Luxembourg Half Marathon

All smiles after the race

ALast week we travelled to the small country of Luxembourg - nestled in between France, Germany and Belgium. While we were there (in Luxembourg City, the capital), we ran the ING Night Half Marathon, which winds through the beautiful city.

Since it's light out to late in Luxembourg (it get dark after 10 p.m. at the end of May), the 7 p.m. race start time meant we were running the entire half in daylight. It's a bit strange running at night rather than the morning, and changes the way we approached the day.

The race begins and ends outside of the city center, at LuxExpo, which is the convention center serving the city. It's about 3 miles from the center and there are buses that bring runners and spectators back and forth. The course goes through some neighborhoods located outside the city center, winds through the beautiful valley parks, then hits the city center. In the center (and several spots in the neighborhoods) the streets are lined with people - and they're really loud. It had the atmosphere of a major US marathon, which is without a doubt helped by the fact that people can have drinks and food before/while they watch the race (no need to wake up early for this one).

There were about 12,000 runners entered into the race (there was a full marathon as well - many of those folks were running when it finally got dark out). The start location wasn't quite prepared for that many runners and spectators, but once the race began everything was organized and ran smoothly. It was a great way to see a city, and for a city this small, we saw a lot of it. Plus, there's something very unique and special about running through a European city center, where there are cobblestone streets and stunning squares.

After the race there was essentially a carnival both at the finish area and in the city center - people were out and there was tons of food and drinks, making for a run environment. Overall it was a unique and fun experience.