BCM 2025: a race of two half(s)

I woke on race day to a welcome notification from my Garmin: peaking. If ever there were a perfect time to run a half marathon race, this was it.

In the lead up to Bergen City Marathon (BCM), I was on edge. While I’d put in the training, I hadn’t settled on a race day plan. The night before, I found myself obsessively calculating target splits for a potential PB, only to remind myself moments later that I wasn’t there to chase a time—I was there to soak in the atmosphere and run by feel. Kieran can vouch for the pre-race jitters. I felt caught between wanting to push myself and simply wanting to enjoy it.

Training had gone well overall. After recovering from pneumonia in early February, I gradually built up my mileage, with 18 km long runs becoming routine. I even managed a surprise HM PB in the lead up, which gave me confidence. Perhaps these Bergen hills aren’t so unforgiving after all. Still, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that chasing a PB and enjoying the race were mutually exclusive goals. I was about to prove myself wrong.

Race morning began with my tried and tested Ellie special breakfast: overnight oats, a banana, and coffee. We walked to the start line—no warm up needed as Kieran and I had agreed to begin conservatively and simply enjoy the experience. Running alongside him made it even more special. We don’t often get to start races together, and I really soaked in the atmosphere with him by my side.

Kieran was nursing a bad knee at the start which had me slightly worried. I even considered staying with him for the entire race in case he needed emergency help—maybe that sounds dramatic, but my race day mind wanders and thinks of the extremes! Thankfully, as we began the climb toward Fjellveien, he said the pain was easing which was a relief. We'd experienced something similar on a previous run, so I hoped the pattern would repeat and his knee would be painfree for the rest of the run.

We stayed together until about halfway up to Fjellveien. I found a gap in the crowd and naturally moved ahead while he got caught behind a group. It wasn’t an intentional breakaway, but I knew I needed to push the pace if I wanted to get even remotely close to my PB of sub 2 hours. I aimed for roughly 5:15 min/km through the middle section, hoping to preserve enough energy for a strong finish. Despite really wanting to enjoy the race, I was trying to let my body and mind decide what to do during it. As I hit Fjellveien, I felt fantastic. Strong and confident. I ran past our house (waved at Pippa dog), towards Haukeland and Store Lungegårdsvannet—sections I had trained over countless times on tired legs. But today, I felt I was flying.

The only hiccup came at the AdO aid station where I accidentally grabbed an energy drink instead of water. My stomach didn’t thank me, but I pushed through the discomfort, knowing that cheers awaited on the Nordnes hill at km 18. Before that, the route looped around the ferry terminal, a rather bleak and quiet stretch that felt emotionally and visually flat. But soon enough, the city came alive again, with shouts of heia heia propelling us forward.

As I turned onto Nordnes hill, I heard my name—friends cheering at the top. It gave me such a boost. I powered up the first part, walked briefly on the second, then picked it back up through the tree-lined path (still an incline) before hitting the steep descent to the sjøbad. Less than 3km to go, and I still felt great.

The final stretch took me past the fish market, where I saw my friends again—one last burst of motivation! Just 600 meters left. The crowds thickened, the cheers grew louder, and I found myself picking off a few runners with my ‘sprint’ finish.

I crossed the line with a negative split—something I hadn’t aimed for but am incredibly proud of—and clocked a new personal best: 1:56:08. I ran strong. I ran happy. And I proved that it is possible to chase a PB and enjoy every step.

Bergen City Marathon you were epic. I will be back! The route itself was brilliant, a one loop Bergen in a nutshell tour, you see the sights, you climb the lumpy hills, you run the infamous Store Lungegårdsvannet which everyone trains around and you finish at Bryggen, a UNESCO site. What more would you want?