Up Hverfjall volcano, enjoying spectacular Iceland

Hverfjall volcano, Iceland. August 2023.

We ran Iceland’s volcano marathon near Lake Mývatn. A challenging but stunning course that takes you up Hverfjall volcano and around its rim, with its spectacular volcanic background of pseudo-craters, capricious lava rocks and steaming mud pits.

TLDR

• Not interested in the trip… take me to RACE
• I have 1 minute… take me to USEFUL INFORMATION
• Running is my excuse for traveling 😝: take me to POST TRIP
• Running is my excuse for eating 😝: take me to CARBOLOADING
• I am actually curious about the ONE BOOK

🌍 The trip 📷

The Iceland Volcano Marathon, organised by Albatros Adventure Marathons, is run in the north of Iceland. Concretely, in Hverfjall’s volcano near Lake Mývatn. 

Note: I describe Reykjavik, our run there and the Golden Circle tour in another post (coming soon). In this one I describe the Volcano Marathon and the activities and excursions that take place from Thursday to the next Monday. 

We left Reykiavkik early on Thursday. The trip to lake Mývatn by bus was going to allow us for some sightseeing. During the scenic drive, we particularly enjoyed the Goðafoss Waterfall, the “Waterfall of the Gods.” Its name comes from an old legend in which a Viking leader threw his Pagan statues into the waterfall. It is grand, it is mighty, and you can go down to witness their magnificent beauty from the riverside, literally soaking into its “atmosphere¨🤩

At the end of the day, Iceland is known for its waterfalls, and for a good reason.

After a few hours we reached Akureyri, the “capital of the North”, just a couple of kilometers below the Artic Circle.

📅 The Race Briefing 🎽

Here we had the race briefing… in the Aviation Museum of Iceland!

I was positively surprised, as I love aviation story. There were a Klemm KL25 built in 1934 and brought to Iceland by Germans in 1938, a twin-engine Beechcraft  and a cockpit of a Boeing 727, Iceland’s first jet engine.

We were offered a buffet lunch with sushi made with local fish and other delicacies, and we were given our bibs and race pack as we listened to the Race Brief.

Lake Mývatn

We continued to Lake Mývatn, where we slept in SEL hotel. It is located in Skútustaðir, an amazing setting. It is described in its web as one of the most beautiful places in Iceland. And I do not think is an overstatement. We could see the lake from our window, with the pseudo-volcanos, a phenomenon unique in the area, in the background.

📝 Tip: There were a lot of midges, a flying little insect that is harmless but very annoying. It is not a bad idea to take with you a net to cover your face (or buy one). Luckily, they don’t annoy you when you are running!

On Friday we were taken on a tour to see Mývatn highlights. But also we could inspect the race course, which is something I find particularly useful. The Albatros organizers always do it, and it helps a lot. It gives you a better idea of what you will really encounter, and you can adapt the gear and the mindset 🤓

We were taken to the Dark Castles, Dimmuborgir, and its picturesque lava structures and rock formations. Later, we went to Hverfjall, the volcano where we would be running the day after.

And finally to the Hverir solfataras, mud pits of boiling sulfur, with its characteristic odor 🙁 …

At night, there was a pasta dinner in the hotel, another ‘tradition’ of all Albatros races!

🏃‍♀️ The race 🏃‍♂️

The start

After an early breakfast, we left our hotel at 6:45am and took the bus to the start line. This was located at the foot of the Volcano Hverfjall’s crater.

There were 100 runners, all very excited, taking pictures and smiling, some even dancing. We started doing stretching in the magnificent setting: all that dark sand and boulders, its color due to the minerals inside the lava, iron oxides like magnetite. 

We had dressed according to the race recommendations. With an inner layer, a T-shirt on top of it, and a wind protective jacket. I wore long tights and Roger, short ones 😎. As the race progressed we took off our wind jackets, when the temperature rose. 

At 7:30 sharp, the race director, Lars, shouted “3,2,1” and off we went! 

First kilometers

It was quite cold, so we decided to keep our wind jackets on for the time being. The temperature was under 10C, and the sky was cloudy: almost like a metal planck, but it was not raining. Quite good conditions for running, and super atmospheric. It reinforced the fact that we were running in a wild, remote nature setting.

The first part is run on the dark sand and gravel field at the volcano side, and it is quite tricky. Most of the runners, like us, took it easy in the beginning, as we had quite a few kilometers ahead of us: they all seemed quite experienced, and, in fact, we saw some familiar faces from other runs 😉

We knew that, this being an Albatros race, it would not be easy. These Danes have the ability to create unique races, but they are NOT a walk in the park!!

