Chaos, folklore and a “park run”: Tirana Marathon
We ran in Tirana a good course around the Artificial lake and the Great Park. In the streets girls were performing folkloric dances. Could have been a great race but the organization was not up to the standard, with chaos at the starting line.
Running somewhere in la Mancha, in a place I do care to remember
On a cold morning of December we ran in Campo de Criptana, amongst the windmills that inspired the famous episode in Don Quixote: "they are giants", said Don Quixote, "and if you’re afraid, get away from here and start praying while I go into fierce and unequal battle with them"
Running in Bastejkalna Park and Riga’s Old Town, Latvia
A 5k running route across the beautiful Bastejkalna Park and, if you don’t mind running on cobblestone streets, around Riga’s City Center seeing landmarks like the iconic BlackHeads House and the Cathedral.
Skopje: sculptures, graffiti and stray dogs running the marathon
In Skopje, North Macedonia's capital, a city with more sculptures than residents, ornated bridges and too many graffitis, we ran a well organised half marathon with stray dogs following at a decent pace.
Running by the Baltic Sea in Tallinn Half Marathon
Tallinn is a Half Marathon to enjoy! It offers a very nice course, flat and wide: starting and finishing in the beautifully medieval Old Town, you later cross forests and run along the Baltic Sea!
“Our race” in Vilnius Old Town: the ManoBegimas 10k
We ran the Manobegimas race of 10k, a part of the Marathon Vilnius Sunday: a great course on a sunny day to finish our Baltic Challenge in Lithuania.
A moveable feast: running in Paris
We had visited Paris in many occasions in the past, but in 2018 we lived in the city of light for almost a year. We enjoyed running in its parks, our favourite being our "local" Parc Monceau. We also mapped a few "long run" routes which passed by the wonderful Tour Eiffel and the musée du Louvre. Pas mal!
London calling! The London Marathon
We ran the London Marathon while we were living in this great city! It was our first Marathon Major, where our Six Stars journey started, and we were able to enjoy it from a local's perspective, cheered on by our dear friends and surrounded by runners trying to break Guiness records.
Churches, bridges and soviet architecture: the Sofia Marathon
We ran amongst Orthodox churches, Catholic cathedrals, mosques and synagogues, monumental bridges, impressive state buildings and endless boulevards lined with ex-Soviet skyscrapers.