Saturday morning adventures (Monday extension)
Janteloven is a Danish expression/mindset meaning ‘you are not better than the crowd’. It seeks to instil a sense of equality and communal cooperation which are core parkrun principles. If I didn’t know better I’d think Paul Sinton-Hewit, founder of parkrun, was brought up in Denmark. He was actually born in Zimbabwe, perhaps they have a sense of ‘janteloven’ there too. In 2007 Zimbabwe was the first country to have a parkrun outside of the UK with Denmark embracing parkrun in 2009.
On Monday we walked to Amager Faelled parkrun which is situated in the nature reserve park expanse. There were a lot of parkrun tourists on Saturday but that was nothing compared to the legions making their way to this event. I felt like I was attending a festival, not a parkrun.
The volunteer team had been warned and embraced everything. What would have been wide sandy soil paths practically buckled under the weight of people who had come. I decided to take it easy at this event, running at a leisurely pace near the back of the field striking up ‘chat’ with other parkrunners. Many had come to do the Scandi double, some were seasoned international tourists with others new to the whole touring thing. There was a strong nomadic challenge-chasing touring class and with some draping Union Jack capes looked like crusaders from a time gone past!
It was a good course, soft underfoot and high in festive spirit. Our highlight was finding our friend Tommy. We know Tommy from Burgess parkrun, where he was a run director but had travelled to Denmark to do his Master’s in sound engineering/installation a few years back. Unlike in the UK having gained entry onto the program he wasn’t required to pay the fees and he shared how life in Denmark has been treating him well.
Tommy took us to a hill in the park, one of the highest parts of Denmark 😀 we said our goodbyes, as we had a bus/coach to catch to ensure we could complete the parkrun Scandi adventure.
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