Topi Nättinen, who took part in the marathon that broke the participant record, says that there should have been more water showers that bring cooling.
The largest marathon event in the Nordic countries was run on Saturday in Stockholm with a record number of participants. A total of 18,396 runners started the trip, while the previous record, 16,941 runners, was from 2014.
The first time the Stockholm Marathon was organized in 1979, when the only Finnish winner of the event crossed the finish line first Jukka Toivola.
In addition to the record number of participants, this year’s event was also run in exceptional heat. Helle taxed many who set out on the trip and, among other things Aftonbladet reported that more than ten people had to be hospitalized.
The temperature rose to 26 degrees Celsius and the heat intensified in the city center, which also increased the participants’ need for water.
In the organization of the marathon, the problems of the first water station attracted criticism, when the tanker truck did not pump water at the required speed.
Participants had to queue for water at the same time as officials brought water to the tables with buckets. Some of the competitors were also completely without water in the situation.
– Water chaos at the Stockholm Marathon, headlined, among others, by the Swedish public broadcasting company SVT.
The Stockholm Marathon is particularly popular among Finns as well. Urheilu’s hockey expert who ran his first marathon in Stockholm on Saturday Top Nättinen said that the trip went well during the race, however.
– I’ve never been so exhausted, not physically, not mentally, you go into such a zone when you run. It’s still a great feeling when you can do something like that, Nättinen is in a fresh mood.
Nättinen did not take advantage of the first water point, so the problems of the organizers did not hinder his performance, but he survived the beginning of the journey thanks to a good advance fueling and his own maintenance measures.
– The drinking water points I used worked just fine. Of course, there will be a rough ride because there are so many people. It was only at the end of the journey and in the last ten that you could go into them calmly.
– Maybe there should have been a lot more showers along the way in this weather. They were quite cheap and inadequate, at least for my own feeling.
Nättinen compensates for the low number of cooling points by pouring water on himself. Spectators who came to watch the marathon along the way also made it easier for the runners to travel by spraying water with, for example, water guns and spray bottles.
The security threat prevailing in Sweden was also on Nättinen’s mind before the event. Even in this light, however, according to him, the event was well controlled.
– You can see from everything that marathons have been organized here. If the small minus is that there were too few showers. I completely understand why Finns come here. There is a lot of audience in the stands, the atmosphere is good and the feeling is strong.
In Stockholm, a Kenyan raced to victory in the men’s race Fredrick Kibii on 2.14.17. The women’s marathon also saw a Kenyan winner, when Marion Kibor crossed the finish line first with a time of 2:31:46.
Discus thrower Daniel Ståhl sent the runners on their way. You can watch the video of the start of the Stockholm Marathon below.