I had received it during every marathon event for two years, a flyer for the 1st Diba Ing. Night Marathon Luxembourg. It must be an athletic challenge with a long name like that.

The high gloss pamphlet advertised the premiere spectacularly. Torches and bengal lights along the streets, hot air balloons and an almost guaranteed great atmosphere during the home stretch that leads into an arena that seats 6000. Who would hesitate to register? So I made my way to the princedom on May 27th, in order to experience 26.2m/42,195km of "European Flair" in the capital...
My goal was to crack the 3:30h, which shouldn't be so hard, since I had come pretty close in Steinfurt in March and I wasn't even as fit as I am now.
The race began at 6pm. Well, the biological curve might not be all the way at the top anymore, but seriously, that's an excuse for pussies, at the most.
A light drizzle with choppy wind in 59°F/15°C weather, the weather sucks in Luxembourg too... at 5:45pm I was standing in the starter block with 6900 other marathoners and listened to the moderation.

What is he saying? This isn't a marathon for setting personal records, it's supposed to be enjoyed? Was sagte er da? Dies ist kein Marathon für Bestzeiten, sondern zum genießen? The city of Luxembourg is hilly and hard to run? Nonsense, I thought to myself, I'm from the Sauerland and it's hilly too. Now blow your whistle! The race began at 6pm and my running schedule was designed for 3:20h, which meant 4.44min per kilometer, so that I would have a 10min buffer before I hit 3:30h. After a few miles, I was forced to make the discovery that there are mountains outside of the Sauerland and some are in the middle of cities!
Still, I stuck to my plan and enjoyed the atmosphere and the beautiful city. I passed by modern banks and old castles, through parking structures and over pretty damn high bridges, and time flew. I had already arrived at mile 13/km 21 and I was well within my time frame.
However, all of the many, really steep ascents took their toll and at mile 18/km 30, I began to realize that my battery was running out. I ran slower and slower and my 10min buffer just melted away. Beginning at mile 22/km 36, I was pretty much done for and all I wanted was to cross the finish line and fall into the hotel bed. At this point I began a battle with my head, which was telling me to just stop, but that was unacceptable! Keep running, was my motto.

The last couple miles were torture, but I ran into the Coque. There was a mega lightshow in the arena and 6000 applauding spectators, a great atmosphere. I, however, barely registered any of it on the home stretch, since I was forced to fight some oncoming cramps. I was just happy I survived and made it to the end. I didn't manage to fulfill my goal and finished after 3:36h, but considering the difficulty of the track and the wind, I was satisfied. After all, I came in 408th out of 6601 that finished.
It was a shame that the pamphlet didn't mention all the vertical feet and the hardcore route...
But I can recommend this marathon to anyone who wants to enjoy themself and is looking for the special flair.

Sebo