Soon we entered a stretch of a couple of kilometers on asphalt that we ran quite comfortably. There were photographers, and everybody was smiling.

At kilometer 4, we had our first water and energy drink station. In order not to leave any waste behind, the organisation hands you flexible cups that you carry with you. We chose the energy drink, which tasted delicious and it was slightly warm! 

The lava field of Dimmuborgir

The next 2.5kms we ran across the unique lava field of Dimmuborgir, or Black Fortress… and it is great! You run past lava stacks and caves that ignite your imagination, and you even go under the Gatkletutur Arch, where the day before we had taken numerous pictures.

Even while running we could not resist and we took videos and more pictures 😀 

Then we entered a kilometer where the tracks narrowed into a technical single line. We let a few runners pass us, as the race etiquette indicated.

Also, the organization had been super clear that here we couldn’t step on the flora, because it is very fragile. So we did not, and we did not see anybody doing it: kudos to us all!!

The trail opened up again and… we ran with the Hverfjall crater in front of us. It was extremely beautiful and I enjoyed this place a lot… until I fell.

I tripped on a rock and fell down in what Roger described as “a very funny pose”. I ripped my tights and ended up with a few scratches and bruises… but nothing was broken, and I was not badly hurt, so we could continue 😅

We arrived back at the foot of the crater and its annoying dark sand, we refueled with energy drinks, took our jackets off and I checked my scratches with a doctor at the supply station. All checked and good, it was time to go up the volcano!

At the end of the day: this was why we had travelled here.

Up the volcano!

Since we had inspected the route the day before, we knew how difficult the way up / down was, so we ran and walked. We went up more than 100 meters… and we saw the impressive view of the insides of the Hverfjall crater, and the volcanic zone around. All that dark magnificent desolation (quoting Buzz Aldrin): it was nature’s gothic poetry, which made me think of a quote by Icelandic author Halldór Laxness:

Whoever doesn’t live in poetry cannot survive here on earth

Halldór Laxness, “Under the Glacier“

We had to go around the crater’s rim, which is around 3 kms. We were running but also enjoying where we were.

It was one of the most amazing places we had run in.

The crater makes you think that you are on another planet, and the steam from volcanic activity arising in the distance adds to this feeling!

Although we did suffer these 3 kms, as the route in the rim is not flat, but goes up and down, and you have to be super vigilant because the terrain is uneven, filled with gravel and rocks, and you can easily fall down. My hurt knee was a good reminder for me not to let my guard down!

With our souls filled with memories of having run in a volcano’s crater rim, we went down with extra caution: it is much more tricky to go down than to go up.

Some tourists that were hiking cheered and, in turn, we cheered on the runners that were just going up.

Last kilometers

Again we refueled with some energy drink and we started the last part of the half marathon. The last 6 kilometers we picked up the pace, as we felt good and the terrain was reasonably flat and even a little downhill. 

We were ecstatic as we saw the finish line at the campsite Vogar Ferdathjonusta, with the characteristic Albatros’ “Finish” banners that we have come to know and love! 😍

When entering, president of Albatross himself was there: he greeted us and handed over our medals, which was very emotional. 

Again, the quality of the medals surprised us: they are big, robust… and this one featured our volcano!

We were joking with other finishers whether the good reproduction featured or not the path to the top… 

At 10:30, three hours after the race started…. there was 🍕pizza 🍕! Inside one of the buildings of the Vogar Ferdathjonusta campsite. This was, not surprisingly, a big hit. It was very nice to comment with our fellow runners on the hardships of the race while eating pizza in a warm room.

We all agreed that it had been an amazing race in an amazing location!

Post race Trip 📷

After the race, we went to Myvatn’s Nature Baths: a very good idea to rest your legs after the effort in the race. Again, this was an organizational success.

Apparently, there is a long-lasting rivalry between Myvatn’s baths and the Blue Lagoon, but the first are more natural and less touristy. We spent hours (literally) relaxing in its milky waters.

⚠️Warning: it does smell of sulfur… that is what you get for the ‘natural’ factor 😂

The day after there were several options to enjoy the North and make the most out of the trip, including visiting the amazing DettiFoss waterfall, Europe’s second most potent waterfall, or an ice cave.

But we opted to go whale watching in the town of Húsavik and we enjoyed it a lot. Dressed in overalls and armed with cameras, not harpoons, we saw a Toothed whale and a Humpback whale!

And loads and loads of puffins. Our tour guide explained to us a lot of interesting facts about all the animals, and there was also hot chocolate.

