Running in Iceland and Loving it

Running in Iceland is the subject of this interview with the amazing Mandy Jochman. Her site Go Girl! Run! caught my interest. Mandy Jochman inspires people to be active in their lives, travel, exercise and run. She has been to Iceland and is kind enough to list my site as one of the site you could potentially use to plan your trip here. I was interested to find out what a running superwoman like Mandy thought about Reykjavik and Iceland and what tips she had for traveling here.

Hello Mandy Can you give us a bit of a background information about yourself.

Hi Jon, thanks for the opportunity! I am a freelance communication designer with a focus on online design, but I also work on my own blog Go Girl! Run! and just published an e-book for running beginners, called GET READY TO RUN. I work location independent, which means that I am free to work from wherever I want, however, my home base is Berlin. The good thing is that I can perfectly combine my travel with my passion for running. Last year I also competed in my first triathlon.

You went running all over Iceland. Can you tell me about the traveling you have done here in Iceland?

I’ve been to Iceland twice. When I visited Iceland for the first time I spent two weeks driving along the ring road at the end of May. It was amazing as I dreamt of visiting Iceland ever since and now I was able to see all the places I’ve read about and heard off. Just by accident I won a trip to Iceland one year later. We went on a 4-day trip to Reykjavík and Akureyri in March 2015 and could explore a completely different Iceland covered in ice and snow.  Unfortunately I did not travel to the West Fjords which is where I still love to go.

What were the favorite places you saw when in Iceland and what were the most fun things you did?

One of my favorite locations are the East Fjords. I loved driving from fjord to fjord. Behind every curve something completely different was waiting for us. Also, the place felt completely out of time as it is so far away from the next city. As I live in Berlin, I love all the abandoned places where I could find nature and pure silence.

How did running in Iceland work out for you?

Running in Iceland was quiet a challenge for a city girl like me. It was windy, sometimes rainy and most of all it felt pretty remote. Besides running in the beauty of Iceland’s nature this was a completely new feeling for me. I remember this one run in the middle of nowhere in North Iceland when I started my 10 km training run, during which I realized that haven’t seen anybody or even a hint of civilization during the last 30 minutes. This feeling was scary and amazing at the same time. Unfortunately I did not do a real trail run because I wanted to make sure not to get hurt or twist my ankle. This is why I ran gravel roads most of the time. Running in the beauty of Iceland was stunning anyway.

What advice would you give for those who are visiting Iceland for the first time?

My advice for everybody who wants to go to Iceland is: JUST GO! Whether you want to go on a three-week holiday or can only afford a short stay, just go for it!. Iceland is a dream for every kind of traveller. It is a unique place with its diversified nature and adorable inhabitants. Once you have been there, it will never let you go. So my second advice is: Take your time or come again and again to explore the whole island. If you need any more advice or tips in German, you can check out my blog posts about Iceland or send me an e-mail.