Last week I ran in Lapland as part of an event called the Sunset Relay. The relay was held over several days and saw some amazing, pro sports people taking part alongside everyday amateur enthusiasts like me.

The purpose of the Sunset Relay was to raise awareness of the need to be sensible in the sun – wear sun protection and cover up, it’s hot out there – so it made sense that the relay took place during the midnight sun when the sun didn’t set.

I flew to Sweden when the race was already in full swing to take on a few legs of the relay. The drive up took us past a sign welcoming us to the Arctic Circle – so that was exciting.

For my first leg I ran with two Dutch women. We ran 15 miles, saw some amazing lakes, a massive hare, a stream, hills and no a single other person other than members of the race crew. We’d started running about 9:30pm and (as you can see from the picture above) it didn’t get dark the whole time we ran.

We finished and handed the batton over to another runner then went to bed on out bus which all competitors were sleeping on and being pushed off every so often to take on their relay stage.

My next stage wasn’t until the next day though. I ran with two Belgian and one British woman for 7km and finished just in time to get back on the bus and catch some dinner witht he rest of the team (other than the kayaker who was getting soaked and frozen somewhere in the middle of a lake).

Later that day I put my running shoes on one last time to join the rest of the team for the final stage. Everyone came together to run the final 8k leg at an easy pace. Running alongside some amazingly talented runners and pros from other sports was a great experience. Everyone chatted and enjoyed the scenery. And then we came to the finish in time to celebrate a successful relay.

So, from this ginger fair-skinned runner – remember to wear sun protection this summer – even if it doesn’t look that sunny when you’re heading out, long runs leave you out there a long time and the weather can change. Be sensible.

Thanks to the Sunset Relay and Garnier for inviting me on the trip. There’s a video of the Day 7 that you’ll be able to spot me in below. You can find films of all stages on the Sunset Relay site.