Bergen City Marathon, Sports | In two weeks, Maria will give birth. Today she ran the Bergen City Marathon.

Maria Helena Meyer Dolve will soon become a mother for the first time. In fact, there are only two weeks left until the term. On May 12, her baby girl will be born.

That did not stop her from participating in this year’s big race in the city, the Bergen City Marathon.

Ran a marathon a few months ago

Together with the administration from Høyskolen på Vestlandet, Maria ran the relay this Saturday.

The distance is 21 kilometers, divided into ten stages. Maria had the honor of taking the final stage, and finished at Bryggen in a team time of 1:55.12. Maria ran second fastest of everyone on her team.

– They joked a bit about me taking the stage towards Haukeland, just in case something was going on. Then I could run straight into KK. she says, laughing.

But after the finish, she reported that everything went well along the way.

– I have been very lucky during my pregnancy and have had no problems. I have been running all the time, and have been in good shape. And it’s good to exercise while you’re pregnant, she says.

Usually, when she is not pregnant, she likes to run long distances. Two kilometers would be baby food, she thought.

In fact, she ran the Oslo Marathon when she was 6–7 weeks pregnant. There she ran a full marathon of 42 kilometres, in a time of 4.10.54.

Out on leave

While she was on the run-up side at Bryggen, the speaker called out Maria’s arrival to everyone, and thought she deserved a round of applause for being there at all, she who is eight months pregnant.

– I have received a number of messages from people asking me to run carefully, she says.

Her husband stood along the trail cheering her on. She thinks he was just content that Maria would run the relay this year as well, as the HVL team has done for the past three years.

On a daily basis, the mother-to-be is an adviser for internationalization at the school, and went on leave a week ago.

Now she is crossing her fingers that it won’t be long before her daughter is born, and until she can continue running. And preferably long distance.

– But I have to see to it. I’m going to run again, but I don’t know if it will take six weeks or a year. The goal is the Bergen City Mile in September.

If it doesn’t work, there will be a comeback for Maria during the Bergen City Marathon next year.

The family team returns

Some others who took part in the relay were the gang in reflective yellow.

– Last year we were called “Family Team 4-68 years”, this year it is “Family Team 5-69 years”, says father and grandfather Frank Atle Kvinge.

Of the group that has run the relay, he is the one who is 69 years old. He has his wife, daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and everything with him. He is determined that the family will hold on until he can take the age record in the race.

The relay has been completely sold out this year, and the results list shows 330 teams listed in the mixed class. The family team finished in 176th place with a time of 1.46.55. However, the location does not mean much to Frank and his family. Best of all is being able to spend time with family.

– We’ll be back next year, I’m sure of that.