ULTRA MAG 1/2016

1 / 2016

FURTHER THAN MARATHON

A TA S T E O F P O L I S H U LT R A XAVIER THÉVENARD

GRAND TRAIL

GEDIMINAS GRINIUS

ULTRA TWINS

I listen to the birds singing...

The beauty of ultra

I usually am a lion

500 km in 150 hours

ABOUT ULTRA

ABOUT ULTRA is the first magazine in Poland for enthusiasts of running more than marathons.

Close to nature, far from the city. The magazine that was lacking in our world. Instead of waiting, we got down to work. We are now working on the sixth issue of ULTRA paper edition. This has been almost a year of writing about our great passion.

Every six months we will select the most interesting articles and interviews from three consecutive issues, translate them to English, and then off we will go on a long journey. The biannual ULTRA English is aimed at building our ultra community outside of Poland. We want to show the world our heroes, our runs and our concept of a magazine about ultramarathons.

Quite a few ultra runs are behind us, new challenges ahead. The ULTRA magazine is one of them. Ultra runners from all over the world, we are counting on you!

Hough!

KINGRUNNERS

MIKOŁAJ KOWALSKI BARYSZNIKOW

MARCIN ROSŁOŃ „ROSÓŁ”

JAMES ARTUR KAMIŃSKI

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ON TRAIL PUBLISHER:

SPINKS: MY WORLD 4 NICKY OF ULTRA RUNNING 6 A TASTE OF POLISH ULTRA COMET EFFECT 56 THE Krzysztof Dołęgowski

KINGRUNNER Sp. z o. o.

Stryjeńskich 19/348, 02-791 Warszawa, KRS 0000519731, NIP 9512383285 www.facebook.com/kingrunnerultra

EDITORIAL OFFICE: Marcin Rosłoń rossi@kingrunner.com Mikołaj Kowalski-Barysznikow miki@kingrunner.com James Artur Kamiński james@kingrunner.com

FLOW OF THOUGHTS 94 ULTRA Marcin Rosłoń

Gabi Żukowska gabriela.zukowska@gmail.com

BOULDER 102 IN Krzysztof Dołęgowski

PHOTO:

WORLD OF ULTRA TRAIL 148 THE

BY SÉBASTIEN CHAIGNEAU

LAYOUTS, PREPRESS:

Piotr Dymus piotrdymus.com, Alexis Berg grandtrail.info, Łukasz Buszka buszka.pl, Krzysztof Zaniewski chrisactive.pl, Julita Chudko julitachudko.pl, Adam Kokot adamkokot.pl, BikeLIFE bikelife.pl, Wojciech Zwierzyński kaszubskaponiewierka.pl, Michał Unolt uboot-studio.com, Grzegorz Lisowski nigra-photo.com, Magdalena Późniewska foto.biegamgdziechce.pl, Krzysztof Dołęgowski, Magda Ostrowska-Dołęgowska napieraj.pl, Wasyl pasjabiegania.pl, Henryk Schabenbeck National Digital Archive, Iwona El Tanbouli-Jabłońska f11.art.pl, Lee Procter Inov-8.com, Mouss Production moussproduction.com, Tromso Skyrace tromsoskyrace.com, Damiano Levati The North Face, Adam Markiewicz, Rafał Bielawa, Robert Bielik, Krzysztof Nigot, Adam Szurek, Józef Nyka, Małgorzata Surdel(-Nyka) drawings: Piotr Matejczuk, Aniela Paszczak, Kostek Jabłoński, Józia Mrozowska, Asia Młodecka-Goga, Zosia Szczapanek

ULTRA STORY

TATRAS HIKING RACE 20 THE Jan Nyka MOTHERS 70 ULTRA Aleksandra Belowska END IS MY BEGINING 90 THE Iwona El Tanbouli-Jabłońska ULTRADITION 114 FAMILY Jan Nyka MAN'S BEST FRIEND 122 AMarcin Rosłoń TWINS 128 ULTRA Rafał Bielawa and Kamil Klich

COOPERATION: Aleksandra Belowska, Maciej Ners, Jan Nyka, Krzysztof Dołęgowski, Kuba Wolski, Marta Tittenbrun, Monika Strojny, Piotr Hercog, Artur Kurek, Agnieszka Korpal, Eliza Czyżewska, Filip Bojko, Jarek Sekuła, Ewelina Supera, Iwona El-Tanbouli-Jabłońska, Piotr Sawicki, Rafał Bielawa, Kamil Klich

THE MOUNTAIN EYE

TRAIL 36 GRAND ALEXIS BERG 76 PIOTR DYMUS

ENGLISH TRANSLATION: Marta Kamińska smart@iq.pl

TOP SHELF

ADVERTISING: James Artur Kamiński james@kingrunner.com

PEOPLE RUN ULTRA 140 HAPPY A BOOK REVIEW

PHOTO ON COVER:

Mikołaj Kowalski-Barysznikow

SPECIAL THANKS: NICKY SPINKS, XAVIERTHEVENARD, ALEXIS BERG, GEDIMINAS GRINIUS, GINTARE GRINE, SEB CHAIGNEAU

photo: © Tromso Skyrace

Bieg Ultra Granią Tatr © Piotr Dymus

INTERVIEW

LISTEN TO THE BIRDS SINGING 26 IWHILE I'M RUNNING XAVIER THÉVENARD

USUALLY AM A LION 62 IGEDIMINAS GRINIUS DAD! 108 SUPER PIOTR SAWICKI

RECIPES

COOKIES 144 BADWATER Zofia Strychalska THE BANANAS 146 SAVE Marcin Rosłoń

ultra story

NICKY SPINKS MY WORLD OF ULTRA RUNNING text: Nicky Spinks photo: Lee Procter / Inov-8.com

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ON TRAIL

A

s a child I always ran fast, it just seemed the obvious thing to do. I never thought about it as running it was simply just my way of getting things done quicker, whether that be bringing the ponies in from the fields or visiting my friends on neighbouring farms. I just loved to run, and to do so as fast as my young legs would allow.

Back then I lived in Glossop, near Manchester.

When I wasn’t running fast, I was exploring.

The nearby Kinder Scout was my moorland playground. Often, my brothers and I would pack a lunch of jam sandwiches and head off into the moorland hills to explore. Had we told our parents we were bored at home they would have given us more farm jobs to do, so instead we went out exploring from first light until dusk. Fast forward to the present day and, I guess, not much has changed…

I still love to run and explore.

I left home at 17 and worked in a city office for six years. Without constant exercise I put on weight. I started running to try and keep fit but all around me was high-rise buildings, cars and noise. I longed for the feeling of openness I’d enjoyed so much during my childhood.

By 1991 I could take it no more. I left my job in the city and started work as a farmer.

I was now living in the countryside. There were no mountains nearby but, to be honest, I was working too hard, and was often too tired, to even contemplate trying to run.

Around 10 years later I started running in the hills once again. Climbing the UK’s highest peak, Ben Nevis, opened my eyes to the incredible views you can get from the top of a mountain. I was instantly addicted. I wanted

more mountains and more views, but instead of just climbing them, I wanted to run them.

And so I went from taking part in short traditional English fell races of around six miles to racing mountain ultras such as UTMB, Grand Raid des Pyrenees and L’Echappee Belle. But it is the UK’s rugged mountains that have become my adult playground and to hold the fastest women’s times for the toughest 24-hour mountain running challenges in England (Bob Graham Round), Scotland (Ramsay Round) and Wales (Paddy Buckley) makes me immensely proud.

Age: 48; Lives: Yorkshire, England; Occupation: Farmer

Above all else however, it is still that feeling of openness and space that lures me back into running in the mountains time and time again. I love to have a distant horizon to look at; one that I can imagine I will still be running towards in eight, ten or twenty hours.

Nicky is an English ultra, mountain and fell runner. She is the fastest woman over Britain's highest summits, currently holding the ladies' record times for the the toughest 24-hour mountain challenges in England, Scotland and Wales.

I’m at my happiest when I’m standing on the summit of a mountain with enough in my inov-8 rucksack to last me 24 hours and my only thought is ‘where should I and my faithful dog, Wisp, run to next?’ By that stage I will be tired but my legs will have reached a state of continual movement. They will no longer ache and will continue to carry me for as long as I wish to keep running. There are few better feelings in life.

Her record times: England: Bob Graham Round (66 miles, 42 summits, 27,000 ft elevation gain) 18 h 06 min, set in April 2015 Scotland: Ramsay Round (58 miles, 24 summits, 28,500 ft elevation gain) 19 h 39 min, set in May 2014.

Wales: Paddy Buckley Round (61 miles, 47 summits, 28,000 ft elevation gain) 19 h 02 min, set in May 2013.

She is the only person, male or female, to have run each of them in under 20 hours.

bio NICKY SPINKS

Nicky Spinks is an inov-8 ambassador. Read more stories from Nicky and other inov-8 ambassadors at team.inov-8.com

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A TASTE OF POLISH ULTRA

A TASTE OF

POLISH ULTRA

ŁEMKOWYNA ULTRA TRAIL / photo: Julita Chudko

BIEG ULTRA GRANIÄ„ TATR / photo: Adam Kokot

DOLNOŚLĄSKI FESTIWAL BIEGÓW GÓRSKICH / photo: Piotr Dymus

CHUDY WAWRZYNIEC / photo: Piotr Dymus

A TASTE OF POLISH ULTRA

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BIEG 7 DOLIN / photo: Piotr Dymus

A TASTE OF POLISH ULTRA

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TRÓJMIEJSKI ULTRA TRACK / photo: Wojciech Zwierzyński

A TASTE OF POLISH ULTRA

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ZAMIEĆ / photo: Michał Unolt

A TASTE OF POLISH ULTRA

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ZIMOWY ULTRAMARATON KARKONOSKI im. TOMKA KOWALSKIEGO / photo: bikeLIFE

A TASTE OF POLISH ULTRA

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A TASTE OF POLISH ULTRA

THE TATRAS HIKING RACE If one was to ask a contemporary mountain runner when mountain running races were first organized in Poland, their origins would probably be indicated not earlier than 10-15 years ago. They would be very surprised that the first heralds should be searched for nearly one hundred years ago. It probably has never happened before that some sports discipline developed spontaneously in Poland – all examples came to us from other countries. Nevertheless, nearly one century ago, there was a praiseworthy exception – a beautiful idea of organized mountain runs.

text: Jan Nyka

Julian Motyka on his way to Czerwone Wierchy. Edited of two archival pictures: the area of Kondracka Pass and the silhouette of Julian Motyka from a cross-country run in 1929.

Motyka’s picture from the National Digital Archive.

Edited by: Jan Nyka. We did not manage to find any original picture from Chód Tatrzański.

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A TASTE OF POLISH ULTRA

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ULTRA STORY / THE TATRAS HIKING RACE

O

nce, browsing old magazines, I accidentally came across information about a mountain run, the first in the Tatras and the first such run in Poland. It was the year 1925, when a group of sport enthusiasts from Zakopane, mountaineering and skiing activists, decided to organize a cross-country race in a beautiful and technically difficult environment of mountainous nature. Unfortunately, this concept was ruined by an authoritarian voice of one of Tatra wise men. And at stake of general assessment of social phenomena the voice of “authority figures” unfortunately weighed more than the objective view on the matter based on common sense and logic. The fact that it was a Polish idea acted to its disadvantage: world precedents and analogies would definitely inspire greater trust and perhaps acceptance from the decision makers.

That unprecedented sports event took place on 15 August 1925. It was the first mountain run in Polish history held on a distance of 25 km with over a thousand meters elevation gain, cautiously called by the organizers Chód Tatrzański. Just before the start the old folks – experienced sportsmen – brothers Franciszek and Józef Bujak and Kazimierz Schiele withdrew. At 9:47 four remaining contestants set off towards Kuźnice from the Zakopane market – the younger ones, representing the postwar style: Julian Motyka, Władysław Czech, Stanisław Michalski and Stanisław Grabacz. Taking advantage of the good weather in the lower parts of the mountains, running through Kondratowa Valley, they reached Kondracka Pass, unfortunately, the towering peaks were rapped in a thick fog. Motyka and Czech, at the same time, were the first to reach the feeding and resting point prepared on the pass. After a fifteen-minute-long obligatory break, in a thick, moist fog and cold wind, the second six-kilometer stage started, leading over the entire length of Czerwone Wierchy range.

The distances between participants increased – on the peak of Krzesanica (2128 m) Motyka was leading 4 minutes ahead of the others, which he later lost when he got lost in the fog on Ciemniak. At the second resting point, above Miętusia cave, the participants came in the following order: Motyka with Czech breathing down his neck, 8 minutes later Michalski, who completely tore the sole of his shoe on the stones, and 16 minutes later Grabacz. The weather was good

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again, the participants ate and rested. After a 15-minute-break they set off on a trail marked with colorful pennants through the gloomy forest above Miętusia cave, then through the Valley of the Small Meadow and Droga pod Reglami trail back to Zakopane. The winner, Julian Motyka, reached the finish line on the market in a phenomenal time of 2 hours 59 minutes, Władysław Czech in 3:02, Stanisław Michalski in 3:24, and Stanisław Grabacz in 3:42. Mountain experts did not expect such effective results, the most optimistic estimates ranged from 3:30 to 4:30. On top of that the participants reached the finish line in great shape and the only complaint they all raised were too long, obligatory breaks to rest.

The idea to organize Chód Tatrzański should be recognized as an initiative of Stanisław Zdyb, a sports manager of “Sokół”, a longtime member of Tatra Voluntary Rescue Services (Tatrzańskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe) of the Polish Tatra Society (Polskie Towarzystwo Tatrzańskie), an experienced tourist, skier and alpinist. The president of “Sokół”, professor Wilhelm Stopowy, supervised careful organization of the event, assisted by committed activists of that organization. At that time – which was emphasized in the press – that type of ventures was not known – neither in Poland, nor even abroad.

Not without a reason did Andrzej Krzeptowski share the following thoughts at the end of August in Głos Zakopiański: “The current season may be easily called a breakthrough season for the development of sport in Zakopane. A great number of sporting events... seems to indicate that we are entering a new era... leading towards adapting the essence of sports to special, mountain conditions. Struggling with chronic deficiency of fields and tracks, movement is, by necessity, transferred mainly to take the form of runs and even long distance runs on afforested and mountainous land, for which our sportsmen (almost exclusively skiers), feel particular affection”.

Unfortunately, this novel event found no recognition among then influential circles. In issue 28 of Kurier Sportowy, an outstanding alpinist, the president of the Tourists Section in the Polish Tatra Society, Mieczysław Świerz, writing about sport matters, expressed his opinion. He stood up for the hurt feelings of tourists and Tatra lovers,

Stanisław Zdyb Photo: author unknown

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all those for whom these mountains were “a temple and priceless jewel of the Republic of Poland”. He emphasized that Tatras, “which are the fountain of respite, refreshment and consolation for thousands of people” for the first time became “a lifeless and cold sports device”. He shed a tear over stately Tatra peak, which became “the area of human racing” aided by a soulless “time measuring instrument”, apparently having nothing to do with mountain sports. To present a full perspective, he also stood up for the contestants and of concern for their health he emphasized that it was exposed to injury by covering over one thousand meters height difference “during the time much in excess of the standard (300-400 meters of elevation gain per hour) admissible in the mountains”. He finally denied Chód Tatrzański any real sports value, appealing to put away the race to the “warehouse of forgotten and unfortunate inventions”.

A sober response of Andrzej Krzeptowski was published in issue 31 of Kurier Sportowy – following the principle audiatur et altera pars.

Krzeptowski’s arguments were reasonable and logical. He polemicized with Świerz, who did not – unsparing of bringing out “heavy cannons to hit a sparrow”, just to “slam the gates leading to that »temple of refreshment« to the »only altars of freedom« that our wonderful Tatras art for every Pole” before the sportsmen. He reminded that the crowds of tourists mentioned by Świerz litter beautiful spots with “cans, papers and egg shells”, and the mountains “roar... with shouting of thousands of profanes”. Meanwhile, against the panorama of Tatras “among thousands of tourists on the one and only day in a year a tiny group of participants will pass by – nearly unnoticed”. The noisy profane was contrasted with a sportsman, “a true son of nature”, for whom he turned with feigned compassion: “Only You, the quiet knight in noble, modern fight, who quietly and deftly sneak on a side as an agile chamois... – you are the only one who is not allowed to enjoy a healthy resilience of young muscles and broad breath in your chest. You are the only one, quiet and humble, to annihilate the majesty of the mountains!”. He also refuted the accusations concerning the exposure to the contestants’ health. He emphasized that neither he himself, not his honorable adversary, had sufficient knowledge to express opinions about that matter, and that it should be left for professionals. He only stated that standards defined for a tourist “laden with a heavy backpack” are not the same as standards for a sportsman, “whose entire outfit is more of a swimsuit”. He defended the sports value of hiking and reminded that during ski races “huge elevation gains of 300-400 meters are made in full run, at the same time breathing in chilly air and carrying an abnormal burden in the form of a pair of skies”. And it was common knowledge that Mieczysław Świerz, in his younger years, did not avoid cross-country skiing in Tatras and Beskids with a race number pinned on his chest, willingly subjecting himself to the operation of a “time measuring instrument”. Krzeptowski also invoked the authority of the initiator of Chód – Stanisław Zdyb, “whose knowledge of the mountains and knowledge of sport principles was difficult to put into question” – even for Świerz. Finally, he appealed to authoritative circles to leave

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the key issue – the question “whether the sport should be allowed in the mountains” beyond dispute, and to prevent future “unfortunate attack on sportsmen’s freedom and their legitimate rights”.

In turn on the pages of a popular sports weekly magazine Stadion two statements dedicated to Chód by dr Władysław Fuchs-Dybowski, a sports physiologist (issue 37, 45) and Adam Krzeptowski’s response (issue 41) could be found. Both debaters expressed well balanced and substantial views.

