camping spot next to a river.
Day 9 – 60km: Last day in the wild Highlands and on rough tracks. Also last day with Shimi. We all started together but ran solo after the first couple of kilometres. Really stunning scenery but a cruel wind later on in the morning. Lake Hágönglón is a stunning chalky green colour! After about 40km the track reverted to asphalt. Stopped at a service station to regroup with Raoul. Shimi had split off to continue south. Raoul decided to sleep in a hotel so I headed off solo to find a camping spot.
Day 10 – 49km: Raoul and I had agreed to meet and camp at Árnes, where there was a shop. Over the last 10 days my left leg had developed a consistent pain (especially when asleep) so made the decision to move finish line to Reykjavik – still running from east to west but a little shorter. Run today went from harsh and wet to greener and dryer. Really great downhills and a nice light rain. Ate way too many sweets at the shop!
Day 11 – 54km: Best running speed of the whole adventure. Agreed to meet Raoul Selfoss which was 42km away. There was a nice gravel/dirt track along the side of the road for most of the day. Felt strong when started so decided to run it as a marathon. Managed 3 hours 54 minutes with a full backpack! When Raoul arrived we devoured pizza and then added a further 12km to get to the next town, Hveragerði. Enjoyed a beer and camped in a crowded campsite!
Last Day – 43.4km: The final day was the run into Reykjavik. I knew from previous runs that this would be a grind. Running was all on the main road into capital, fighting traffic and trying to navigate through backstreets. Was a little sad that this adventure would be over… Finished in Reykjavik early afternoon and enjoyed a few Icelandic pints!
Initial thoughts on the run:
I am really happy that I managed to complete this challenge as it has been on the cards for a while. A lot of people have asked how I felt about it and it has been hard to communicate that. Overall, I was a little disappointed. Here is why:
When I do an adventure I want it to test me in new ways, push me past previous limits and help me discover new strengths, both physically and mentally. On this run, I spent half of it running with other people and that meant I had to change the way I would approach the logistics. Days were no longer open-ended but capped at certain distances. This meant I never got to push myself to my limits and as a result, I felt less fulfilled than usual.
Do regret doing this adventure? Absolutely not. It may not have been how I had expected or wanted it to be but it taught me a lot of valuable lessons. The biggest being – If I want to fulfill my goals of developing as an endurance adventurer then I have to do it solo.
