Snappy Runners x adidas Stockholm marathon

Harley Steward of Snappy Runners Manchester tells us all about his race experience with Charlie Watts at the adidas Stockholm marathon.

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Carbs were on the agenda ahead of the marathon. We made straight for Omnipollo’s Hat, a bar based in Södermalm (the more lively area of Stockholm, filled with restaurants, bars and clubs). The bar is run by the Swedish brewery Omnipollo and serves a bunch of exciting beers but also have an absolutely mega pizza oven in the back too – perfect for a carb load. I went for the goats cheese and pepperoni whilst Charlie opted for a salami, parmesan and rocket pizza, and neither of us could say no to a cheeky pint. It’s all carbs at the end of the day!

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The race was an unusual one – a Saturday run and a midday start! However for an abroad race, the change was welcome. It meant we didn’t have to wake up at an ungodly hour and also got to enjoy our Saturday night in the city without the threat of running 42km the next day looming over us. The run itself was gorgeous, one of the most beautiful marathons I’ve done. The city sections were packed with support and the park sections were leafy and scenic.

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Swedish people were some of the friendliest I’ve ever met. Everything from sharing a taxi from the airport with two women because the trains were down to the bartender giving us a free drink as a congrats for running the marathon.

We needed a post race pick me up on the Sunday and there was no better coffee in the city than Drop Coffee, it’s run by a three times Swedish coffee roasting champ, so you know you’re in safe hands. Outside of amazing coffee there was also a great selection of pastries, including a great looking cinnamon bun. It provided the perfect spot for us to plan our day ahead from, doing a bit of window shopping from the nearby Nitty Gritty and Sneakersnstuff.

Despite aching we managed have a walk around the old island of Gamla Stan. It was filled with narrow, cobbled streets and buildings all painted in different shades of gold. Nice cafes and quaint shops littered the island and we stopped in a vintage camera shop after something caught our eye.

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Final night, we were so hungry. Big burger and some nice beer was in order and we knew just the place. Having ran past Stigbergets Fot during the marathon and received a cheer from the crowds outside enjoying a drink, we’d already earmarked it as somewhere to go. Their beer menu is as long as your arm and have also recently been voted as having the 4th best burger in Sweden.

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For the race I wore the adidas Adizero Prime X Strung. These shoes are something else, nothing like I’ve ever worn before. You can tell the difference immediately between them and other carbon shoes, even adidas’ other carbon race offering - the Adios Pro 3s. They’re a tricky beast to master, the stack height isn’t for everyone and definitely not a ‘lace up and go’ shoe. If you’re planning to race in them then make sure you’ve also been training in them otherwise you can pretty much guarantee yourself an injury. That being said, I’ve never worn a shoe that encourages you to run faster, as soon as you stand up in them you can feel the carbon rods just push you forward. They’ve been my go-to racing shoe this past year and have been with me for my 5km and Half marathon PB.

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