Dr Władysław Fuchs-Dybowski proposed discussion [in the first article] on the minimum age of Chód Tatrzański participants, a need to select those with experience and adequate preparation, as well as a need to perform obligatory medical examination of contestants before and after the race. He asked the organizers and the District Athletics Federation of Krakow (KOZLA, Krakowski Okręgowy Związek Lekkiej Atletyki) a rhetorical question, whether they had realized that Chód Tatrzański, due to the difficult terrain and big elevation gain “matches a marathon run in terms of difficulty and effort” and why “there is no mention of such events abroad, where sports are much more advanced and have many years of tradition?”. He emphasized, however, that that type of a sports event deserved close attention and its organizers should definitely share gained experience, informing the public opinion about further details on this matter.

Andrzej Krzeptowski (Stadion, issue 41) in his response explained that KOZLA had not officially approved Chód Tatrzański to date.

He agreed that the matter of medical examination “is probably the weakest point in the organization of sports competitions in Poland”.

As an example he indicated popular skiing competitions, at which this practice has never been applied. He informed that “Sokół” participants were examined by doctor Mischke before the run, but not after the run – due to organizational difficulties. He emphasized that the public opinion should not “have a skeptical approach to Polish ideas, even if at first sight they are divergent from the traditional models (...) as we do not know the origins of that type of undertakings – neither here nor anywhere else”. That is why the “special conditions of Tatra mountains enriched the Polish sport, and wonderful and difficult mountainous terrain ... with careful consideration of the matter and rational organization of the race, can be included in the best playing fields, i.e. forests and fields for every sportsman of more contemporary times”.

Dr Fuchs-Dybowski (Stadion, issue 45) concluded: “So what is the conclusion? A stereotypic one in Poland – to ban it? No. Enough sins of that type have been committed, usually with an effect contrary to that intended. Seemingly minor, but very important changes should be introduced”. What changes? Obligatory tests before and after the race, performed by experienced doctors and professional sportsmen. On the basis of test results race rules should be improved, until an ideal is reached.

THE TATRAS HIKING RACE / ULTRA STORY

Andrzej Krzeptowski Photo by Henryk Schabenbeck, Zakopane. National Digital Archive

An ideal was has never been reached, because the pioneering idea was locked for many decades, to the “warehouse of forgotten and unfortunate inventions” prepared in advance by Świerz. Serious mountain media ignored it – neither Taternik, nor Wierchy made a note of Chód Tatrzański. Popular media did the same. Why? There were several reasons. The true Tatras lovers avoided connotations with sport, at least to a degree like a devil avoids holy water. Mieczysław Świerz, at that time, enjoyed great respect and his curse was conclusive for those writing about the mountains: Roma locuta, causa finita.

That was enhanced by a misunderstanding of the concept of the event, its modest size – compared to e.g. skiing competitions, a visible (intentional?) lack of promotional effort from organizers. As far as the press publications are concerned there was yet another reason. Not much earlier, in the Jaworzyńskie range of the Tatra Mountains, there was a mysterious accident, unexplained until this day, of a simultaneous death of three persons (known as Kasznica family tragedy), which attracted the attention of most media and mountain journalists for a long time. For many weeks only that sensational event was talked about and discussed.

Mieczysław Świerz Photo by Henryk Schabenbeck, Zakopane. National Digital Archive

The fact that such an interesting event was forgotten for 90 years may be surprising – nobody wrote about it, nobody came back to it. So the possibility to revive a forgotten episode from the history of our sport and, at the same time, to restore the memory of contemporaneous enlightened sports and alpine activists – Zdyb, Krzeptowski is even more enjoyable. They did not live long enough to see the new era, but their names may be found on the front pages of chronicles of so beautifully developing running discipline of today.

To recapitulate, completely contemporary analogies come to my mind, which show that our Polish Tatras, even today, are not very willing to open their gates to organized running events. What is more, a broadly understood sport is still not fully favored by Tatra decision makers.

Arguments raised against it are often equally illogical and irrational as those expressed by Świerz over 90 years ago. Therefore Andrzej Krzeptowski’s words, that after all, no one will be harmed if “among thousands of tourists on the one and only day in a year a tiny group of participants will pass by – nearly unnoticed” still remain valid.

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THE TATRAS HIKING RACE / ultra story

I LISTEN TO THE BIRDS SINGING WHILE I’M RUNNING interview: Mikołaj Kowalski-Barysznikow photos: Krzysztof Zaniewski

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THE TATRAS HIKING RACE / ultra story

W

e only sent the first text message to Xavier Thévenard from a gas station somewhere in the West of Germany. Before we only contacted through Facebook. The response to a question where to find him when we reach Jougne came immediately.

Xavier sent his detailed address, but added it would be easier to find him by the car parked on the street rather than by the house number.... “There is my first and last name on it”, he explained, and finished his message with a nice smiley.

We got to Jougne the next day, early in the morning.

We walked into a café along the main road from Pontarlier to the French and Swiss border. We read out the address from the text message and inquiringly repeated the name of the street to a nice waitress. She only responded with her eyes wide open and helpless spread out her arms. So we tried differently: “Does the name Thévenard ring a bell? Xavier Thévenard?”.

“Sure, he’s our runner. Turn left, then one more time left, go a bit up the hill and you’re there”, she answered with a smile, clearly satisfied she was able to help.

Two turns left and one several hundred metes long uphill ride later we noticed a KIA kombi with the words “Xavier Thévenard, 2015­Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc Champion”. After 22 hours of travel we reached the destination. But the car was not the only clue Xavier had left for us. The second was the front door to his apartment. By the door frame there were four pairs of muddy asics. They were neatly put in a row: three closer to the door, then a gap and another pair. One was definitely missing. That was the pair Xavier was wearing when he showed up after a moment. Bonjour, bienvenue!

It took a long time for Xavier to believe that we wanted to drive over 1500 kilometers to meet him. “Crazy people, they came from Poland in an old, LPG powered car, insane!”, he repeated several times during those six hours we spent there. Just to be sure he even took a picture of our plates. He was clearly impressed we took the effort to drive through a big part of Europe just to talk to him. Maybe that is why he did not refuse answering any question and, despite the fact it was cold and raining, he was willingly posing for pictures. He also served us some coffee, made lunch, and gave a big chunk of cheese from a local cheesemaker.

The half day we spent at his place was a wonderful time for us.

We hope that the interview and the pictures we managed to bring from Jougne captured at least some of the atmosphere Xavier Thévenard, one of the greatest ultra runners in the world, created when he hosted us in his modest apartment.

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INTERVIEW / XAVIER THÉVENARD

You just came back from Chamonix.

A leopard cannot change its spots?

[laughter] No, no, this time I did not go there to run. One of my sponsors flew in especially from California to meet me, so I couldn’t say no.

You are only 27 and you already are a two time champion of UTMB, the most popular ultra race in the world.

You won in 2013 and in 2015. What made you start taking part in such long runs at such a young age?

I have been attracted to long distances since I was a child. I have always been in motion and I loved challenges. In 2010, as a test, I ran in a “small UTMB”, i.e. in the CCC run on a distance of 100 km. I wanted to try myself, see if could make it, and, to my surprise, I won. Soon after that Asics took me under their wings. I was training a lot, I was learning even more, I was getting to know my body, which further intensified the desire to test myself. I wanted to find out if I could withstand such strain. Finally, I decided to take part in the race and I managed to win UTMB at the first attempt. But Kilian Jornet won that run when he was even younger, he was only 21 years old!

unforgettable, completely unique, extraordinary moment. The second time, in 2015, I was already better prepared to handle the success, but despite that I think the impression was even stronger. Music on the finish line in Chamonix, rejoicing fans and Ludo, the announcer, we are good friends with, had his share in igniting emotions. Two years ago I was anonymous for most fans, this year from the beginning to the end of the race everyone was calling me by my first name.

It was amazing.

Are you able to compare those races?

I ran both of them well, peacefully, strategically. I started cautiously, to then gain 20, then 50 minutes’ lead. In both cases I ran alone from Grand Col Ferret (101st kilometer).

This year, unlike in 2013, the last 20 km were difficult for me. It was because of the heat.

I was running effortlessly to Champex, but from there, there is still a marathon. And the last marathon on the way is always difficult.

were several hundred people in the audience, but I didn’t feel like a rock star. I think I wasn’t as convincing as Jimmy Page, I think I am better at running [laughter]. But my brother did great on the drums!

Is it true that you do not really like to talk while running? Is that why you are running so fast – to be alone in the mountains?

At the beginning of the run I do not mind running with others, but the closer the end the more I prefer to be alone [laughter]. That’s true, I like to be alone in the mountains.

I do a lot of thinking, I contemplate, I think about the future, how to organize my life. I also think about my family, my running projects, what I will be doing in a dozen of more years. The question I keep asking myself is: how many years will it

At the beginning of the run I do not mind running with others, but the closer the end the more I prefer to be alone.

À propos, do you like to be called the “French Kilian”?

Come on! Kilian is great in everything he does. He is excellent in long distance, in running 1,000 meters of ascent, in marathons, in everything … He is an absolute runner, and I am only good at long distance running. That is why such comparison is nice, but definitely exaggerated.

What does a man feel when he wins the greatest ultra race in the world?

It is impossible to describe. Explosion of emotions, happiness, satisfaction, everyone is looking at you and you want to thank everyone. When I won for the first time I was a little scared when I saw the madness.

Emotions shared with parents and friends literally knocked me down. It was a beautiful,

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When I have a crisis, I always think of positive things. That my buddies are waiting for me down there and I will see my family soon. I also think about childhood moments, good things in general. I keep all negative thoughts away.

last? How long will I be able to keep running? The answer is always the same: I couldn’t quit sports, I wouldn’t be able to. I want to stay active until I am one hundred. My aim is to run 100 kilometers at the age of one hundred.

Do you listen to the music when you are running?

What if you couldn’t run?

What would you do?

I prefer to play music myself. This year before the race my brother and I we played a 30-minute concert, some songs by Led Zeppelin, also some fragments of well known tracks, e.g. Johnny be Good. It was a great relax. My sponsor, Petzl, asked me to do this. There

If I couldn’t run or do any other sport, I think I would pick mushrooms. Or take pictures. Anyway I would definitely spend time close to the nature. I like music very much, but it is not as great a passion

How do you handle moments of crisis?

of mine as sport and nature. I can easily survive a week without playing, but a week without running – not a chance!

How do you prepare yourself for the longest runs? Do you have a standard training plan?

I do not have a permanent cycle. I adapt training for a specific aim. This is like building a house for me. I first lay the foundations, then erect the walls, I fix the roof, set doors and windows, and, finally, I do the finishing works to make sure that the top form will come exactly for the race.

I usually train in the morning, around 5 a.m., before work. An on days off at 8:30. My favorite training is a two-hour run, when I run for a distance of around 20 km and 1,000 meters of ascent.

This is what I do most often. But I also like long runs, several times a week in three or four hours I run for a distance of 35 to 40 km. I do not like intervals, but I do them, because otherwise it would be difficult to keep dynamics. I have a hill hear my place – the height difference from the foot to the peak is exactly 1,000 meters – every once in a while I run up the hill several times. Continuous heart rate monitoring is a very important training element for me. I check on my computer every day the readings form my heart rate monitor, and then I send the results for analysis to a specialist from my team. It is very important to have a good sense of your body, but I complement it with tests. They tell me what may happen to me soon. Stretching after every training is also an obligatory element, I also use Compex electrostimulation often.

How do you think, what is more important on your level, physical or mental preparation?

It is very important to have the will, but I do not think that you can fool yourself into realization of some unrealistic plan. Objectives must be set gradually and fulfilled consistently. Even if you have the strongest mind in the world, there are situations when without adequate physical preparation you won’t make it. Out of the two things I put physical aspect above the mental one.

Xavier on a training run near his home

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INTERVIEW / XAVIER THÉVENARD

But maybe it is because I have a naturally strong psyche. Overcoming barriers for me is something normal, I have been doing it since I was a kid. I am mentally programmed to face challenges.

Tell me about your childhood.

My parents ran a mountain shelter just next to a ski lift in Plans d’Hotonnes. The region of the Jura mountain range, where I grew up, is a cross country skiing center. My dad worked as an instructor. My mom was a nurse. My parents would always let my siblings and me do everything. We were able to do whatever we wanted and we did. We were getting to know the world. My brother and I we loved running on the meadows and chasing butterflies. One day my father enrolled me in a ski club, but he never forced me to train. Not that he had to – since I was a little kid I loved training – first this was cross country skiing and hiking trips with my brother and my sister. I was less than ten when I would ski for a distance of even 30 kilometers.

You still do.

That’s correct. For five months a year I give up running and I only focus on skiing.

More or less from mid November until mid April.

Not only does cross country skiing help me keep fit, but it makes me fitter. Plus it regenerates my muscles and tendons weary after the season, it does not strain joints and has great effect on heart rate and oxygen uptake. It is equally soothing for the mind. Months spent skiing make me miss running when spring comes

In front of his apartment in Jougne, France

and flowers begin to bloom. Such variety is a great balance for my head and body. Just running 365 days a year is neither good nor healthy.

Maybe, in that case, cross country skiing should become a standard element of preparations to ultra runs?

Yes and no. You have to know how to cross country ski, it is a very technical sport. If you do it wrong it is very easy to get discouraged. When you do not have the skills you do not see the effects and you do not feel the fun. It is best to start as a kid, then you grasp everything instantaneously. In my opinion cross country skiing allows significantly

extend the time of staying physically active, which can make your career last longer. In my case cross country skiing season is a total of 3000 km and some 15 hours of training a week. But, unlike e.g. Kilian, I practice Nordic style, not ski-tour. In my home Jura there are no hills like in high mountains, so skins are not used, and you go down using the telemark technique. That is why always when I win a race I make a telemark on the finish line to emphasize my roots.

How did it happen that you moved from your hometown to Jougne?

At the age of 17 I left to a school in Pontarlier, more than ten kilometers from here.

Overcoming barriers for me is something normal, I have been doing it since I was a kid. I am mentally programmed to face challenges.

I went to college there and then got a job that I love in Jougne. I work as a sports instructor.

I have classes with children and youth. I teach them climbing, we go to caves together, we go kayaking, run, ride bikes. There is a total of ten instructors and we are a great pack of friends. We celebrated all my successes together: victories in CCC, TDS and twice in UTMB. After CCC in 2010 one of my buddies invited me for a glass of champagne.

I thought it was with him and his girlfriend, but it turned out they prepared a great party for me with a live concert. It was incredible!

How do the people in town react to your success?

Since 2013, after every victory, they hang a thick ribbon over the main street going through Jougne reading “Bravo Xavier!”.

But there are no handshakes with the mayor, we usually celebrate with the family, neighbors and friends.

It is possible to call you a professional runner?

How did you become a member of the Asics Trail Team?

I think so. A professional runner for me is someone who does whatever he can to be on top, cares about food, training, recovery.

I am serious about my running and I slowly start to make a living of it. Maybe I am not as active as many others in the media, I do not pay too much attention to my Facebook account, but this is because I do not want to show everything I do. I run because I love it, not because I want applause. Sure, it is nice when they write something about me, but media relations are not my priority. If they stop writing about me tomorrow that will not make me sleepless. I just hope to be able to run. If I can make a living of my passion it is great, but if I lost the contract I would still wake up at dawn and run. Nothing would change.

I was not looking for it, they found me. After the CCC in 2010 they offered me the first contract, which provided me with clothes, shoes, entry fees, flights, training. And since the first victory in UTMB in 2013 I have already had a financial contract. Thanks to the contract I could only do running starting tomorrow, but I do not want to quit my job. The support from Asics gives me full material comfort, but I do not want to burn the bridges. It’s because I really like what I’m doing.

How would you define yourself as a runner? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

First of all I am a running enthusiast. I can run for a long time, but not quickly. In running I am calm and persistent. François d’Haene, for example, is tall and makes big leaps. I am smaller, so my steps are shorter too. But we have similar results. This shows that everyone can run well, it is just a matter of your will and training.

You mentioned François, another French ultra star.

Is there friendship among the leading runners? Who do you get along with?

We have a good atmosphere among us, no negative emotions. Nobody puts the skids under anyone. There is friendship and respect.

Personally I am friends with François, and also with Thomas Lorblanchet and Kilian.

The difficulty for me is that I do not speak English, so I cannot really communicate

Xavier demonstrating his racing shoes

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INTERVIEW / XAVIER THÉVENARD

with other runners from abroad. But to the extent that I am able to communicate by gestures I can say that the guys from outside of France are also ok [laughter].

Do you have an idol?

Among ultra runners that would be Kilian.

Because of his versatility and passion in his actions. He is a great sportsman and a person who truly loves what he does. He is a genuine runner, no bullshit. When it comes to sportsmen in general, I admire Martin Fourcade, the best biathlonist in the world, a true champion. For his approach, for how he knows how to analyze his opponents, adapt running tactics. He is exceptionally systematic, very mentally strong and always perfectly prepared.

What would be your advice to a beginner willing to enter the ultra running world?

First, do not neglect rest. Also, always stretch, get massage and eat well. Unfortunately, there is no universal advice about training, because it is a very individual matter. You have to adapt it to numerous elements of life.

You definitely have to search for balance, feel yourself, avoid blind sticking to the plan, listen to yourself instead, analyze, test and draw conclusions. Advance gradually, start from 40, then 60 or 80 kilometer runs.

Only later try yourself in longer runs. Whenever something ails you, give yourself time off for a while, correct errors and come back stronger. I want to emphasize nutrition again! That element is worth exploring, because it can give you a big advantage.

How much time does an amateur need to prepare to finish the UTMB?

I think a year of preparations is an absolute minimum. And that only provided that you have been doing something before in your life. It is enough time to gain experience, also on the mental level, to realize you can do it. At the stage of preparations that thought must be repeated daily. This conviction that you can do it must be planted in your head.

And, of course, you have to run a lot in the mountains, even every day or every other day. You definitely cannot say to yourself

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“I will do it!” a month before start, you need to give yourself time.

And what would be your advice to a more experienced runner who got stuck on a certain level and who, despite all effort, is not able to improve the results?

You always have to thoroughly analyze the problem. It is worth asking yourself if the aim is just to finish or to have fun with it.

When there is no fun there will be no effects. If you are stuck, you have to go back to shorter distance, find the joy of running, self confidence, the craving for races. In some cases it is also worth to think if, maybe, we you are insisting on running a distance, for which you are simply not fit. For example, I know I am poor at short distance runs, and good at long distance runs, and I do not try to force myself to do anything. You have to realize that much depends on genetics and how experience has shaped you.

