Come on get happy: Everything you need to know about the Happiness Run on International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, Intersexphobia and Biphobia on May 17th.
This year The Happiness Run through Elliðaárdalurinn, in the heart of Reykjavík, will take place on 17 May marking the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, Intersexphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT). GayIceland sat down with Hrönn Svansdóttir, project manager at Reykjavik Sports Association (Íþróttabandalag Reykjavíkur) and board member of Samtökin ‘78, the National Queer Association of Iceland, to find out more about the race – and how you can do it in high heels.
“We at Samtökin ‘78 believe it is important to create a safe space for queer people of all ages to enjoy, with their friends and family. So we wanted to provide a safe and inclusive environment for the queer community where people can be their authentic selves without fear of judgement or discrimination,” says Hrönn, when asked about the race, which Samtökin 78 and Kristall (a sparkling water brand from Ölgerðin, Iceland’s largest beverage producer) are partnering to host.
We wanted to create a space where the queer community feels a sense of belonging and connection in a field that is usually not queer friendly.
Against the tide of mainstream sports events, the Happiness Run will not only include a women’s and men’s categories, but also a category for non-binary people.
“We wanted to create a space where the queer community feels a sense of belonging and connection in a field that is usually not queer friendly. To celebrate everyone within the queer community and make a space inclusive of non-binary people in an environment that isn’t necessarily fully inclusive,” Hrönn says, adding that to Samtökin ‘78 it was “extremely important” to include a non-binary category. Especially when it comes to young people.
“Here in Iceland we take pride in how many children are involved in at least one sport for the majority of their childhood and this is considered to be the biggest prevention in youth drinking and drug use. At the same time we have seen that queer youth are much more likely to quit their sport and become isolated from their peers. Sports have been stuck in the binary for quite some time and we want to challenge that,” she says.
The race takes place on the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, Intersexphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT). Why did you choose that date?
“The idea has been floating around for some time, ever since Samtökin ‘78 were visiting sports clubs in Iceland, discussing the importance of inclusivity and safe spaces for queer people in sports,” Hrönn replies. “May 17th is also the day when the ILGA Europe Rainbow map for 2025 will be published; a map that ranks 49 European countries on their legal and policy practices for LGBTIQ+ people on a scale from 0-100%. Iceland is now in second place and we are very proud of that.”
We are going to have glitter, music, drag queens and just a bunch of happy people coming together on this significant day.
Asked what runners can expect on the day, Hrönn says that whenever she tries to pictures the event, the first thing that pops into her head is Reykjavík Pride – but with everyone “glammed up in their most colorful sportswear”.
“We are going to have glitter, music, drag queens and just a bunch of happy people coming together on this significant day,” she says.
“For runners they can expect gorgeous scenery in Elliðaárdalur and just a great time whether you are running solo, with friends or family.
The program starts at 10am with the glam-up and warm-up, at 11am we will start the races and we expect the final runners to cross the finish line at 12:30pm.
We encourage everyone to come and cheer for our runners anywhere on the route.”
Drag queens and stiletto aficionados may have an advantage in the kick off event – a 50m sprint in heels.
Registration is now open at samtokin78.is/hamingjuhlaupid or corsa.is/hamingjuhlaupid and includes a ticket to the race, a rainbow cheer, a race number with a timing chip, entertainment in the warm-up and a unique experience on the course.