👩‍🦰 Marta’s comment: One thing I really liked about Iceland, me being a chocolate addict: its chocolate is very good!

It is important to mention that choosing to do whale watching as a touristic activity helps a lot the preservation efforts, since it provides an economically viable option for coastal communities. 

After the tour, we visited the town:

We went to its well documented Whale Museum, which I recommend (they even have a blue whale skeleton!).

Special mention to the documentary being shown, ¨Bloody tradition: agree to disagree”

🍜 Carboloading 🍝

During our days in the North we visited local restaurants and buffets, so we got to taste Icelandic Lamb soup 🍲, or Kjötsúpa, with root vegetables. Here’s one recipe.

According to Icelanders, this soup can cure almost everything 🙂

We also enjoyed the fish that we tasted, Cod with herbs. Cod is one of the healthiest fish in the sea, low-calorie and rich in protein and omega-3s. 

And Salmon, of course! Salmon is rich in selenium, an antioxidant that promotes cardiovascular health, and famously high in Omega-3s, which reduces post-workout inflammation.

🏆 Marathon (42K) / Half Marathon (21k) / Quarter Marathon (10K). Number of runners: Approx 100 between all races. Cut-off time: 7h.

⛰️ Difficulty: High. The course features sand, gravel and narrow trails, but specially it is going up the volcano which makes it difficult. Running on its rim is an unforgettable experience, but it is tricky. 

🗓️ End of August in Hverfjall Volcano crater, in Iceland – Europe.

👟 On your feet, trail shoes: Most of the race is run an in quite technical trails.

🏅 Albatros takes special care of the t-shirts and medals. This year, the medal even featured the Hverfjall volcano! 

✅ An amazing setting: running in a volcano’s crater rim must be one of the wildest experiences when running: hard,, but stunning. Opportunity to see many wonders of Iceland. Oh, what a country!

✅ Perfect organization by Albatros, like other races we had run. Supply stations, doctors, photographs, logistics… all works like a clock.

❌ Iceland is not a cheap country, so the race package is quite expensive and everything you will need to buy will adds up.

“The Draining lake” (Erlendur Sveinsson series), by Arnaldur Indridason.

Was he depressed?, Elinborg asked.

“The way almost all Icelanders are. He disappeared in the fall, that means something

Arnaldur Indridason, “The draining lake”

True to my fondness for detective novels and nordic noir, I chose a few books from the Erlendur Sveinsson series. One of the books I am highlighting  here is “the Draining Lake” since I was reading it while staying next to an Icelandic lake 😜. Luckily, Lake Myvatn is not draining! Apparently it is based in another Icelandic lake, Kleifarvatn, which began draining away in 2000, following an earthquake.

The book is an entertaining novel that can be a great introduction to Icelandic society. I find Arnaldur Indridason’s books easy to read and entertaining, but deep enough for you to understand the complexities of a very distinctive culture.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖“Strange shores” (Erlendur Sveinsson series), by Arnaldur Indridason. 📖”Iceland’s bell”, by Halldór Kiljan Laxness. 🎬”Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”, directed by David Dobkin

¨Strange shores” (Erlendur Sveinsson series), by Arnaldur Indridason.

I also like this book a lot, especially as it dwells on Erlendur Sveinsson´s past, giving more depth to the character. It also narrates the disappearance of his younger brother decades ago. All in the harsh nature of Iceland. The book is set in the frozen fjords of Iceland, and, apart from the interesting plot itself, I enjoyed the descriptions of how people leave in the wild, and some historical facts narrated. 

Again a different title in English and Spanish: “Naturaleza hostil¨, which translates to “Hostile nature¨. I wonder which title describes the book better 🤔

⭐⭐⭐⭐

”Iceland ‘s bell”, by Halldór Kiljan Laxness.

”Iceland’s bell” is one of the best known works of Halldór Kiljan Laxness, who was awarded the Nobel prize in Literature in 1955. It is a very good historical novel that helps understanding Iceland history and the character of former generations, as well as the tense relationship with Denmark. In the novel, a farmer struggles with Danish authorities after killing an executioner, an official of the King of Denmark.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga”, directed by David Dobkin.

This comedy, starring Will Ferrell, follows the story of two artists from Húsavik aspiring to represent Iceland in the Eurovision concert. When we visited Húsavik to go on a whale watching tour, our tour guide played the song in the bus 🤪😂!! and then… we saw there is even a museum dedicated to the movie and Eurovision. So it looks the Húsavik residents quite liked the movie…

⭐⭐