It is good to be aware of your circumstances and respect them, know your limits rather than fight them.

Do you have other hobbies apart from running?

As I mentioned before I play the guitar a little. Apart from that I edit films as a hobby.

I like playing with the time-lapse method.

I make films of nature and animals in the stop-motion technique, and then I edit recordings and show them to my friends. I like to go training with a camera, leave the camera on for a few hours at the top of the mountain, and then watch the video at home and edit it. Type in “jmthev massive du jura” on Youtube to see the outcome. Apart from that I love planning sports projects. I am currently preparing myself for a trip from Jougne to Chamonix in straight line. The total distance is 150 km: 60 km on a bike, 10 km on a kayak through Geneva Lake and at the end an 80 kilometer run. I would like to accomplish that plan in November 2016 or 2017. As you can see we are talking about running again [laughter].

What do you like to eat?

During a race I mainly eat sweet potatoes,

bananas, cashew nuts and date bars. I only drink sparkling water with minerals. Without supplementing minerals I would quickly burn out. On a daily basis I eat a lot of vegetables, lentils, chickpeas, quite a lot of fish, some white meat and eggs. Before training I usually make myself some rice with quinoa and chickpeas. I supplement my diet with Iron, Magnesium, Zinc, Potassium Bicarbonate, probiotics and BCAA drinks, which support regeneration.

Do you ever have stomach problems when you run?

Last year I withdrew from Diagonale des Fous on the Réunion island for that reason. As always before start I prepared a purée made of sweet potatoes for the run. But in the heat and humidity food immediately got spoiled.

I didn’t sense that in time and on the 35th kilometer I started vomiting. My stomach went inside out.

I couldn’t bear it, I wasn’t able to run further and I had to quit.

If I can make a living of my passion it is great, but if I lost the contract I would still wake up at dawn and run.

Nothing would change.

INTERVIEW / Xavier ThĂŠvenard

What do you feel when failure comes?

Do you have a girlfriend?

Enormous frustration. I always want to give my best, and when I am not able to meet my own expectations, it is hard for me to come to terms with it. I look for the reasons behind every failure, analyze where I made mistakes and try to learn a lesson. In general I think that a failure is much more motivating for me than victory. As a matter of principle, apart from stomach problems and injuries, the only thing that can ruin my run, is when something is wrong with my parents, my brother, my girlfriend. If everything is ok and I know they are waiting form me at the finish line, everything will be fine!

Yes. Her name is AmĂŠlie. We have been together for three years. We get along with each other well and we want to have a family. I do not know how other couples work, but we give each other a lot of space, we do not force anything on one another and we are understanding towards each other. We both know what we want. She is currently studying architecture in Geneva. But we do meet on weekends and call each other every day. This is enough [laughter]. Sometimes I am thinking it is difficult to live with a guy who dedicates so much time to his things, but she never complained. Quite to the contrary, she always encourages me and supports me,

I feel she is with me in everything I do. Well, I also try to be with her as often as I can. My signing of the a contract had a very good influence on our relationship, we gained a lot of time because of it.

You often mention your family and, in general, make an impression of a home-bird. It is apparent when you look at the list of your victories.

Practically all of them were in France.

Why do you not win abroad?

Because so far I practically did not race abroad [laughter]. I only ran in Transvulcania in 2013, where I was 11th, and this year I ran in Patagonia and there I won. Apart from that I have never gone anywhere before. Well why would I move from France if the most beautiful race is held here? But next year I am already planning to take part in several runs abroad, specifically in: Hardrock 100, Transvulcania, Ultra Trail Mt. Fuji, and in November maybe also in New Zealand. So far I was not tempted to run in other places of the world, but it is not surprising, because UTMB, the most media-covered ultra run on Earth, is two hours drive from my house. Plus the route runs through three countries, so I did get to travel a bit [laughter]. Now I reached the time when I would like to try something different, see the world.

The contract with Asics allows me to think about it in the first place, before there was no chance to do it. UTMB for me is a trip for a weekend, but a trip to the US is at least ten days. I am waiting the most for the Ultra Trail Mt. Fuji, because it is a great event with super ambience. And Asics is from Japan.

"My aim is to run 100 kilometers at the age of one hundred", he says

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INTERVIEW / XAVIER THÉVENARD

What is most appealing to you in ultra runs?

It is not about the race itself, about competition. What matters is the training, all these landscapes and amazing experiences.

They are the essence of ultra running for me!

What would have to happen for you to take part in a run in Poland?

I would definitely need a guarantee there

would be competition, I would have to have strong rivals. Landscape also matters to me and so does a reasonably set, attractive route.

Running loops is out of the question! And the distance – I would not come for a 300 or 30 km run, but I would definitely consider something on a distance from 50 to 150 km. The thing is that my calendar for 2016 is rather full. Four to five long runs is maximum I can do, plus three to four shorter,

preparatory races of 20 km and that is it.

Running every weekend is out of the question [laughter].

Xavier ascending Mont d'Or, the area's highest peak

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INTERVIEW / Xavier ThĂŠvenard

4th JUNE 2017 www.ultratrail.hu

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INTERVIEW / Xavier ThĂŠvenard

Emelie Forsberg, September 2015.

Morning training several kilometers away from her home in Chamonix (France).

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INTERVIEW / Xavier Thévenard

Grand Trail photos and text: Alexis Berg

Two brothers, Alexis and Frédéric Berg, made an ultra special present for the global community. They created the first so beautiful album ever, which documents runners’ struggles in the world’s most iconic places for our sport.

We present a sample of what you can find in probably the most beautiful book about ultra running – GRAND TRAIL.

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INTERVIEW / Xavier ThĂŠvenard

Joe Grant, August 2015.

Early morning during UTMB (France).

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Adam Campbell, July 2015, Colorado (USA).

Three days before Hardrock.

INTERVIEW / Xavier ThĂŠvenard

The first uphill run on the Western States 2015, California (USA).

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INTERVIEW / Xavier Thévenard

Kilian Jornet, July 2015. On Hardrock (USA) on the height of 4000 meters above sea level. One hour earlier there was a massive snowstorm. Kilian doesn’t mind.

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Iker Karrera, July 2015, Colorado (USA).

Two days before Hardrock. My favorite picture.

INTERVIEW / Xavier ThĂŠvenard

Iker Karrera, July 2015, Colorado (USA).

A ray of light before storm. / 41

INTERVIEW / Xavier ThĂŠvenard

April 2015, Morocco. After a week on the desert two runners fall exhausted after crossing the finish line of the Marathon of the Sands.

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Anton Krupicka, July 2015, Silverton (USA).

Injured Tony is unable to take part in his dream run – Hardrock.

INTERVIEW / Xavier ThĂŠvenard

May 2015, Australia. Emotions of a runner at the finish line of Ultra-Trail Australia.

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INTERVIEW / Xavier Thévenard

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ALEXIS BERG / THE MOUNTAIN EYE

Gediminas Grinius, March 2015, the last kilometers of Transgrancanaria (Spain).

Gediminas runs for his first great victory.

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THE MOUNTAIN EYE / ALEXIS BERG

Iker Karrera, Iker Karrera, July 2015, Colorado (USA).

A morning two days before the start of Hardrock.

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the mountain eye / alexis berg

During Eiger Ultra-Trail, Switzerland, July 2015.

At down on the UTMB trail two runners appear on the horizon, August 2014.

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During Lavaredo Ultra Trail (Italy), June 2014, after the first night of running the sun rises over a beautiful landscape.

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ALEXIS BERG / THE MOUNTAIN EYE

Anna Frost, July 2015, Colorado (USA). During Hardrock 2015, the greatest success in the New Zealander’s carrier.

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alexis berg / the mountain eye

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ALEXIS BERG / THE MOUNTAIN EYE Julien Chorier, August 2015.

Sunrise during UTMB (France).

Kilian Jornet, July 2015. Alone on the top of the world ultra trail.

The picture was taken one day after finishing Hardrock that Kilian won breaking the route record. He seems completely unwearied.

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THE MOUNTAIN EYE / ALEXIS BERG

Ryan Sandes in Yosemite (USA).

Several days earlier Ryan had to give up racing in Western States.

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Scott Jurek, June 2015, Pennsylvania (USA).

The twentieth day of Appalachian Trail record breaking.

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You can buy the Grand Trail album at grandtrail.info

the mountain eye / alexis berg

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THE COMET EFFECT A THING ABOUT TACTICS AND RACING text: Krzysztof Dołęgowski photos: Piotr Dymus

If you take a look at ultra runs from the past, you will see a lonely leader climbing mountain passes and somewhere down there single greyhounds trying not to lose him. Runs were played in solitude. The leader could see no living soul in more than ten hours (save for the check points). Because on one hand there were no supporters, and on the other – victory was often decided after the first two hours.

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text: Krzysztof Dołęgowski

text: Krzysztof Dołęgowski

T

his is how Scott Jurek used to win, sometimes Kilian Jornet is leading from the start to the finish line. Now, however, it is more interesting. The lead is more dense and we see more often several groups move forward.

Three brave ones at the forefront (often with the top contender among them), then two more candidates for a champion, and next another group (e.g. four runners). Among them there is another athlete, getting bookmakers’ bets, but he usually does not stand out in the first hours. And such comet is gliding through the mountains for hours. For a longer time it seems that nothing changes, but the tail of the comet gradually extends, and more and more meteors are shooting away from the core of the comet. They end up on the list with a DNF mark along their names or somewhere on distant positions. Do you remember this year’s list of top competitors on Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc? 137 names! And every runner, theoretically, had a chance to be in the Top 20. At least ten candidate for a champion. What we saw on the trail was a true show of shooting stars. Sage Canaday said he had a fantastic run until he put his foot wrong in the darkness and smashed his knee against a stone. Miguel Heras quit around the halfway point, ralphing several times on alpine meadows, Gediminas Grinius so joyously propelled himself on one of the long descents that the skin on his heels did not make it and started coming apart. I do not think I will be mistaken if I say that half of the front runners experienced some dramatic adventure and reached the finish line with a delay

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comparable to that of Polish Railways’ on the first days of winter.

This is why Piotrek Hercog – the fastest Pole – did not have to overtake too many to advance from around the 20th to 11th place in the second part of the race. He was simply doing his job, and in front of him there flew the comet, from which every once in a while fragments were breaking off.

The times of heroes scoring five victories in a row are over. The runners are faster, younger, and compete more often. Trail records on most world races are broken now and then, and a man scoring 2:16 in flat marathon is not a guaranteed candidate for a champion.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A MERE MORTAL? First of all that names and personal records do not run themselves. The longer the distance, the more adventures your opponents will experience (so will you, but for the moment let’s forget about that). If you dream about scoring in the first hundred in a great race, the fact that after 30 kilometers you still have 300 runners before you means nothing. Many are just rushing to destruction. Statistics are merciless. If Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc is finished by half the runners, it does not mean that busses will take down only the stragglers from the back. This year during Bieg 7 Dolin, when editors in Krynica just got up to put up a stand and advertise their first issue of Ultra, Magda Łączak was already cussing in the forest, because her sprained ankle excluded her from the competition.

So what that everybody was betting she would be a sure winner? So what that she was perfectly prepared? Her leg was ruined and the season was over. This accident allowed Ewa Majer to freely move forward through mountains, and finish the race on an incredible third place in the open category. Does it mean Ewa is unbreakable?

No! Two months earlier you could see her leaving the Złoty Maraton route in Lądek Zdrój white as a wall. Something went wrong with her stomach.

Absolutely everyone has unsuccessful races.

Of course, the elite runners are not willing to write about unfinished races on their internet sites, but practically every experienced runner has experienced them. It even happens that a super athlete is unable to appear on the start. Ryan Sandes experienced such an adventure this year. We was preparing for the Western States Endurance Run for several months. He was in America many weeks before the run to get in shape for the big day. And when the day came Ryan was sitting on a toilet, suffering from a stomach flue. When he got himself together after the failure and was getting ready to take revenge in the Alps – he left the trail already after three hours.

A COMET BRINGS MISFORTUNE If I can remember correctly it was Jack Daniels – a guru of running on flat land, who said that most errors are made on the first kilometer – usually due to struggling with the pace and nerves. In a 10K race it may seem that overdoing the pace by 20 seconds during the first 4 minutes is nothing

text: Krzysztof Dołęgowski

special, but it usually ends with a double loss at the finish line. It is the same way with ultra, except that everything has to be multiplied by ten or fifteen. The lead of the peloton on UTMB starts with a ridiculous speed below four minutes per kilometer. And speeds this way up to the first hills. Runners explain this by their desire to move away from the crowd, running in their own tempo, without mixing with the palookas and being jerked by walking sticks. The consequences are unnecessary raising of body temperature, evacuation of blood from the stomach, glycogen consumption and overall putting of the body out of balance. Just to make a kilometer one minute more slowly in the second part of the race on the same asphalt.

Why? Why speed as a lemming first to toddle at the end? Setting the right pace is not so hard. For most people participating in hundred-kilometer runs in the mountains (those aiming at a result between 13 and15 hours) 7 minutes/km or slower will be an adequate speed. Some two minutes per kilometer more slowly than you run a marathon. It’s just that it is so hard to force yourself to do it. The thing is that they frequently finish walking on flat sections or toddle with a speed of 8–9 minutes per kilometer, and they spend some 15 minutes at check points, because they can barely stand on their legs. This is neither nice nor effective.

YOU MUST KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE NO POWER. In September this year I ran in an ultra

race Ultra Pirineu in Spain. 110 kilometers with a huge elevation gain of 6800 m.

I knew that I did not have a good form, that around there were many calves more bulgy than mine (and definitely more shaved ones). That is why I decided to make the first half really slowly. Just to survive. On the first check point, after an hour and a half I was 310th. I admired the views, I did not speed up to take over a lady with cellulite (who I do not think finished the run). I made peaceful downhill runs, because on the first one I had a dangerous fall and blood from my knee was dripping to my socks – such a weakness of mine – I like running downhill quickly and I have fun doing this. This time a slap of my kneecap on a limestone stopped me also in that area. It turned out that the peloton stretches rather quickly and after one hour there was not a slightest problem to take them over. And then, gradually, I was running uphill, even tough I was trying not to strain myself. I reached the halfway point (55 km) in eight hours. And all the time, slowly, I was working my way up in the classification. Around 70th km I advanced to the first hundred, and thirty more places up before the finish line. Did I accelerate at the end? No! No such thing. I slowed down – the second half took me 8:40. And at the end I had my share of swearing, pain and struggling. At the finish line I did not have the feeling of “Oh! I could have run harder!”. Because I think I couldn’t. On the last climb I had a pained grimace on my face. This is what the last climbs are for. But not those which are half way. So why so many runners pump up the tempo

and already after 40 km from the start they sound like steam locomotives? They must hear it too. And see the drops of sweat, the red faces. They see how minutes pass at a check point, where they make long breaks pretending they are talking to the staff.

But in fact they are already hard boiled.

When I am asked how to start a run for 10K I say: “too slowly”. And if a runner honestly draws his reins instead of chasing the leaders or an attractive girl, or Waldek, whom he would like to outrun, there is a chance that the first kilometer will be covered somewhere around the average pace.

Or only a bit too fast. The same applies to an ultra run. A good pace usually means a run in a picnic mood. Chatting, eating, no heavy breathing while walking uphill.

Gasping for air will come anyway, but it should happen after the halfway point.

On Bieg Rzeźnika the first gasping should start at the stairs under Smerek. On Bieg 7 Dolin you should cheer the volunteers from the check point in Piwniczna with a smile. On Chudy Wawrzyniec the first uncertainty and exclamations should appear after Przegibek (the short trail) or behind Glinka Pass (the long trail).

AN ALTERNATIVE FOR A COMET. Most runs are currently broadcast live, which allows following the classification point after point. The runners often bring support teams, so they do not even have to use a telephone or information from the volunteers to know their loss to the leader or to the runner in front of them. Have

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on trail ON TRAIL / the THE comet COMET effect EFFECT

you ever watched Tour de France? There is a non-stop radio connection. This is an extreme solution, but it shows how advanced tactics may be in a long distance race. The effect is that the peloton catches up with the group of escapees one kilometer before the finish line.

If you are really afraid that your competitors will escape at the beginning and you

will not see them again, you can ask your friends standing at check points to tell you the exact split times and trends. This will let you foresee, with the precision of a pharmacist, when you will catch up with them in the second part of the race. This tactic is really more effective than heroic sticking to stronger runners just to slacken in the middle of the run, fly away and tell stories about your suffering and surviving crises.

Think about tactics for two hours before every race. Time spent on results files, an excel sheet or a piece of paper will give you much more than the seventh training in a week.

Especially that one day before the race it is not worth to train.

bio KRZYSZTOF DOŁĘGOWSKI Ultra runner, participant of adventure rallies (the first race in 2000), occasionally a climber, a journalist and an editor of the portal Napieraj.pl. Together with his wife during their stay in Boulder they wrote a book Szczęśliwi Biegają Ultra (Happy people run ultra).

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www.chudywawrzyniec.pl bio

06. 08. 2016 - Rajcza - Ujsoły Beskid Żywiecki 50+ km, +2600 m 80+ km, +3400 m

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interviewandphotos:MikołajKowalski-Barysznikow

I USUALLY AM A LION interview and photos: Mikołaj Kowalski-Barysznikow

W

hen I was going to Gediminas Grinius, the second runner in last year’s Ultra-Trail World Tour and one of the best ultra runners in the world, I knew one thing: I mainly wanted to talk to him about himself, about his life and dreams.

I hoped this Lithuanian tough guy would unbosom himself to me and tell me what matters to him in life, what he desires and what he is afraid of.

The house of Gediminas and his wife Gintarė, hidden somewhere in the woods

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near Vilnius, is situated some 27 kilometers away from a military unit Gediminas works in. “Do you run to work every day?”, I asked. “Yes, I used to run both ways, now I mainly run one way and come back by bike. It is to save time. When I’m gone, Gintarė has enough work at home anyway. You need to spend a moment with your wife and children sometimes”.

