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Imagine running in a marathon in the middle of the night, in broad daylight under bright and shinning sun! Where there is no darkness around, no street lights or flashlights and you feel like you are running in the middle of the day! Such an experience can come true if you are participating in midnight marathons held in Scandinavian countries during the month of June.
The midnight sun is a phenomenon which occurs in countries in Europe, north of the Arctic Circle when the sun remains visible at the local midnight. During the summer solstice, the sun is visible for the full 24 hours, given fair weather. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs between June 20 and June 22 in these countries.
While a good number of Midnight Sun Runs happen during this time of the year, two of them have become quite popular amongst the marathon runners and are part of the AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races ) calendar of events.1. Suzuki Midnight Sun Run (Reykjavik, Iceland) 2. Midnight Sun Marathon (Tromsø, Norway).
The 2015 Suzuki Midnight Sun Run in Reykjavik will take place for the 23rd time on the evening of 23rd June. The marathon has three categories, Half marathon, 10K race and 5 K race. The Midnight Sun Marathon hosted by Norway's city of Tromsø will be held on 20th June 2015.This marathon was started in 1990 and includes a marathon, half-marathon,10km mini-marathon (4,2 km) and a race for kids. Both the marathons attract running enthusiasts from across the world.
Two more Midnight Sun Runs have also gained tremendous popularity amongst runners from United States and Canada which are held in Alaska. They are the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Midnight Sun Run and the Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon & Half-Marathon.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Midnight Sun Run is a 10k road race. Instituted in 1983, it is held annually in Fairbanks, Alaska. The race takes place usually on the third Saturday of June every year. Now in its 33rd year, the race will be held on June 20th 2015. The Mayor’s Midnight Marathon & Half-Marathon is the other race that happens in Alaska usually on a weekend of the summer solstice at Anchorage. This year, the 42nd edition of this race will also be held on 20th June.
So, you agree that midnight runs are not always run after sunset and in the dark?
