First of all, I ran the 21.1-KM half marathon, which I chose because I was apprehensive about the sand. This apprehension proved well founded. The setting of this unique "jog" is more akin to a deserted coastline of untouched Australia. Broad, white, sandy beaches steeped by rolling sand dunes give this location an almost moon-like appearance - apart from the sea, that is....

Running on sand must be an acquired art. It seems that the nearer the water you run, the firmer the footing, but then you run the risk of getting your feet wet, which is a big no-no. This course was broken down into 3 categories: 1/3 is compounded sand, easy to run on but not as good as tarmac; 1/3 is semi-compounded, not easy to run on but you can maintain your balance and momentum; and the other 1/3 is soft sand or shingle, which is like running with heavy, soggy boots and a chain around your ankle. These soft sand/shingle areas are so energy-sapping that I had no option but to walk through many of them. You place your foot into the sand, your body wobbles, and you stumble and throw your arm out in front to balance yourself before your next foot lands. And so it continues until you reach firmer ground. One of the most demoralizing aspects of this course is that the final kilometer is on this "soft sand," and a teasing "FINISH" banner sits above a line that is not the finish line. The finish line was 100 meters farther away, with the deepest, softest, most energy-sapping sand in the middle. I finished this in a record-breakingly bad time, physically and mentally wrecked and in need of some severe R&R. I will NEVER underestimate the power of sand again and i feel humbled by its ability to turn a man into a wobbling mess.

Be under no illusion: this course is arduous; do not take part unless you are made of STEEL! I wasn't and paid the price. Back to city routes for me.

A unique race running south to north along a sandy beach on the west coast of Denmark. A surprisingly tough race, especially if the sun comes out like it did this year. The organization is first-class, with buses to transport participants to where they need to be and plentiful supplies of water and food. German sun-seekers make for lots of enthusiastic spectators. I would highly recommend the race.

Think of your average time for completing this distance and then add around 45 min to 1 hour on top - that will be your finishing time! The course was mainly very soft sand which meant that runners had to work twice as hard to keep up a reasonable pace. It is a very physical event and the hardest I have ever done. I found myself sprinting on occasions to stop myself sinking into the sand, but in vain. That said, I will definitely be back again next year. The organisation of the event was superb - Turistgruppen Vestjylland made everything so easy and gave me all the information I needed. Excellent. There were not many people along the course (the beach is huge and spectacular), but then this is not a city marathon!

Run Denmarks coastline where it is most beautiful. This is the first and only European beachmarathon (to my knowledge). You find yourself running always straight on on an endless beach with partially good track condition but with enough loose sand to make you hesitant to finish. A constant light breeze upfront adds to that. Sunny conditions got me a bad sunburn so better apply some sunblocker. Organization is quite good, time meassurement by champion chip, refreshments every 5k, massage at the finish.

This is a superb and extraordinary marathon you have to have in your books.

I quit at 17k since I was recovering from a stress fracture at that time so you will see me in 2001 to 'complete my mission'