“Living with Gedas is not easy”, reveals Gintarė. “He is terribly stubborn. When he comes up with an idea, there is nothing

that will stop him from doing it. Today, when you look at his races in different parts of the world, it is hard to believe that before he started running, he was abroad only several times. I have always loved to travel, but he was always difficult to take out from home. Everything changed when he started racing on a regular basis. Today, trips to races combine our two passions – my passion for travel and his for running.

We only have to solve one problem”, laughs Gintarė, “how to see all the beautiful places, since before the race Gedas must

interviewandphotos:MikołajKowalski-Barysznikow

rest, and after the race he has no strength to do anything”.

Gintarė and Gediminas received me at their home as a good friend rather than a guest. I jumped right in the middle of their family life for more than ten hours. Gediminas’es father, Kęstutis, came over to visit them. He brought a fish he caught several hours earlier, which Gintarė used to prepare a delicious dinner. During that time Dovydas and Danielius, the sons of Gintarė and Gediminas, were joyously

fooling around all evening, which quickly changed the character of our conversation from formal to friendly and intimate.

I found out that it was Dovydas who came up with the characteristic face of a “devil” his father is so well know for today, and that Gediminas, when he was at military missions, missed them so much he would spend hours on line with Gintarė only to listen to the sounds from home.

I also found out that they both miss living in Szczecin, but not necessarily Polish food.

I also learned many other things that I am happy to share with you in the interview.

Meet Gediminas, a family-loving ultra runner!

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It was an extraordinary season of yours...

ultra runners from our latitude?

That’s true. Everything happened so quickly and unexpectedly. It all started back in 2014, with some good races in Lavaredo Ultra Trail, UTMB and Diagonale des Fous on the Réunion island. Suddenly, my confidence was dramatically boosted, but despite that fact the victory in Transgrancanaria in March 2015 was a great surprise. In a short time everyone started expecting I would repeat such results. Pressure appeared. Sometimes I managed to cope with it, like when I won the Ultra-Trail Mt. Fuji, but at other times I let down myself and my close ones, like when I had to leave the UTMB route or give up the second attempt at the Madman's Diagonal on Réunion. Yet, I would never swap these failures for anything else, this was my lesson in humility.

I don’t think I have any special skills, I don’t even have good training conditions. I am not a better runner than Poles, like Marcin Świerc or Bartek Gorczyca, who is young and strong. I’m sure that if they take part in the runs in which I participated, they will be successful too. Our region is full of good runners, but not everyone is trying to show themselves abroad. What they are lacking is the support and money, but mainly self

Isn’t four or five 100-mile races per season, on several continents, too much for one man? Aren’t you afraid that your romantic idea to run will burn you out?

That was the purpose, to do as much fuss as possible [laughter]. I thought I would cope with the hardship of five big races. I didn’t finish two of them, but it was a good experience. I am convinced that five classics per season are doable, you just have to prepare in a different, better way. It was a year of experiments. Some of them were successful, others not. You have to move forward and get stronger. Plus I love to compete. During the race I feel like a hunter who is hunting for other runners. Sometimes you are a gazelle, sometimes a lion. I usually am a lion. I start calmly and I increase the pace as I am running.

I try not to slow down, because I do not know what is happening behind my back. That was the case, for example, during UTMF, where at the finish I made everything not to be taken over by the next runner. Later it turned out that he wasn’t able to run and was just walking [laughter].

You are the only runner from our region to win any of the most important ultra races in the world. What is more, you made it twice, on Canary Islands and in Japan.

What makes you stand out among other

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confidence. I am convinced there are better runners than me in the area, but they do not have an opportunity to show themselves.

I am not some exception, I am not genetically modified. I simply have a fighting spirit and a heart for hard training. Last year, when I still lived in Szczecin, I was preparing for Transgrancanaria, running 20‒30 times in a row up the hill in Arkoński Forest.

I strongly believe that anyone who trains hard is able to win a run such as UTMF.

I am not some exception, I am not genetically modified. I simply have a fighting spirit and a heart for hard training.

GEDIMINAS GRINIUS / INTERVIEW

But I also know that without the support provided by family and friends I wouldn’t have achieved anything. I wouldn’t be where I am was it not for Krzysiek Dołęgowski, who believed in me when I needed it. I also wouldn’t have achieved anything was it not for my wife, Gintarė, standing by me, always supporting and motivating me.

Maybe you simply are a natural born runner?

I do not run long distance at training, and my results are similar to those of the guys who run many more kilometers. So, maybe, it is not about the kilometers run, but about recovery? I pay a lot of attention not to overtrain. I am not Kilian, I do not come from

the mountains. I am a lowland runner who has always liked walking. Already at the age of 10 I preferred walking to school than taking a bus. For some time I tried going to school on a skateboard, but walking was more attractive than any mechanical means of transport. Attractive enough that even though I was able to choose a school that was closer, I decided to choose one where my mom was a teacher – some 5 km away from home. At that time we lived in Ukmergė, 70 km from Vilnius.

Did other children know you were a teacher’s son?

Yes, they did. That was not a problem. My mom was a math teacher, but she never got

to teach me. I quickly became independent, did homework by myself, and I did it well, so my parents did not have to worry about me or keep an eye on me. Since I was a little kid I knew what to get involved in and what to stay far away from. I was never good at chemistry and physics, but I was good at math, geometry in particular.

I was pretty average at PE. I played basketball a little, I also liked football, but when I discovered trail I gave it up. The risk of getting injured while playing ball is too high.

Plus I was too slow. I was able to run long distance, but slowly, just as I do now [laughter]. Well, anyway, I played chess most of the time. Running and chess have many things in common...

How did you become a professional runner?

I didn’t. I do not feel a professional. To be able to say I am a professional runner I shouldn’t have any other job. I did sign a contract with Vibram, but I still kept my previous job I have to go to every day and I sit behind my desk for hours. I will become a professional when I will be able to dedicate most of my time to running.

You can say that at the moment I have two jobs – the army and running.

How did you get to the army?

By coincidence. When I graduated from high school I did not plan to go to university, but my parents – both of them were teachers – obviously wanted me to study. I was a punk for a while, I listened to Nirvana, I smoked cigarettes. But I was not addicted, I rather smoked to feel cool. And then came July and I woke up – ok…, I have to go somewhere, and all the lists were closed, all exams were held in June! The Military Academy was the only place recruiting. One of my buddies decided to take the exams, so I thought I would try too. At the end of the day I passed the exams and got in, and he changed his mind. You could say that this friend changed my life [laughter].

Gediminas and Gintaré are each other’s best friends.

What exactly do you do in the army?

I work in the NATO structure. I am

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an intelligence analyst in the rank of a major. For some 10 years now I have been sitting in the office and preparing reports for my commanders. I also participated in two missions – in 2007 I spent seven months in Iraq, and in 2010 – six months in Afghanistan.

To cope with stress I started running around the base. Fragmentation bullets, shells again, pervasive destruction – everything I had seen there was coming back to me for a long time after I came home. I had terrible visions, I would jump out of bed at the sound of do-

It’s a paradox. Since the moment I realized it is not my place it has been much easier to adapt to decisions of my superiors. Before I would worry about opinions of others, now I listen to them, but if something is not in line with my beliefs I just let it go. I do

Before I would worry about opinions of others, now I listen, but if something is not in line with my beliefs, I just let it go.

Gedas and Krzysiek. Ultra friendship

When I came to my first mission the guys we were replacing told us: “We have lots of attacks here, some one hundred missiles have been fired at us, be careful, it is a dangerous place!”.

I was responsible for statistics and at the time we were leaving the base I calculated that over the time of our stay there we had been attacked 350 times, which means there were several attacks a day. Some of my colleagues died in the shootings, others were injured, it was a terrible pressure – day in and day out.

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ors shut. At night the memories from Iraq revived in nightmares.

In 2010 I was sent to another mission, that time to Afghanistan. It was much more peaceful there, few firings, but still when I came home I knew I did not want any more of this and I would do everything not to go to another mission ever again.

Howe does it feel when after so many years dedicated to the army you admit it is not your world?

my job, but I dedicate myself in 90 percent.

In the past I would definitely take on too much and I was lagging behind, I was overloaded. I gave everything of myself, but I was not able to do 200 percent of my duties. The superiors would come and tell me that it was because I ran too much [laughter]. Luckily, over the last tree years I had more reasonable commanders, who accepted my passion.

I understood that the path I had taken was wrong. It makes things much easier for me.

Every soldier wants to be a general. Three years ago I decided I don’t.

GEDIMINAS GRINIUS / INTERVIEW

But this path gives you a comfort of retiring early already in two years’ time.

This is a dream. I would be happy if this happened. I want to dedicate this time to running, training others and other related activities. I want to give myself a chance to make a living of running. But I am not Anton Krupicka, who can focus on designing clothes and running. I have a family, children who go to school, and pension benefits will not be enough to provide a decent living. That is why I want to invest in my future and give myself a chance to really be able to do it in two years’ time. To move out with Gintarė and the children somewhere to the mountains – to Poland, China, Spain, the US – the place doesn’t matter, we just want to be closer to the nature. It is not easy, because I do not like taking a risk. I do not want to end up like Mike Wolfe, a great amateur who quit his job, started training very hard, and then suddenly – bang! – he completely lost his form. I cannot afford this to happen.

to give a lift to her friend who was going to Vilnius to submit documents to the university. That girl was Gintarė. We were going in the car, listening to the music, I pumped up the volume - romantic atmosphere, and I suddenly heard a scream. A deer rushed to the road. I turned the steering wheel to the side. The car rolled over. I remember

Krzysiek Dołęgowski was the first to notice I had potential. I asked many companies for support before, but nobody wanted me.

He was the first to trust me and offered help. Later we became friends. I truly regret that I will no longer race wearing the team’s colors, I feel a little like I betrayed my family. But my dream is to escape to the

I talked to my father about it. He told me: “If you want to be successful you must take a risk. Think about the future, but let yourself to be spontaneous, you cannot plan everything”. Gintarė also sometimes tells me that we should leave everything, go away with children, enjoy life and little things.

How did you meet?

It was during my disobedient period. I was protesting, drinking, coming home at night, going to school and completely unaware what was happening. I had long hair, suede jacket and I tried to play the guitar – some songs of Oasis, Green Day, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, but I was hopeless. I was a terrible singer, I sand completely out of tune. I met Gintarė at school. I felt immediately she was a great girl, but not for me. She was my sister’s friend, and I didn’t dare to talk to her. I remember that I wasn’t able to do my driver’s license for a long time, and when I finally got it I immediately went to my father and took his car. Today his passion is fishing, at that time it was drinking, so it was an easy thing to do. When I had a car, my sister asked me

Dovydas and Danielius were upset at their parents because they had to stay at home when their father was winning UTMF

a blocked road, the Police and returning to Ukmergė on a tow truck. Some time later I called Gintarė to ask how she was. And this is how it all started.

You, Gintaré and the children spent the last years in Poland. You worked in a NATO base in Szczecin and raced wearing the colors of a Polish team Inov-8. What are your memories of that period?

We were sad to leave Poland. From the running perspective it was a key time for me.

mountains, live there, run and train others.

And a long-term contract with Vibram gives me hope for that dream to come true.

Those people have really made a lot of effort to have me in their team. One of the major parts of the contract is the perspective of working for them when I finish my career.

I asked for that in Inov-8 too, but they refused. Despite that I was ready to stay, even to lower my expectations. But the people from the headquarters made nothing to stop me.

Before signing the contract I spent three days with the Vibram team and I there felt

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INTERVIEW / GEDIMINAS GRINIUS

something that I knew from the Polish team Inov-8, something that was lacking in the international team – a feeling that everyone cared about one another. I think that it was that attitude that finally convinced me to accept Vibram’s offer.

What shoes will you be running in now?

I do not yet know exactly what brand ‒ it is important that it has a Vibram sole. I can choose between Hoka, Altra and others. At the moment I think I am closest to choosing Dynafit. It will most probably be the Vertical Pro model, which is most similar to X-Talons 200, in which I had the best running experience. These shoes are intended for shorter runs, but for me it doesn’t matter ‒ I just feel comfortable wearing them. Or I will ask them to make me Inov-8 with a Vibram sole, I heard it is possible [laughter]. In general, a decent, dependable tread is what matters the most in a shoe. A shoe should also be light and wide in the front. Otherwise blisters and suffering appear. It happened to

me once in my life. Too bad it was during UTMB [laughter].

What are your objectives for 2016 in the new team?

I start the season in January with Vibram Hong Kong 100, then there is Transgrancanaria, where we will go as a family, and next Lavaredo Ultra Trail. Initially during that time I was planning to run again in the Western States, but Krzysiek Dołęgowski convinced me that Lavaredo would be a much better preparation for UTMB than racing in the US. This is a shorter run on a similar terrain to UTMB, and additionally it does not require two-weeks of acclimatization. And we can go there as a family, by car. UTMB is my main goal for this season – I would like to improve my time and be in the first five. If I do this I will be satisfied.

But the truth is that this year I am a little afraid and, most of all, I want to survive it. Mentally everything is ok now, but I do

not have this freshness in my legs. I did not have enough rest and I am full of fears. By March I will try to carry on, and then, after a month of rest, I will decide what to do next.

Younger runners should learn from my example. If I trained them I would recommend them to focus on shorter runs first, and move on to ultra only later. Those who try to make a living of it at a young age often burn out easily. They look at Kilian and think that they can break the records like he does, but the truth is most of them can’t. In ultra you have to be calm and patient. You have to train hard and grow up to take on such strain.

Recovery and patience is the key!

To finish this interview tell me, what did this crazy year teach you?

UTMB was the first time in my life when I withdrew from the competition. It was a tough experience for me, others managed to do it, I didn’t. It was difficult to accept it.

But I was not the one who made a decision

The Grinius clan. Gediminas with his father, Kęstutis, and his sons - Dovydas and Danielius.

In ultra you have to be calm and patient. You have to train hard and grow up to take on such strain. Recovery and patience is the key! to leave the route. It was Gintarė who started pressuring me. I felt terrible pain and I kept slowing down more and more, but I insisted I would make it to the finish line. When passing 10 kilometers took me nearly three hours instead of one and I was nearly crying, Gintarė convinced me it was enough. I was completely fucked up!

But soon afterwards I flew to Japan for UTMF. It turned out that the failed run in France was only an incident. I ran at ease, I won and I realized it was worth to let go the UTMB finish line to save the end of the season.

Réunion, the most beautiful and the most difficult race in the Ultra-Trail World Tour cycle, was another lesson and another catastrophe. UTMB blew me physically, but Diagonale des Fous was a mental struggle to survive. Everyone expected me to confirm my victory in the UTWT classification with victory there. Of course I wanted that too. From the very beginning I felt good, maybe even too good. I started off too quickly, and something weird happened to me after a while. I started to act strangely. I went slightly mad, I stopped every now and then, I picked bananas from the trees, I joked with people I met on the way, I swam in streams. I was acting crazy, and I was on the fifth or sixth position in the race! Suddenly I simply stopped thinking about the run. Had Gintarė been there she would have kicked my butt and told me to keep running.

But I was there alone and I wasn’t able to get myself together. Instead of running and fighting to win, I was completely bemused, doing silly things and I had fun doing them. I finally left the route. I lost the instinct of a killer and gave in to the thought that I have done everything in that season. In the most important moment of all year I was betrayed by my own mind…

Gediminas supports the #runultranotrash campaign.

Gediminas’es older son, Dovydas, came up with the characteristic face of a “devil”.

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ULTRA MOTHERS We go to ultra races. We met at briefings, on the start line, somewhere along the route.

Men and women, we run in the mountains on distances, which many people prefer to travel by car. We have one passion, we have common goals. But we often have different experiences. And different thoughts while on the trail. There is no reason to fool yourself it is a common knowledge that running is easier for men, their non-running wives take care of the children when they go to races. But there are mothers among women on the route. Mothers of little babies, of teenagers and even grandmothers.

How do they manage to do this?

text: Aleksandra Belowska

My mom running, a drawing by Piotr Matejczuk, 7-year-old

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ULTRA STORY

U

LTRA MORNINGS

The sound of my alarm clock is tearing through the silence the night.

It takes me a while to get myself together, to get oriented, to wake up the kids. The younger ones need to be taken to school, the older start classes a little later. The transport id the Dad’s job. The morning routine is washing, dressing up, breakfast. In the meantime, the Mom is getting ready for work, she is trying to focus on here and now, not think about what is coming during the day.

Time will come for that later. She would like to fit in some time for herself in the busy schedule…

Mornings in many homes are similar. Even at the homes of runners not everyone has enough motivation to get out of bed before dawn and rush for training. This is all a matter of organization.

“I share home duties with my 20-year-old son. But because I am somewhat hyperactive, what needs to be done gets done by itself, almost incidentally. That is why I am able to dedicate my afternoons to other activities, such as going to the swimming pool, to the movies or meeting my grandson, a two and a half year old son of my daughter” adds Sylwia.

ULTRA TRAINING Running? If not in the morning then when do you find a little time for running? Especially when you prepare yourself to run for an ultra distance in the mountains?

Alicja Paszczak, a mother of 14-year-old Aniela and 8-year-old Adaś, admits that she does not get enough training. “I follow the principle that my mom’s obligations come first, then comes my hobby. I usually work out three times a week. The fact that I live in the country, almost in the forest, makes things easier or me. But I always have

a feeling that my training does not have sufficient volume. On the other hand, I am afraid that when I start running so much, I may gain better form, but I will lose the joy and enthusiasm. Every mom must find her balance in all that”.

Alicja is more than just an ultra runner mom.

In the mountaineering circles she is known as a great mountain climber, who has done impressive trails in the Tatra Mountains. She’s actively involved in the climbers’ community.

Together with her husband, Artur Paszczak, they are a successful climbing and running duet, because they frequently participate in ultramarathons or as a team e.g. in Bieg Rzeźnika (in 2012 they won in the MIX category). They started as adventure race participants, when that discipline in Poland was still nonexistent. Alicja says that ultra running in the mountains is particularly close to her heart exactly because of the activity

“I try to train in the morning, before work.

I leave when my kids – I have two sons aged five and a half and two and a half ‒ are still asleep. When I come back they are usually awake, playing. We dress up and go. I take the little ones to the kindergarten, and I go to work”, this is how Dominika Stelmach, a mother who’s been running for years, an ultramarathoner, describes the beginning of her day.

A morning run gives you endorphins for the rest of the day. In winter, when it’s dark, it is natural that getting up in the morning is more difficult. But also Sylwia Młodecka likes to train at this time of the day: “I run before work. I like it very much. I work at a school, and the working hours vary ‒ so when I start work a little later I get up for training. And then there is work, home and cooking. In the evening there is some activity again”.

End of work. Usually a quick departure and closing of professional matters, getting away from the troubles of the day at work.

But the day is not over yet. For many of us a true day just begins.

A mountain run, a drawing by Aniela Paszczak, 14-year-old

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ULTRA STORY / ULTRA MOTHERS

in Tatras. “The long term effort, the tactics of spreading your strength, and the place – the mountains – they have always enchanted me. These are the common components of those two sets”, says Ala. Monika Szczepanek, a mom of two girls – aged eight and twelve – runs practically every day. “I often interweave my training into in the girls’ schedules. For instance, when my younger daughter has horse riding lessons or goes to the swimming pool, I go running.

But most of the time I am left with late evenings and a headlamp on my head. I started running four years ago. My daughters were growing up with my running, now it is something normal for them, so is ultra”.

Dominika Stelmach also trains every day.

For her core stability exercises and yoga form an important element of preparing herself for ultra runs, and these, as she admits, can be done at home. “Plus on weekends I try to run for around two hours. Last year I do

not think I managed to do more than 100 kilometers per week. Except for the run in Krynica of course. Because of my children prefer to run for two hours in the forest and be at home than go far away to run for some thirty minutes ‒ that is why I now mainly focus on ultra runs. But this is not the main reason. Such runs give me a huge dose of emotions. I am driven by this strong urge to experience them”.

Agata Matejczuk trains when she has time.

As she says, she did not subordinate her family’s life to running, quite to the contrary.

“I do my training on local roads, on gravel, in the forest, I work on my running strength on bridges and stairs over motorways. I do not have some extensive workout, most of the time I repeat the same exercises”. Why did I chose mountains and ultra distances instead of asphalt runs, easier in terms of logistics and preparation? “Because they give me freedom and mental rest. Of course when I finish I am very tired, but happy. My family

gives me happiness, but ultra is a different type of fulfillment. This is time for myself only. Short runs make me tired, not literally physically, but mentally I feel great fatigue.

When I run ultra I am simply free”.

ULTRA SUPPORT When talking about races the subject of the presence of close ones during runs is mentioned now and again. For many of us the view of a loved person, a wife, a husband, a partner, a friend, at the eating point or at the finish line, can provide reassurance, give strength before another difficult race section or simply ensure greater satisfaction from what you do. On many occasions men cross the finish line holding hands with their children or carrying them on their shoulders. These are moments of great emotions that we want to share with our dearest ones.

Alicja’s husband is usually waiting for her at the finish line. “Artur is usually at the finish line, but not because that he is supporting me. We often participate in runs together, he is waiting, because he is better and simply finishes earlier. But he says that he is running under pressure, because I can catch him up any time if he has a worse moment. Artur often laughs that only one running man is in a worse situation than he is and it is Paweł Dybek”. Alicja often runs with her older sister, Marzena. In last year’s edition of Zimowy Ultramataton Karkonoski they dominated the podium in their age category. There was nobody far behind us. Are children interested in her running? “In case of her daughter, a fourteen-year-old, not just the apple felt far from the tree, but at the end of the day it turned out to be a plum”, laughs Alicja. “Anielka does not like running, but she supports me, asks me how I did and I even think she is proud of me. She made a short interview with me for a school

My mom reaches mountain tops, a drawing by Kostek Jabłoński, 5-year-old 72 /

ultra story / ultra mothers

project about athletes. When it comes to my son, eight-year-old Adaś, he is the apple that fell very near. I do not want to praise him too early, but he shows great abilities.

He likes sports, he likes running and it comes easy for him”.

Other little ones have similarly good outlook. When Dominika goes training, her younger son also calls he would like to join her running. “I hope that his time will come soon”, comments the runner.

Sylwia Młodecka’s grandson is the same age. The proud grandma says Feliks already has all the markings of an ultra runner. He sometimes runs with her during walks. Using a camelback is a piece of cake for him. Her grandson also has sport loving parents ‒ Sylwia’s daughter met her husband at a running club, Feliks has role models. “It is important to show a child what is good rather than just talk. When you talk they won’t listen, but they will do what we do”.

Also children of Agata Matejczuk are an example which confirms these words.

“My family got used to it, my husband and my children support me. I also get a lot of support from my colleagues and friends. Children ‒ I have two sons aged 7 and 5 ‒ participated and still participate in preschooler’s runs and race on their bikes. My six months old daughter still has time for all that. But for them a run is just a run. They only distinguish between a short or long one. Do they know what ultra is?

I use the terms »ultra«, »half marathon« or »marathon« referring to the distance when I talk to the kids, but I don’t think it means much to them. When I participate in some run, my husband with my children are often waiting for me at the finish line (if we manage to go together). If my husband is running then I am waiting for him with the kids at the finish line. And I must say that we like such arrangement. None of us feels disadvantaged or worse”.

Ultra mother, a drawing by Józia Mrozowska, 6-year old

“It is different in our case”, says Monika Szczepanek. “I do not go away too often, you can even say I do it rarely. Sometimes My mom is an ultra runner, a drawing by Asia Młodecka-Goga, 23-year old / 73

the family goes with me, but these are really isolated situations. We have developed an arrangement. I respect the fact that they do not completely understand my passion,

to stretch the day. “Everyday life is not easy, because it is difficult to combine the role of a mom, a wife, to work and train. But thanks to my husband, who is my great support and who takes over many duties, I somehow manage to combine it all, although lately I have not been so good at it, because in September I started one more job”.

Alicja Paszczak also indicates lack of time as the biggest problem. “I may not feel it so badly during the school year. When children go to school I have more time for training. But holidays are already a problem for me, because if I am to spend an afternoon without them, or rather to take away their time with me at the expense of a long run, I prefer to be with them. It is their childhood. I want my children to have good memories of it.

Even though it makes my training less effective”.

Dominika, in turn, has other dilemmas: “For me, as a mother, the moments when I have to chose if When my mom is running, Zosia Szczepanek, 12-year-old I should go to a race, stay at home, take the and they respect that every once in a while kids with me, are the most difficult. Of coI run somewhere in the mountains on some urse they want to go with me, but around strange distances. But I know they are very a dozen hours in a car is not always the best proud of me and they are waiting form me solution. One more thing. Also ordinary hoto come home”. use duties are a problem. It is simply a waste of time to do them”.

ULTRA TOIL

They are organized, focused on what they do. They find fulfilment as mothers, partners, runners. But they are not stress-free.

What is difficult for them? Agata responds in a short and concise way: she would like

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“Difficulties? Yes, there are difficulties. Do write about it!”, Sylwia particularly liked the question about problems in combining the role of a mother with running. “Not so long ago I talked to my daughter about it. She is

a runner herself, so it was easier for me to discuss that. I told her about my fears from the past, when she and her brother were younger, and I was going to fitness classes four times a week for two hours. I was afraid I was not spending enough time with them, although everything was done at home, and we were spending weekends together, usually going to the forest for long walks. I do not know if these were pricks of conscience, but these were my thoughts. Now I think again that I am not a typical grandma, because I work, I run, I take part in races in different parts of the country, I do not spend full days with my grandson”. Her daughter protested. Sylwia used to come home from her fitness classes smiling, cheerful and relaxed. The time they spent together was very intensely packed with activity, but also full of contact with one another. Even though she and her brother were children, they were happy they had a happy mom. Because, as Sylwia says, a happy mother raises happy children.

bio ALEKSANDRA BELOWSKA She is not a runner, she is not a mother yet either. So far she fulfills herself as support of her ultra running husband.

A philologist, PR specialist, she likes planes, hiking in the mountains and reading books. Boring!

ULTRA MOTHERS / ULTRA STORY

WWW.SKLEP.KINGRUNNER.COM / 75

Most ultra runners know him, but few know anything about him. Yet, browsing his photographs is a must for us after practically every race.

His pictures are a wonderful way to return on the trail of the most beautiful runs long after crossing the finish line.

A documentary is being made about him, but he still feels best on the invisible side of the lens.

Still, no matter what we say about Piotr Dymus, his pictures and his friends will say it better.

PIOTR DYMU

photo: Dorota Kwiatkowska, other photos: Piotr Dymus

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THE MOUNTAIN EYE / PIOTR DYMUS

KUBA WOLSKI: There are three groups of outdoor photographers. The first: men who can’t read the map and are unable to move in the terrain – they are in fact “indoor” photographers who confused their profession.

The second: men who can’t read the map, but can handle the terrain, even the difficult one – people who are quite well organized, but require involvement of others because they are unable to get on their own at the tight time to the right place. And the third: Piotrek. He simply brings the pictures. Where does he meet the runners? Nobody knows.

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the mountain eye / Piotr Dymus

MARTA TITTENBRUN: The most common jokes about Dymus – of course when he is around – relate to his age. He is usually the oldest in the group – unless someone brings their parents or Maciek Więcek. Luckily Piotrek does not get offended by those jokes – he is too old to do that! But the truth is – seriously speaking – that this “old age” shows not only on his slightly wrinkled face, but mainly in his wisdom. Piotrek is a man who knows a lot about life, he is very reasonable and knows how to share it with others. You can joke about anything with him, but you can also talk completely seriously about subjects deeper than the depth of focus in his best equipment. The fact that Dymus has seen a lot in life is clear not only when looking at his photos. By looking at his pictures you can borrow some beautiful memories from events, you have not experienced, awaken your dreams, set new life goals or... plan another holiday.

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the mountain eye / Piotr Dymus

MONIKA STROJNY: I have known Piotrek since 2006, first as a skinny navigator from adventure races, then as a colleague from the Speleo Salomon team, finally as a friend and photographer. Ironic, funny, with an English sense of humor, precise and persistent. He escaped from a Japanese corporation and started doing what he loved – going to the mountains, taking pictures and making a living of it. And it seems that he is doing fine.

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PIOTR DYMUS / THE MOUNTAIN EYE

PIOTR HERCOG: Piotr Dymus – Dymek – this is how we would call him most of the time during the trips we made together. And there were a “few” – starting from training trips to Beskids or Tatras, finishing on the wild terrain in northern Russia or the Abu Dhabi dessert. For me Dymek is a special companion – otherwise I would not stand anyone for so much time in such extreme situations we have gone through together. Now he is well appreciated for his great photographs. He is getting better year after year – I keep my fingers crossed so that he soon reaches the top international photography league. But I hope he doesn’t forget about ordinary travels – those for himself.

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THE MOUNTAIN EYE / PIOTR DYMUS

ARTUR KUREK: I met Piotrek on Adventure Race routes. I remembered him as indomitable, tough runner, very helpful on the trail, and, what is important, not confrontational. During the race on the desert he reminded me of a camel: skinny and tireless. He knew the most about bikes among us so he was the “technical� person handling repairs. When I see his pictures I come to the conclusion that he knows the technique and, what is more, he also knows what he wants to have on the picture.

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the mountain eye / Piotr Dymus AGNIESZKA KORPAL: I knew Piotrek a good few years ago as a great sportsman, taking part in the Adventure Race.

With my heart pounding I was following the report from the biggest world rallies, in which he participated together with the team. For me, a beginner, rally-fledgling he was a legend.

I was very happy when he went with us to the Lycian Adventure Race to Turkey already as a photographer. I never had enough of his stories. A huge picture from that race made by Piotrek is now hanging on my wall. His pictures have something that perfectly captures that one moment, a short instant, what you feel in a split second. When I look at his pictures from Bieg Granią Tatr, the feeling of freedom, that I experienced at that time, immediately comes back to me. Piotrek is also a photographer on the runs which I organize – among others on Zimowy Ultramaraton Karkonoski. I love looking at his pictures afterwards. Also, Dymek is just a cool guy.

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PIOTR DYMUS / THE MOUNTAIN EYE

ELIZA CZYŻEWSKA: Legends are told about him. He appears in the race office, takes the maps and disappears.

Obligatory attributes? A huge backpack, long slacks and a black T-shirt. And a camera. In his trunk, in water up his knees, in a ditch, behind a bush… doesn’t matter. When he senses a good frame he freezes and waits. For that one ideal take. They say that if only he wanted to, he would be able to run before the leading runner. During the race he passes through the office several times, usually to grab something to eat. A cake preferably.

After dark he comes back and freezes again, in front of his computer for a change. Apart from photography he apparently loves driving.

From the racing times he kept his unwillingness to stop. On the route from Warsaw to Krynica he usually stops once. No, not to refuel. Only when someone forces him to.

A quick stop. Espresso, cola and off we go. .

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OLA BELOWSKA: I used to be a little afraid of him (the ONE from Speleo Salomon team!), then I felt a little intimidated by him, but with time I somehow managed to get used to him.

Piotrek constantly prepossesses me with his healthy distance to himself and modesty – and resistance to sarcastic sense of humor. A man talented in many fields. When I see him at a run where my husband races, then – I am ashamed to admit it – I am waiting Piotrek’s pictures more than for the runners’ results.

Piotr dymus / the mountain eye

FILIP BOJKO: Piotrek has a special place in our running history with my dog Eto. He accompanied us on the route from the beginning, taking our first picture which is framed and exhibited at our home. I do not know anyone who documents ultra running trails better then Piotr. In private life he and Ewelina are a great couple, and we have tremendous affection for them. On numerous occasions they would take care of our pets, for example when we had to go to California to help Darek Strychalski deal with Badwater. Piotrek is also a good buddy and photographer. Etoś simply adores him. Hats off! Hi five, Dymus! .

JAREK SEKUŁA: Piotr, the “Uppercase D”, as he was called after Grań Tatr run, is a very well known person, although nobody really knows why. It is not a secret that everyone who has a phone will take similar pictures. Some people even made better ones using their landline phones, that is something. He is a cool man, sociable, he likes joking, girls go crazy about him and there is always a line of groupies, but he does have to work on pictures. Seriously speaking, his pictures smash the system.

May he keep going and not get stuck in a rut.

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EWELINA SUPERA: Piotrek, apart from portraying pretty pictures, likes telling stories – he looks for the non-obvious ones, behind a bush, in a ditch, in mud up his armpits, capturing the best subtleties. He shows his greatest passions – the mountains, sport and a good frame. He keeps mumbling that it could be better. When he is not photographing it is easy to find him where good food is served.

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PIOTR DYMUS / THE MOUNTAIN EYE

KRZYSZTOF DOŁĘGOWSKI: Girls who are planning to fall for him - beware: Piotrek leaves pans in the sink for whole day and only washes the dishes only when kicked in the butt a few times. If you go with him by car – watch out, because his staff will take up all available space. Apart from the camera there will be rubber boots, a down jacket, one week’s food supplies, the largest tripod possible, which you can use as a pillow, when Piotrek goes photographing before dawn.

Such a bastard. Luckily he doesn’t snore and brushes his teeth.

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MY FIRST ULTRA

THE END IS MY BEGINNING 2013, Bieg Rzeźnika, 78 km text: Iwona El Tanbouli-Jabłońska

photo: Wasyl

MY FIRST ULTRA / ULTRA STORY

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forest. Rather gloomy, not June-like at all. Why is it so dark? I wonder, while my legs – as a machine programmed by an ingenious scientist – only have one goal.

To cross the finish line and stop. All there is to pass is high grass tickling my hands and I can already hear the first fans cheering. Yes! It is the finish line! My eyes are filled with tears.

And the silence again. The nonbeing. The hospital. I close my eyes and I can see the forest one more time. Rather gloomy, not June-like at all. Why is it so dark? I wonder, while my legs are heavy as never before. Pain pierces the body, cutting deep into every single centimeter. Three more times, as in a time loop, I will run my first ultra. Not using my legs at all. Lying on a hospital bed. The only moving part of my body will be my eyeballs.

They will timidly go over the monotonous panel mosaic on the ceiling. I will get to know the topography of this boring space all too well. Five on the left, then a fluorescent lamp, and another five. The same repeated in seven rows. What a useless knowledge. But I am running, despite the stillness. I am moving forward. I can hear my breath. I can smell the moist forest. How long have I been running? When and how did it start?

The start was trivial. A New Year’s resolution – to finish Bieg Rzeźnika. At that time I didn’t know other races and it was so well known that the choice was simple. And because I decided to run it together with Maciek, my husband, we treated ourselves to additional attractions at home. Training sessions, runs, tests of supplements and equipment, preparing the strategy. Things ordinary married couples do every day. And the big day finally comes. To my surprise I do not feel panic, fear or a need to go to the toilet frequently. I feel anger. At the weather. It’s raining. I am eating a second bun with honey. It is 1:30. An ideal time for breakfast.

I look at the darkness of the night behind the window and I am angry that I will stand at the start line soaking wet. The fact that I will be moving in the mud does not make an impression on me, but the fact that I will

start my first ultra run soaking wet does.

But this does not happen. It stops raining.

Yet mud will become a permanent element of that ultra adventure.

I have an impression that I can do impossible things. Maybe it is not an impression?

Maybe it is a fact?

In fact no obstacles matter, because I will overcome them anyway. Adrenaline is the best stimulant.

I am running confidently, calmly. The tips from my coach in my head get mixed with emotions. Adrenaline is carrying me. It is a very nice feeling. I have an impression that I can do impossible things. Maybe it is not an impression? Maybe it is a fact? In fact no obstacles matter, because I will overcome them anyway. Adrenaline is the best stimulant. I just hope there is enough to get to the 78th kilometer – I wish quietly.

It begins to dawn and it begins to dawn on me to. There comes a thought about the first transition area, and another one follows – about simple things. Because in difficult moments simple things like changing socks to a dry pair or a mug of hot tea become very important. And the thought about those important and simple things starts settling in my head. And I am thirsty. There is increasingly less fluid in the CamelBak. I finally take care of my simple needs and move on.

The sun almost reaches the zenith. It gives me back what I need so much at this time.

Warmth and light. I am not able to enjoy it yet because I am running in the forest most of the time. I skillfully capture the rays that manage to go through the thick

tree crowns. This will soon change. Another mountain appears ahead of me and another strenuous ascent. Or rather a climb, because I can only dream about running up. A mountain. I have to climb it. I do not give up.

I ascend slowly, thinking I will catch up the lost time while running downhill. The toil is rewarded with the views and the fact that I am part of these surroundings. I am here and now. Nothing gives so much power as the incredible landscape, which is revealed every step I take. Every kilometer forward brings new surroundings. It is a process which is happening on my eyes. And that wonderful unknown. Curiosity of what I will see in the next 2, 5, 10 kilometers. I feel like an explorer and I like it very much. I wish I could keep that curiosity for more kilometers to come – I wish quietly.

Running feels good with Maciek, my partner in running and life. We do not quarrel, there is no swearing, well most of the time.

Sometimes Maciek takes the lead, sometimes I do. We do not even have to make any special effort to motivate each other. We are one. We usually run in silence. If we talk, we mainly use elliptical sentences. Words are sometimes redundant. Now they are.

We observe each other. You can read a lot from facial expression or body movements.

We are mindful and focused. On ourselves and on the partner. We reach the halfway point. I make a short film with my phone, in which I present the condition of my mind.

It feels good, very good! My psyche is strong like that of a commando’s. No crisis, no doubts. No questions like: “Why am I doing this? Why do I struggle?”. The only inconvenience is a pain in the knee. Particularly after procedures. As a preventive measure I take two ibuprom tablets. I also start feeling the first symptoms of fatigue. But not the fatigue I know. It is more of exhaustion. The body starts calling for a moment of rest. That is the moment to turn on the fifth gear – motivation. Hopefully there is enough to get me to the finish line – I wish quietly.

I keep running, but I walk most of the time.

Now there are three of us. Maciek, me and my

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motivation. We like one another. It has never let me down. I listen to it, and it listens to me.

A wordless dialogue which gives me strength for the next ascents or slippery, muddy trails.

My dear motivation, do not give up! I need you just now, when the pain starts taking the lead. Fucking knee. An old injury, a nightmare of all runners. The 68th kilometer, I take two more pills of ibuprom. “You will not beat me”, I send this thought towards the pain and I repeat it as a mantra. Unfortunately, I know by now that I will have to run the last 10 km using the force of will.

What is the force of will anyway? An abstract term. It means something different

for everyone. I already know the answer on the next descent. This is a constant struggle.

Overcoming obstacles which appear with every step. Can I make it? Adrenaline dispersed with the mist disappearing in the sun, somewhere on the 15th kilometer. Motivation lost the struggle with pain. Not just a knee pain, now a whole body pain. I stop.

I look up, I take my eyes off my feet I have been observing pointlessly for a longer time, take a dep breath... I start breathing. It is beautiful! Idyllic! Blue sky meets the greenery of mountain pastures. The sun casts long shadows. I live the moment. I devour that view. The time stops, the Earth stops rotating.

This is my most intimate moment in that run.

I am the sky. I am the air. I am the mountain. I know now I will make it to the end.

And so happens. I luckily finish my first ultra, but I am not given an opportunity to enjoy that fact. Life has written a different scenario for me. Right after the run I have an accident, in which I have a serious spinal fracture. And, basically from the time of the accident until now, I take part in in the most difficult ultra run in my life, where on the finish line there is a banner with the words: “Back to normal”. And I know I will win it.

Because I want to!

photo: Adam Markiewicz

bio IWONA EL TANBOULI-JABŁOŃSKA A running photographer. Before only climbing and yoga mattered. Running was just a boring, complementary training. Then Kostek was born and running became the simplest way to stay active. All I had to do was put on the shoes and run to the forest, for example during my son’s afternoon nap. Several paved road runs and, finally, the Tatra Running camp. At that time I already knew that mountains and running are an ideal match.

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ULTRA FLOW OF THOUGHTS

ULTRA FLOW OF THOUGHTS

94 / photo: Piotr Dymus

text: Marcin Rosłoń

What thoughts cross our mind when we no longer want to run? What are we telling ourselves, and what are we warding off in order not to slow down, not to stop? What are the methods to chase away ultra crises? How to make a deal with pain, which pierces every thought, muscle fiber, breath and step? Everyone has their own ways, but there is always something to improve. I collected ultra runners’ methods to ward off the running demons.

text: Marcin Rosłoń

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hat nasty, unbearable moment, when we start doubting, is most important. This is when the siege engine is powered in our head. Our uncertainty on trail suddenly transforms into lack of trust. We doubt that we are able to make it, that we can make it. We have a feeling that the concrete pouring over our muscles will burden us mercilessly in several steps, and we will slow down to a sluggish pace. And our struggle begins.

We get help from our family members, who come out to stand along the route, supporters, who neither spare their throats to motivate us nor their hands to applaud us. But most of the time we are left alone on our way. One-person teams with backpacks and heads full of adventures. Teams powered by performed training, determination to achieve the goal and a dream personal best. The head and convincing it, and often ordinary cheating, becomes our major task during an ultra race. The finish line is getting closer, doubt and pain dangerously accumulate. And we never know when you’ll have to deal with them. Such demons.

Most often, in case of tremendous fatigue, I am planning what cake I will bake when I came back home or what tasty things I will eat and drink at the finish line.

Anna Arseniuk, who is the only woman to have covered the deadly route of Rzeźnik Ultra on a distance of 135 km, shares similar advice based on her struggles with crises during ultramarathons: “I try not to think about the fact that there are points where you can finish the run. The finish line is one and only! I think about going over

Mentally – what helps me is the awareness that it will pass and it is surmountable.

Piotr Sawicki (9. Dywersyjna), who has won or scored high in many races in the mountains, Poland’s representative in 24 hour runs, until recently Poland’s record holder on that distance (254 km), comments his crises: “Luckily, during the 14 years of running I did not have crises that would prevent reaching the finish line. When a crisis comes I run at a slower pace or march.

Mentally – what helps me is the awareness that it will pass and it is surmountable, i.e. my experience. I also try to diverge my thoughts from the run or split the route into smaller sections and run from point to point. I often pray, a type «mantra» is the best, this is when you repeat things. I also look at other runners and tell myself that they are having a tough time too, but they keep running. I often start chatting, such mutual support helps.

I think about my family and friends, that they keep their fingers crossed. Sometimes I play music selected for the run in advance.

Physically – I let myself slow down to restore balance. In case of muscle pains and cramps stretching works well and extending the running step, hand massage or stick massage, applying green-lipped mussels ointment, which is effective for me. Adequate and regular hydration and eating help me – I recommend home made isotonic drinks (mineral water, xylitol, lemon, honey), coconut water, yerba mate, fruits (particularly melons, watermelons, oranges, dates, raisins, and bananas), quinoa with coconut oil and raisins. Of course everything must be tested in advance".

photo: Piotr Dymus

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ULTRA FLOW OF THOUGHTS / ON TRAIL

the nearest hill, a kilometer, I split the distance into stages e.g. it is 3 more times my 15 to Barbarka [15-kilometer trail going through forester’s cottage Barbarka near Toruń]. I visualize. I usually do not sit at eating points, it is difficult to get started if I do. The thought that I am not the only one who is tired helps – so are other runners and they manage to run somehow, so I should too.

I try to ward off physical problems and injuries with thoughts about the finish line. A little bit more and it will not hurt any more. Just to get to the finish line. Most often, in case of tremendous fatigue, I am planning what cake I will bake when I came back home or what tasty things I will eat and drink at the finish line. For such a sweet

tooth and, at the same time, a poor eater during the run itself, that thought works well. A mix of 1 kg of oranges or watermelons, milk, beer or kvass are a must have after my ultra runs. I also try not to struggle with pain, I rather domesticate pain instead”.

I eliminate crises caused by a serious injury, critically upset stomach and irresponsible lack of preparation. But is a small injury an obstacle? This is what Rafał Bielawa, an ultramarathoner, writes about pain (Eco-rafal.blogspot.com): “I laugh that when there is no open fracture, I can keep going. There is something about it. In mountain running you experience some ailments all the time. Muscle pain, stiffened body, small and not so small injuries – everything, like

photo: Łukasz Buszka

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Everything is happening in your head, and that is the part of our body that decides if that thing is able to stop us or not. at a transition station – lands on you at the least desired moment.

Then what? An interesting struggle with the first blisters may serve as an example. Everything is happening in your head, and that is the part of our body that decides if that thing is able to stop us or not.

What have I done when large, painful blisters appeared? I just kept running and, what is important, I tried to place my feet as before. We are subconsciously looking for relief and we place our feet is a way that reduces the pain. Unfortunately, such solution very quickly ruins our effort, because in a short time another part of our body

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starts malfunctioning, because it is strained more by such escape from pain. Running on for several kilometers I send a signal to my brain that it is not a big deal and after a while the pain disappears, it escapes inwards. All nail problems fall into the same category. When we loose our first nail it is something, the next ones are greeted with no enthusiasm, and the following are only commented with a short «in ultra runs your nails come and go». During a 240 km run, somewhere after 200 km it seemed to me that a nail coming off stabs my toe and... I greeted it with several stick punches, to arrange it well.

Crazy? Maybe, but I was afraid to take off the shoes, because I felt my feet were in terrible condition”.

We are looking for catch-words in our head, because at a certain time everything starts happening exactly in the head. How many times have we suddenly forgotten about pain and rush downhill with a speed we would never have thought we were able to reach? This

photo: Piotr Dymus

ULTRA FLOW OF THOUGHTS / ON TRAIL

pain accompanies us. Our suffering on the race course is an integral part of the whole thing. Something we know is coming and will stay with us, yet it is predictably unpredictable. Everyone has their wall to go through, in ultra it is even several walls to pierce. The head is our battering ram, the best friend and the worse enemy. Occupying thoughts with everything but complaining and hanging a white flag o the mast is our primary objective during an ultra crisis. The objective is worth thinking about. So is the effort invested in the ability to fight now. About friends, who will be disappointed. About out own defeat. About an award that is waiting for us. Some dream meal, purchase, party. Who can forbid these things a fulfilled runner? A medal is a pass to paradise.

Stone me, if this chick in front of me can make it, why wouldn’t I? James Kamiński has the following method: “Close to the end, when my legs are burning, and my head is telling me «What was it for?», when I feel fire in my throat … I have one thought. I cross the finish line and the first thing I do is drink cold beer, yes – a beer, even alcohol free. I call this demon: «A cold beer time». It usually lasts for the last 1/3 of the distance. During that time I live with a hope that at the finish line there must be some shop with beer. I always carry a credit card or some change. They will give us water at the finish line, that’s guaranteed, and a beer is not always there. So when I pat my wallet and check if I have a card or coins, and I go on. There is another thing that works on the route: «Stone me, if this chick in front of me can make it, why wouldn’t I?», «Oh gosh, this dude must be 70 years old and also keeps pushing forward, so I will make it to the end».

The method of literally leaning over a problem is effective in my case.

I look at the ground. A bough after a bough, a stone on a stone. The nearest target set every dozen steps. To a fallen tree, to a turn, to a forest wall, to a group of fans, to a rock that looks like a tortoise, or to a trunk looking like a deer. And then another challenge. Tens of small races with my thoughts, crisis and pain. In the mountains singing helps me, when the pace is just uneven as the terrain. Since recently, my favorite song is Ed Sheeran’s motive from the Hobbit «I see fire». I change the lyrics: «Now I see fire, inside the mountain, I feel fire, burning my knees, and I see fire, hollowing souls, I feel fire, fighting uphill, and I hope that you remember me…». I keep humming it throughout the ascent and I dedicate it to another mountain of destiny. Or rather, I remember the mountain that made me sweat more than it remembers me.

Well, all that matters is that it works”.

The concept of staged run is prevailing among the methods collected from ultra runners. To the crossroads, to the sign with the name

of a pass, to a nearby shop, to the bridge looming in a distance, to a race bottle, water, gel, beer, end of verse. A stage may be expressed by route distance, watch display, GPS signal, but also by the length of a song, mantra series or a recited poem.

It was already a «zombie mode».

I was almost a dead corpse then.

An experienced ultra runner, Tomasz Świderek, deals with crises in the following way: “Before crises were definitely more painful, including a complete cut off. I tried using methods I have read about in books, and on fora etc. – gels, singing, even a quiet prayer. And today they simply appear. The awareness that they appear and that sooner or alter they will disappear makes me not pay too much attention to it. I eat a dried apricot or a date, I take a SaltStick cap, I have three sips of water more and, most importantly, repeat one sentence in my head over and over: «Everything shall pass, even vipers in the grass». In my case (I am a temperamental choleric) reaching that point required a great work on my patience. But it works – everything is in the head. I think this is analogous to education – we do not like the subjects we do not understand. And when you understand a subject – you are good at it.

Mental crises? I usually have those before he race, the race itself is an antidote for them. On the route, so far, I had a mental crisis on Łemkowyna race, when on the 120th kilometer I had to disconnect my brain for a while. I had enough of hallucinations, it was the second night. Despite requests and threats of my companion in misery, Miki, with whom we kept pushing forward together, I had to lay down and get some sleep. And after one hour I managed to move on with a conviction that until the end I must RUN, not walk, otherwise I will freeze – which means I will die. It worked. I ran next to Miki, only shouting that I cannot stop and that he should run too, because everything is in the head. It was already a «zombie mode».

I was almost a dead corpse then”.

I swear and yell. Both at full blast, to release all that crap from my head.

An enthusiastic ultra runner, Nola Szule, who took long distance runs by storm, deals with crises in the following way. First she deals with the physical crisis: “I sit down at a checkpoint. I give myself 5–10 minutes of peace. I stretch my legs comfortably, but I never take off my shoes. I saw many runners take off their shoes at checkpoints for no apparent reason. I eat something good, talk to my neighbor. I try not to stop outside of the checkpoints, and even more

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so not to sit somewhere on a rock. In my head I have a slogan of my Bieg Rzeźnika partner (Bieg Rzeźnika 2015): «This is not ballet, this is ultra and it is expected to hurt». A mental crisis? I swear and yell.

Both at full blast, to release all that crap from my head. But I save this for really big crises.

The smaller ones I try to handle by diverting my attention. I need to occupy my head with something, so I do mental calculations, something simple, preferably addition and multiplication of two-digit numbers. I think that I have read that solution with math in some wise guidebook. It works great for me”.

Others, at time of crisis, intensify the use of arms, as if the hands kept poles, and cross-country skies replaced running shoes on the feet. Start thinking about the deadly climb of Justyna Kowalczyk on Alpe Cermis. If she can make it, he has to make it too. After all there is a snow covered, steep hill, and here there is a stony trail to the meadow. Piece of cake. Still others bring back their childhood memories, when a trip to get milk from a nearby farm was like a ultramarathon. Several hundred meters down towards the village to was

photo: Piotr Dymus

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a joyful run. But the coming back with a three-liter churn of fresh milk seemed to be climbing a high mountain. And if that little boy managed to overcome pain, infirmity, the challenge and did not give up, the big man must make it during the race too. They owe it to one another. In one and the same person, although many years later.

What definitely helps is to relax parts of the body from head to toes during delicate downhill runs. It gives a feeling of a moment of relaxation, and since there was some relaxation (even if it was fake), then there is tome to some real work again. Also shortening steps works, when the distance seems to be extending endlessly.

The closer to the finish line, the more realistic the medal. And the ultra medal brings something different to everyone. Shifting the pain limit is an imperative task for an ultra runner. A mission we have to be prepared for. Our game. But there is one condition in order not to lose. You may not think about being tired before it comes. You cannot anticipate it. Because it will then come sooner than it should.

And the thing is to shorten the pain as much as possible. Everyone, persistently as a maniac, should perfect their way to deal with an ultra flow of thoughts. Practice makes perfect.

photo: Rafał Bielawa

IN BOULDER text: Krzysztof Dołęgowski photos: Krzysztof Dołęgowski,

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Magda Ostrowska-Dołęgowska

ON TRAIL

I

don’t remember when I heard that name for the first time.

Maybe when I held the Mountain Biker’s Training Bible in my hands – the first sports book I have ever read.

Maybe later, when I followed reports from American ultra runs, where Anton Krupicka kicked the butts of the then stars of the longest distance.

I also don’t know when I looked at the map and I got the gist with the geographic perspective for the first time. A town stuck to a huge mountain range on one side, and on the other neighboring with a considerable metropolis and an international airport. You look north and on your left hand side you have thousands of kilometers of wilderness, full of peaks above 4000 meters, and on the other – a full fledged civilization.

Under your feet there is a bike trail, from which you will be ousted in a moment by a helmet wearing dude moving with the first cosmic velocity.

Boulder is a Mecca of sports. Americans can keep on wining that it is a hackneyed place. Expensive. That the density of contestants per a square kilometer makes the ego of even the greatest champion suffer when confronted with the results of local runners. Do you want to set a record in uphill running on a nearby mountain? You have to look around intensely, because the peaks of nearby mountains have inflated records – it is really hard to believe that ordinary force of gravity applies here as well.

A DREAM TOWN If you are flying from Europe – you are probably landing on the Denver airport – 45 minutes away by car. From there you can already see the wall of the Rocky Mountains, and the altimeter shows a mile above the sea level, even though you are standing on a plain flat as an ironing board. Half an hour

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later you already know where the Boulder “wow” effect comes from, because the Flatirons show up before your eyes – three hundred meters high granite irons placed upright. You can entertain the thought they ironed the plain flat, but they are just an effective teaser of what is hidden behind. If you see the puffs of clouds further to the west – they are there for a reason. It is the one thousand meters of height difference that makes water vapor accumulate over the peaks. These usually are cumulus clouds or even stormy cumulonimbus clouds, dropping thunderbolts on nearby peaks. But their bellies are usually white. And the sky is blue. The inhabitants are proud of the three hundred sunny days in a year and that, indeed, is something to be proud of. If you come here for training – you are almost guaranteed that you will be running in good weather, possibly interrupted by

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a storm or rare days of precipitation. Even in wintertime it is rather warm here and only once in a while the weather changes suddenly, just to bring a layer of white fluff.

Scott Jurek says he will not race in Europe “because over there the weather may get ruined all the time, it may start hosing down, and you never know if they won’t shorten the trail”. And he leaps on the rocks with his wife Jenny, and runs in dry forests, chasing fallow deer and other game, so abundant here.

THE CRITICAL MASS Boulder is characterized by an exceptional combination of features, which attract all types of sports maniacs to settle down in this place.

IN BOULDER / ON TRAIL

Not just professionals, whose high rent is paid by the sponsor, but mainly enthusiasts. There is a great university, which attracts tens of companies from the IT business. There are lots of educated people, for whom numerous pubs and health food stores were built (not that I have anything against Cisna or Korbielów, but it is difficult – in a log term perspective – to live in an environment where you spend your day mainly sitting in front of a shop or bringing down timber... and then again sitting in front of the shop).

Boulder is alive all year round – there is a movie theater, where - by chance – I came across a festival of films dedicated to cross country running. There are art galleries. I am not some connoisseur, but walking along the Pearl street is nicer than on Krupówki – there is

no sense of provisionally and no impression that the street was only created to exploit the tourists.

Many people come here to study, and then they stay here for good.

Nearly half of the one hundred inhabitants are people associated with the university!

THE TERRAIN So we have a place to work, a place to go for a beer, but first of all there are the mountains. Do you want to go climbing? You don’t even have to leave the town to do that, because in the Boulder area there are many interesting rocks. Are you interested in higher walls?

It is enough to go to the canyons west of the town by bike. Do you

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ON TRAIL / IN BOULDER

like pretty running trails? There are countless trails and they are well maintained and marked. Do you want to ride your bike? You have profiled trails at disposal, laid especially for two wheels’ enthusiasts.

Do you dig road bikes? Here you are! You can enjoy the views from

Hokka? Here you are – women’s, men’s, newer, older, discounted and full priced. On the next shelve you can touch Altra, Scott shoes or exotic models of well known producers. All that in a not necessarily squeaky clean style of an alpine resort, and in relaxed, messy at-

asphalt trails paved even above 3000 meters above the sea level. Do you want to add on swimming and get an Ironman tattoo? No problem, because within the town limits there is a quite big water reservoir, where you can train or race with others.

mosphere. “Sorry – we have no time to clean up. But maybe you will come on Saturday so we can go running together in the mountains nearby?”, greeted me the salesman. So even not knowing anyone from the business I could count on training companions.

Unfortunately, in Boulder you cannot ski in winter. You have to drive as “much” as 40 minutes to Nederland, where you will find a well developed network of ski lifts.

ULTRA! And once you have trained like mad, you can race in one of nearby ultra runs. You can choose between Leadville or Hardrock – both these regions are less than two hours drive away. You can go there and train before the race. And you can meet running celebrities on the trails. This is where Anton Krupicka used to park his van when he decided to live in his car to be closer to the mountains. This is where Scott Jurek eats asparagus and Sage Canaday perfects his form before another quick race (he runs marathons in 2:16, and is believed to be the future of ultra). If you are a paved road runner you may meet Kara Goucher – an American marathon star. And maybe even Joe Friel appears – endurance training guru, who set up his company, Training Peaks, here.

I visited local stores for runners and I really had a strange look on my face. In a town not much bigger than Siedlce there is a shop with hundreds of shoe models you will never find in Poland. Very thick

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MECCA Yes. Boulder is a Mecca. A warm (but not very hot) place, where nearly every inhabitant has some crazy hobby – rafting, yoga, CrossFit (they have several official units – in one of them trains Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, a world champion). If you spend all your salary on equipment and trips, your neighbors will not think you’re mad. They will not make a scene when you leave your muddy boots at the entrance and carelessly put away your bike. They too have more bikes than cars.

O! And the run. If you want to break your 10 K record, do not race in Bolder Boulder. Because it is really difficult to get through among 50 thousand participants.

O! And marihuana is legal here. So if you want to try it after training there is no fear you will end up behind the bars.

O! And Chrissie Wellington used to train here.

And it was here that they design the super flashy Newton shoes.

And Ultimate Direction backpacks.

And the books by Velo Press are also published here.

So maybe just drop by.

on trail / in boulder

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photo: Robert Bielik

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INTERVIEW

SUPER DAD! What does an ultra runner usually bring to mind? Usually a loner, who – as Forrest Gump – goes for hundreds of runs and travels thousands of kilometers, repeating like a mantra: “Alone, without all the rest, I feel the best”. And – against the logic – he goes on beyond the distance of a marathon, and sometimes beyond several marathons.

And he never has enough. And here comes a surprise, an ultra runner who has four kids, a happy wife, works in a corporation. He lives on the Mazovian Plain, but can win in the mountains and make the distance f 254 kilometers in 24 hours. Per pedes. Piotr Sawicki is an ultra runner from another world. Or maybe from your world?

Get to know Pedro. He is worth it! interview: Marcin Rosłoń

You’ve done a Spartathlon, broke a record of Poland in a 24-hour-run, finished Rzeźnik Ultra, mountain stage races, hundred kilometer races on paved roads. Where did this passion for superhuman challenges come from?

It came gradually. There was no revolution or thoughtless charging.

I started doing ultra runs and long mountain runs after seven years of regular running. The challenges are not superhuman, it is rather a matter of consistent, many years’ training and a bit of aptitude, sometimes a talent. I do not want to use big words, but when you take such effort you can find your true “self ”, reach your inner self.

A possibility to break away from everyday things for a moment and an opportunity to commune with nature are also important.

Is every member of the Sawicki family infected with running?

I had no sport role models in my family home. Nobody trained anything seriously. As far as our family is concerned, i.e. Monika, my wife,

and four kids: Janek, Zuza, Ignacy and the youngest, Marianna – we do different sports – for recreation. Monika has run three marathons.

House chores and professional duties forced her to take a short break, but she threatens and promises she will come back to the running trails. We try to raise the children in contact with sports. They take part in organized volleyball, football, judo, gymnastics classes. So far they are not particularly eager to take up just running. There must be something that integrates the running. A ball, a matt, a net, a goal.

But the entire family warmly supports me and cheers for me. It helps when everything starts hurting. Such pain transforms into strength.

Where did the idea for 24-hour runs come from? How did it start?

This was a type of bet I made with myself. After a decent run for 100 kilometers and in Bieg Rzeźnika, I wanted to check if I would be able to make 200 kilometers in 24 hours. There suddenly appeared a requirement to run 220 km to represent Poland. The level of Poles

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who specialized in that type of runs at that time was lower. In my debut, in spring 2011, after 22 hours of running I run for the desired two hundred. During the last two hours I was walking and enjoying my success as I marched. I won my bet. In subsequent runs I had results above 230 km. The greatest triumph came in my most important run at the World and European Championships in Chorzów in 2012. A rational run gave me a record of Poland (over 254km), the 5th place in the world and a brown medal in Europe. As a team member I also won a brown medal on the European Championships. These were the first medals for Poland in that discipline, later the bag with medals was untied. There was also a failed run in the World Championships in Holland, where - running with an injury - I reached 170km and I was forced to quit the race. Now I am taking a break from 24-hour runs and I fulfil myself in other runs.

I focus on mountain racing. Time will show if I come back to ultra after running on paved roads.

Tell me about your training. Are marathons with kids in a stroller a good way to prepare yourself?

Did the fans really cheer “Super Dad!”?

My training? It is rather strange and unconventional. It is more of a run reflecting my frame of mind, what I want in a given moment, what gives me pleasure. There is probably some general concept in it, maybe even a training sense. It works well, it pushes me forward, develops every year and every step I take. I used to run several years ago with my kids in a stroller, once even with two kids at the same time, but they quickly grew out of a jogging stroller. In November 2014 my daughter Marianna was born, so I slowly get her used to that activity. She is already 10-month-old, this is an ideal moment to start an adventure with a jogging stroller. If we both like it then in the Warsaw marathon we will try to break 3 hours. My best result in running with Ignacy and Zuzia in a double jogging stroller was 3 hours and 5 minutes. The full set weighed over 40 kilograms, the wind was blowing, but we got through without problems.

The “Super Dad” cheer appeared at the end of one of Warsaw Marathons, when I was accelerating, tediously pushing the stroller in the famous uphill run on Sanguszki street. It was a very nice feeling, but, honestly, I believe there are much better indicators of being a super dad than running marathons with children.

Your wife, Monika, is an excellent teem complement.

What is her role during the struggle on the route?

Monika is my indispensable help and a good soul. She can hug, but she will shout when it is necessary. During 24-hour runs she supports me throughout all the 24 hours on the route. She perfectly knows my needs and my reactions. She is not always able to accompany me, but I know that her spirit is with me. We often discuss runs together at the stage of preparations and after they are completed, we analyze them together. I ask for Monika’s advice on many matters, I tell her stories, give her my report and I always get some valuable hints.

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You recently lost a record of Poland in the 24h run to Paweł Szynal. Will you take revenge?

I absolutely do not treat is this way. I think the record got in the best hands. During runs and afterwards we have discussed practically everything there is to talk about. Paweł and I are as thick as thieves. It started with a run together in Bieg Rzeźnika in 2008, where, during the run, we confided our lives to each other. We share similar views, faith, interests in history and music, age and family situation. Paweł is now expecting his fourth baby.

For the time being I am not interested in participating in 24-hour runs. I did what I could and I am fulfilled. I may return in several years’ time, but I will still fight with myself for the best result, but not personally with Paweł Szynal, Andrzej Radzikowski or anyone else to break the record.

How do you combine your family duties and work with training? Do you train in installments?

My basic endurance comes from all the sport activities, not just from running. I have been doing it during the week, often several times a day, for many years. I squeeze in training wherever and whenever I can – I do a lot of walking, running and ride a bike to and from work. When I take care of my kids in the sense of taking them to classes, I rush to a nearby gym even for 40 minutes. In free time I do gymnastics, I persistently do – recently popular – core stability exercises. I just don’t like to stand still. Sometimes I have as much as 20 hours of activity a week. I became a master in fitting in my training.

It is not always difficult, long and extremely challenging. But all of it together builds my form.

Another “secret weapon” of mine is elliptical trainer (orbitrek). I have been working out on it regularly for years. It is a wonderful equipment for me. I can use it practically at any time of the day and night, no matter what the weather is. It is rather quiet, doesn’t bother anyone, plus I have hidden it in the smallest room which is my workout place. Elliptical trainer shapes and strengthens muscles, also those which are dormant during running. It enables gradual return to being active after sustaining an injury, and often even while you still have an injury. It relieves joints, it is perfect for regenerating and supplementary training. You can get creative, put on weights, wear oxygen mask, control ambient temperature. And it often saves me from a feeling that I did not manage to do my training.

Do the kids understand why their dad sometimes barely walks with his legs swollen?

They do, because all my family understands my passion. But the fatigue and exhaustion after strain does not release me in any way from being a husband and a father. I try to take a sick leave from home on very rare occasions only. So I take them to playgrounds, schools and classes limping. I can then sit, stretch and massage my legs. I do not like wasting time.

SUPERDAD! / INTERVIEW

would be difficult, but I have strong bones and quite some muscles, which weight a lot. I definitely do not have a typical body of a runner. Muscles, especially muscled legs, require more oxygen. They guarantee strength, but they also produce a lot of catabolic waste, and this gets very painful.

I haven’t been eating meat for several years now. I have never been particularly into it, so it is not a sacrifice. If I do not have to I do not see a point in causing suffering to animals. I eat reasonable quantities of dairy products, sporadically fish. I believe that meet, very often of poor quality, consumed in excessive quantities, causes health problems. My diet is based on vegetables in all forms, fruits, groats, flour products and dried fruits and nuts. Monika is a master of baking homemade bread, we prepare most meals ourselves. I am an enthusiast of avocado, ginger, pomegranates, baked pumpkins, eggplants, chickpea dishes, beetroots served in any possible way, coconut products, honey, peanut butter, Brazil nuts, all pickled foods, garlic and various spices. I add different deacidifying ingredients, and – in my opinion – they have good effect on my form. These are, for example, xylitol, apple cider vinegar, chia seeds, flax seed, beebread, guarana, maca root. I love eating. My way.

Sweets are my weakness. I gave up the most processed sweets, all “industrial” ones, but still there is a lot to improve. I’m a foodie.

How do you manage to successfully combine running in the mountains, improving personal records in marathon and 24-hour runs? Each of those requires a separate preparation, doesn’t it.

photo: Krzysztof Nigot / Dotfilms.pl

Wherever I asked about you, everyone was saying: “strong head”. Ambiguous. How should I understand that?

I do not drink much alcohol, usually dry red wine. In a good company, occasionally, I can go wild. But I don’t think they meant that type of strong head. In terms of running I think I can focus well on the objective, properly assess and believe in my potential.

You seem to be a master of logistics, planning and race preparation. Does it help in ultra running?

I would not call myself a master in that area. I am doing ok, but I get stressed too much. Have I taken that, when do I use that, how to pack deposits, what will I need at the drop bag point. Lots of questions and, of course, not enough time to still better plan everything. Only when I start running all the pressure goes away, I take wing. I think I have more spontaneity than perfection. The main thing is that it works.

How important is you diet? You run a lot, do you eat a lot? You are rather skinny.

I don’t think I’m skinny. It’s a fact that finding fat tissue on me

Versatility is my strength. I always start training for ultra from a marathon. Training for the royal distance is the most systematic in my case. I am able to force myself to do the specific marathon training.

But my typical preparations are usually short, usually 4-8 weeks. I call them VSDPR - Very Short Direct Preparation for a Race. It works for me. In 2013, after a three-month injury, I would run in a relaxed manner for 8 weeks, and then pumped up the pace for a month.

My original, strong marathon program worked out and I improved my personal record to 2 hours and 40 minutes. The current one is only 60 seconds better.

On the marathon base I do training strictly related to running in the mountains. In the city these are multiple runs on small neighborhood hills, sand dunes in the forests near Warsaw, mechanical treadmill with an incline even up to 15%. Plus running in natural mountain conditions any time I have a chance - when I am on holidays, on business or training trips. I have also been testing a training mask recently, which in a way simulates high altitude training. The first effects are promising.

Mountain runs are most appealing to me. It is because trekking has always been my passion. I am aware that I have the greatest chance to succeed in 24-hour runs, but my heart and soul long for trails.

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I will never be in the elite of mountain runners, it is difficult to aim there when you live in Warsaw. I will soon reach the age corresponding to the distance of a marathon and there will be less and less time for training camps in the mountains. A noticeable improvement in downhill running speed gives me much satisfaction. It is particularly difficult to train for “lowlanders”. The first step to get there was everyday training with my friend, Romek Duda, a true mountaineer from near Turbacz.

I love going away for several days to unknown mountains. To explore them and see everything while running. To hitchhike or by local transportation. This is my preferred type of a “training camp". Recently Georgia has become my favorite place – I will soon go there for the third time. It is a very interesting country with eventful history and tradition, and many beautiful historical monuments, wonderful nature, mountains, the sea, delicious food and excellent wine. And what is most important it is a country full of friendly and open people. It is very cheap and really safe.

Spartathlon, 24 hour runs, 100 km races, kilometers run on asphalt. How do your legs withstand such overloads, how does your stomach deal with hours of running, and how does your head fight?

I could talk about it for hours. Legs can handle it, that is easiest to train. Properly selected shoos are very important. They just must ensure good and comfortable running. Several years ago I discovered Hoka One One and currently these are my basic running shoes, also in the mountains.

My stomach is rather resistant, I have my tested diets. The head is the most vulnerable. I “treat” it by going into the world of thoughts as deeply as possible, sometimes with a prayer or just an honest chat on the trail with other runners. I always have my favorite music at hand.

Reaching the state of elation while running, a certain type of a high, is what I need the most at that time. In most 24-hour runs it comes to me after some 10 hours, when the night comes, and I start flowing through the darkness. In the morning, when the sun rises, many things become clear – literally and metaphorically. I will remember those several night hours in Chorzów in 2012 for the rest of my life. This is when on some loops I ran more quickly than the fantastic champion, Mike Morton. Then came a crisis and when I thought I would lose my position I charged off again, swearing at everything, with tears in my eyes caused by the pain of quadriceps muscles rupturing.

My problems with quadriceps often recur after a dozen or so hours of running. I slow down and wait. It goes away. This is what happened, for example, on the Spartathlon route in 2014.

How much weight do you lose in a day having run 250 kilometers?

I have never checked that. In spite of what people think, during such runs, due to a moderate pace you eat and drink quite a lot. But there

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photos: Krzysztof Nigot / Dotfilms.pl

is a strong degeneration of tissue, swelling appears and it may turn out that you do not weigh any less. A man after such strain is not a nice view. I know something about it. Legs thick as an elephant’s, covered by subcutaneous hemorrhage for many days, brown urine, battered feet. This is a price we are paying for running 24 hours and longer.

How do you recover? What tests do you do?

Sleep is my weakness. I do not sleep long enough, on average 6 hours a day. My body is used to it and usually does not demand more. But I know that an additional hour of sleep would regenerate me better.

Sometimes it works.

SUPERDAD! / INTERVIEW

I regularly use sauna and Jacuzzi, usually five times a week. At home I installed a tiny infrared sauna for one person. I stretch, do stick massage, roller rubbing. I rarely use massage. I also recover thanks to my diet and adding various interesting ingredients. Sauna has significantly helped me train my capacity to exercise in high temperatures and under sun exposure. I have quite good results in such conditions, and I used to be poor at enduring the heat.

The tests I do are rather standard, periodical checks for work (blood, urine, ECG) and additionally, as needed, extended blood tests

and urine analysis. Due to Monika’s profession, who is a doctor –radiologist, I have an easier access to diagnostic imaging.

What is your running, and maybe even life motto?

There are many, but a sentence from one of Saint Paul’s letters is closest to me:

Power is made perfect in weakness.

It perfectly fits running and life.

photos: Krzysztof Nigot / Dotfilms.pl

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photo: Grzegorz Lisowski

FAMILY ULTRADITION What Johny doesn’t learn, John will not know�. This Polish adage perfectly captures the message of this beautiful story. The story about enormous mountains and great respect for nature, family and people. About a marvelous, unexplored and distant world of adults who were in love with the mountains, seen through the eyes of a child. This is a story about unshakeable passion, persistence and respect. But most of all about friendship between a father and a son. And about a house that lives and breathes the mountains.

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photo: Grzegorz Lisowski

text: Jan Nyka

photo: Grzegorz Lisowski

30 July 1960 – the first passage on the eastern Rysy rib.

Photo: Adam Szurek

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ULTRA STORY / FAMILY ULTRADITION

T

he tapping sound of a typewriter is the music of my early childhood.

And the image of my Father leaning over a black Erika typewriter, touch typing quickly, filling up rows of even lines, page after page: tapping and tapping and so on and so on! All that in the midst of a home racket, because on forty plus square meters in a Warsaw district Mokotów there lived six of us and a dog.

When asked what was my father’s area of business, I proudly responded: the mountains.

Because I had some very good connotations with the mountains. In fact, I don’t know why, because we used to spend holidays at the seaside year after year. We would go there with our Mom, and Dad would stay at

My parents ran a hospitable house, where in the evenings, instead of turning on a TV, you could listen to stories being told about the mountains.

home and work. Reportedly, when I was very small, we also used to go to the mountains as a family, but I do not remember that. In that sense my two older sisters were luckier, because they walked the Tatras with our Dad – when he was still active and did not spend his days at the desk – throughout their length and breadth.

My two years younger brother and I would only spend evenings with our Dad walking

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*** to a nearby landfill hill, looking at the Warsaw skyline and listening to his stories. Most of them, naturally, were about the mountains, although family stories and war stories added variety. Was it not for the war, everything could have turned out differently, and mountains would probably not have become my Father’s profession and passion.

He was born in 1924 in Łysinin, a small village in the region of Wielkopolska. His first virtual contact with the mountains was through a text by Ferdynard Goetel about a tragedy on Buczynowa Turnia that he read in elementary school. And when, several years later, in February 1940, a German train carrying all my Father’s family to resettle in the mountains, stopped at Sieniawska Pass, people started shouting: “Tatras, Tatras!”, he was looking around to find towering Tatra peaks somewhere close to the zenith in vain, and then he saw (to his disappointment) such white little ones, barely visible form a distance...

The war time spent in Podhale, between Gorce and Tatras, undoubtedly shaped him the most – the exuberant early years, hard work in a sawmill, attentive observation of everyday life under occupation noted in a secret diary, captured on photographic film and, finally, over half a year long wander in a forest partisan squad of the Home Army. But even this dismal everyday life at war in his partisan journal, and on my Father’s photographs, seems as if seen through rose-colored glasses – half of the description of a dramatic battle of Tylka is dedicated to the captivating view from Lubań, and the pictures documenting military operations in a large part portray… mountain views. He got into mountaineering in an alternative way, not through a club, and in fact rather late, because around the time he was thirty. Mountains were becoming his passion and profession at the same time.

In terms of sport it all started from climbing

with friends - Paweł and Janusz Vogel. Seriously speaking - he had been climbing since 1958 in Tatras, and the breakthrough Polish modernist route in Dolomites, Gran Diedro, on the northern wall of Monte Schiara in 1965, was one of his last serious climbs.

At the end of the 60s. sports climbing gave way to work, family and mountain hiking, strictly related to his work anyway.

His work was connected with mountain hiking and writing guide books about Gorce, Pieniny, Tatras, and every new edition required revisiting the most important trails. For nearly 30 years my Father was the editor of Taternik, a quarterly magazine, which extended his circles of acquaintances and friends. Due to Poland’s exceptional position in the world mountaineering, the magazine was internationally recognized. That occupation resulted in long term cooperation, as an author, with world magazines – starting from Japan and Korea finishing on Alaska and Chile.

I can easily say that our home lived and breathed the mountains. My Father: “All the stars would come here... Wanda Rutkiewicz used to come as a little girl”. Ever since I remember we always had guests around - acquaintances and friends of my Parents connected with the mountains. Some would come occasionally, others were regular visitors, almost family members, such as Adam Szurek, Andrzej Zawada, Andrzej Skłodowski, Wanda Rutkiewicz, Michał Jagiełło, Andrzej Paczkowski, and from the pre-war generation - Bolesław Chwaściński, Wiktor Ostrowski, Zdzisław Dziędzielewicz. Twice a year we had a visit by the editor of the famous American Alpine Journal, Adams H. Carter, Toni Hiebeler from Germany, Arno Puškáš from Slovakia, Jean Asselin from France, a Himalaya chronicler, Anders Bolinder from Switzerland. During official visits

ULTRA STORY / family ultradition

in Poland such world stars as John Hunt, André Contamine or Jean Franco dropped by for a cup of tea.

My parents ran a hospitable house, where in the evenings, instead of turning on a TV, you could listen to stories being told about the mountains. I used to listen to both first hand reports from climbs and expeditions, and stories shared by the nesters of alpinism. I particularly liked Wiktor Ostrowski’s tales.

I also used to be an involuntary witness of planning daring, breakthrough undertakings. Luckily, those years were eventful in the best mountaineering achievements, so really a lot was going on. Reports about Polish achievements in the highest mountains were the most expected news and a reason for joy. But everything comes at an expense – they were frequently accompanied about information about tragedies, inherently connected with that sport. They were particularly painful, because they concerned close ones... and, unfortunately, over these years many friends remained in the mountains forever.

Fall 1960, a cabin near Ubocz.

Photo: Małgorzata Surdel(-Nyka)

Standing from the left: Jerzy Kukuczka(+), Krzysztof Wielicki, Wanda Rutkiewicz(+), Andrzej Czok(+), Leszek Cichy.

In the first row there is my younger brother and me. The gentlemen have just returned from the famous winter-spring expedition to Mount Everest in 1980 – all four of them put their feet on the top.

Photo: Józef Nyka

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*** My older sister, Monika, then a geography student, actively involved in the Students’ Club of Beskids Guides, took me for my first trip to the mountains in early 80s. In fact, it was not me who was originally to go with her, but my younger brother, Stefek. He was meticulously preparing to the trip. On the day of departure, when he put on his packed backpack, he stood there for a while and he said: “Am I supposed to walk with that? I can’t event lift it!”. He dropped the backpack and went to his room offended.

Repacking went quickly, and, eventually, I went on a hiking tour in Low Beskids. And I think it was there where I became infected with mountain hiking. The climate was quite good: the train was so crowded that we were pulled into the carriage through

the window. There was a lot of hiking with a heavy backpack and unrelenting impression that we were constantly moving uphill.

There were sore feet in wet shoes, because the aura was foggy and rainy, nights spent in hay in sheds and cabins and finally unforgettable nights by the fire, among Monika’s friends in stretched wool sweaters, playing guitars and singing songs against the regime.

And then it was downhill all the way – I would go on hiking tours in high school, take holiday trips with friends and hike in Pieniny, Beskids, Bieszczady, go on escapades to the Tatras – in summer and in winter – more and more intense trekking and amateur climbing. No matter where I was, when I saw a mountain or even a bigger hill around I was not able to deny myself the pleasure of climbing to the peak.

I gradually became attracted by higher and more distant mountains – expeditions organized on my own, with my friends – in the Altai mountains, in Dzungarian Alatau, in Himalayas in Ladakh and Garhwal, in the Andes, in the wonderful Chinese range Kang Karpo, then unspoiled by climbers, in the Hengduan Shan mountains.

I have never gotten into sport climbing, although I managed to reach many interesting peaks during my trips, including almost ten 6.000-meter mountains. I have always hiked in the mountains dexterously and quickly, and had the most fun from trails which were something in between difficult trekking and easy climbing. I have learnt a lot in the mountains and I have gained experience, I got to know them on various continents, in different seasons of the year and in all possible weather conditions – also during a storm, a snowstorm and in fog. And I felt fulfilment climbing up a high volcano, and breaking through a field of several meters high penitent-shaped snows on the peak, or jumping through cracks in the glacier.

It was in the mountains that I experienced most adventures I will remember for the rest of my life.

My passion for mountains originated from my own choices. My Father, even thought mountains are all his life, has never encouraged me to do serious hiking, or, all the more, to climb. The risk linked to that sport definitely played a role.

photo: Magdalena Późniewska

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FAMILY ULTRADITION / ULTRA STORY

*** I started running by accident in 2007. A colleague from work did running, so I thought I would try too.

It went unexpectedly easy, especially taking into account the fact that I have never run for a distance longer than 1 km - for a pass back in elementary school. An additional stimulus was the fact that, living in Falenica, I had a beautiful forest at hand. I got hooked in and I started running quite regularly on routes up to 10 km.

The longer distance run was due to my ambition provoked by my Wife.

In August 2012, at my birthday party, the discussion drifted to the 34th Warsaw Marathon, for which one of our colleagues had been preparing herself for quite a while. Emilka said: “Well, Jaś does some running, but he would never run a marathon”. So I had to face the challenge. There wasn’t much time – only two months, so already the next day I enrolled myself on a marathon and started chaotic training, consisting in running increasingly longer distances. Several days before the start I managed to run for almost 37 km. Despite that fact I managed – although not without trouble – to become a marathoner. But I did not fall for the idea of smashing my legs against concrete and asphalt on a distance of 42 kilometers. It simply seemed boring and all the more willingly I returned to my forest tracks.

It hit me in fall of 2012, when I saw information about a planned Bieg Granią Tatr somewhere. I was speechless when I saw the proposed route – 70 km

in my bellowed Tatras in one day! That was a challenge! I got fixed on it with all my heart. I knew it was something exactly for me, a specific direction appeared and a strong conviction that was exactly what I needed. Luckily, I got on the start list, systematized my training, and in spring time I passed qualification runs. Already after the first race in the mountains I knew I was head over hills in love with it!

Ornak in fall 1983.

Two Johns. Jasio Nyka and Jan Alfred Szczepański, an Andes climber and a mountain writer, 26 July 1937 - the first man on America’s second peak, Ojos del Salado (6885 m).

Photo: Józef Nyka

The first season of Bieg Granią Tatr was an important lesson of mountain running and showed me how much can happen on the route of such contest within just around a dozen of hours. I realized I have chosen the coolest sport in the most beautiful possible natural environment. Every subsequent opportunity for mountain running confirms this belief.

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*** Sometimes I am thinking to what extent my passion related to running in the mountains is identical to my Father’s former passion for mountains – climbing. Of course these are two different sports, but their arena is exactly the same – the mountains. In both those sports similar character traits are useful: inner stability and strength of will, which allow keeping faith and not giving up in crisis situations, persistence, consistency, and body

features, such as endurance, resistance to prolonged heavy burdens.

Even competitiveness and a need to continuously prove yourself and break time records are an inherent part of both climbing and running. And, although knowing my calm, imperturbable and modest Father, it is extremely difficult for me to imagine him in sports competitions, I know from his stories that he scored specific climbing time records, which were unbroken for many years

– like the repetition of the famous Hokejka on the westers wall of Łomnica in 2:45 in a duet with his inseparable partner, Adam Szurek – a complete sensation in those days.

My Father: “We weren’t running specifically to break a record, we were simply doing well, although there was definitely some sport inclination there. Such vertical runs, you could say”.

I could find more such analogies, also with respect to training. I do my training on forest dunes around Falenice, my Father used to train on oaks in Bielanski Forest in Warsaw. In those days there were no artificial climbing walls, and nobody even thought about training –simply an active involvement in sports was common. A novel idea for training on oaks came from Czesław Momatiuk, and a group of oak climbers consisting of several persons was formed. Training consisted in running, general development exercises and, finally, on noninvasive low level climbing, using the bark of a tree, which is similar to boulder problems. Individual oaks and the routes on them even had their names!

Tatra climbing, as a matter of principle, is a team sport and requires an ability to harmoniously cooperate with partners or a partner.

In alpinism what matters is the issue of partnership – there is a bond of the line (not just a symbolic one) and a feeling of responsibility for the partner, particularly important in emergency situations. The limits of such responsibility have been discussed for years.

Mountain runs are free from those problems, running is, by its nature, an individual sport.

And, on the other hand, thanks to running I met many people with whom I am now in close touch. We often train together, we meet in our free time, we go to races. It is an important added value to running. This is

24 August 1960 – Route R passage on the eastern wall of Mnich (Monk).

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Photo: Adam Szurek

FAMILY ULTRADITION / ULTRA STORY

why when I participate in competitions irrespective of the fact that most of the time I run alone, I feel almost as if I was running with a company, because I keep thinking about my friends who are somewhere on the route. *** The black Erika typewriter has long been buried in the landfill hill, and my Father keeps writing. More quietly than he used

to, because now he uses a computer. I wish I am in such a good shape when I am ninety. He knows everything that is happening in the mountains, I am never able to surprise him with any news. When we talk about the mountains, I am always impressed with his grand knowledge. I respect him, I value his opinion and I appreciate the fact that despite his old age he remained flexible and curious of the world, having a reasonable and objective perspective on every subject.

When I asked my Father, what he thought about mountain running as a mountaineering historian, he responded as a Chinese thinker: “Mountains can be experienced in many ways, contemplation is just one of them. Much has been done in that respect and for young people there is definitely much more to come�.

I realized I have chosen the coolest sport in the most beautiful possible natural environment.

photo: Julita Chudko

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photo: Julita Chudko

A MAN’S BEST FRIEND

ULTRA STORY

Filip and Eto.

A good match. A man and a dog, who know each other inside out.

It all started from an adventure with a horse. There was a dog who kept bugging horses and once got a hoof blow in his teeth.

A man saved him. Natural born runners. They are friends, they wander on trails. They live in a city. They train in a park.

They share one passion. Mountain running. Always together.

An extraordinary bond. A true six legged brotherhood.

text: Marcin Rosłoń photos: Piotr Dymus and Filip's archive

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Haugh! This will be a short story about my passion for run-

ning ultramarathons. About our passion. Filip’s and mine. We are friends, who formed a running team. Filip is the boss and I am the engine. We do not race with anyone, we push forward for fun. There is a magical bond between us and a brotherhood in struggle. Dog my cats! – I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Eto. I am a multi-breed with a decent mix of a Labrador. And Filip is my pal, not “owner”. We do not like to keep it official.

EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY A few words about me. I was born in 2006. I get older, everyone does. I had a happy childhood. My mom is still alive, she is already 13 years old. Her name is Huba. We live in a city, but I love mountains. This is where I was raised, in the Low Beskids. Górka – this is how we lovingly call our home in Przysłup. Filip says I am a “strong, athletic type”. And he always adds: “Exceptionally cheerful”. There is not a bit of aggression in me. I have always preferred lonely dog hikes than dog fighting. Since I was a little puppy I was around horses – in the middle of hooves of Beskids mares. It was a unique form of entertainment, my dog’s rodeo. I got hit here and there, I even had my teeth fixed after being knocked out by a horse, but what doesn’t kill a dog makes it stronger. At home everyone called our horses huge dogs. Tamed beasts, I like them. I also like ultra marathoners. Human healthy horses.

Ultra runners are my running companions. I love the time spent at camping sites before races, freedom on the trail, mud and toil. My favorite word is “pushing forward”.

I can push forward all day long. Also at night. Filip, naturally, can’t keep up with me. As every man who chases me during ultra with a tongue hanging out. At feeding points I am in my element. Sometimes people get quite enthusiastic and interested about me. They say jokingly: “Oh, our celebrity is here!”. I haven’t’ gone bananas though.

Filip makes sure I do not “go crazy”. He is the team leader.

DOG’S LIFE I have a good laugh when people, including my Filip, dress up for their bipedal running. Underpants, tights, t-shirts, some sleeves on their feet, I think they call them socks.

And shoes. They look at them and pray to them, as if shoes were decisive for where to and how quickly they will run. They talk about soles, foams, heel-toe drops, uppers, bounces and landings. Nuts. I sit with them, I pretend to listen and wait until the time finally comes to train, have dinner or race. Then they put on their colorful stuff and we rush ahead, preferably to the unknown.

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Normally, we live and go running with Filip in the city. There’s people everywhere. Everyone is talking and looking askance at a black mongrel. I look threatingly, I bark in baritone, but I do not bite. Well, but how am I supposed to convince a lad passing by in a brand new suit or a lady wearing high heels or a bunch of children in the park about my irresistible charm? I approach them jumping, smile from ear to ear and they stand stunned and shield with a stroller, a shopping bag or a briefcase. And they threaten me, chase me off, and shout.

A MAN’S BEST FRIEND / ULTRA STORY

A tough thing. So city romping with no leash only happens in secluded places under my boss’s control. City people are difficult to understand. Filip, for example, always picks my poop. I nod my head in disbelief: “it will decompose itself, won’t it? Ecology”. It is not easy, but I have this running together with Filip. Sometimes I take a jump to a lake in the park, dive in a river or take a mud bath, although it comes at a certain expense – a reprimand from Filip. It is worth it anyway, I let him shout. He does need some entertainment.

Our first training together was a pain. For both of us. I pulled him, he pulled me. We were tired of one another. Filip was swearing, but that didn’t make me any more interested. I love meat. My favorite are thin, dry kabanos sausages, frankfurters and sausages. I even recently heard an old joke about frankfurters: “Do you know what fresh frankfurters are made of? Old ones”. I do not mind, I do not think your kids do either, ha ha! Well, and I love spaghetti Bolognese. It is my favorite dish behind ultramarathon’s finish line. I would die for dry food tasting like pasta Bolognese. I also like pizza, even though the edges hurt my gums.

My key commands are: right, left, stay even, wait, leg, forward and, obviously, all the cheap , showy tricks like: sit, paw, lay, crouch, for which I always get treats, and Filip gets girls’ phone numbers as a bonus. I never refuse, I‘m a smart type. There is always two of us – me and my stomach.

Good habits are the key thing. We turn smoothly, because at trainings we have perfected our tricks and rules. First, there is a slight leash pull indicating direction and nearly right away a command with the direction. I catch it immediately. This is our running navigation on four paws and two legs. We often communicate without words.

DOG MY CATS! I understand bipeds very well. You can get along with men. Besides, runners are a specific group. They are usually pleased with themselves and their lives, shifting their limits, suffering from pain on the route, but drawing satisfaction from that fact. I like such people. Of course, there are also people who mind that there are mongrels on the way. I understand and respect that, but I try to break the stereotype of a mix-breed, who runs in dust along the village, barks and bites peoples’ calves. I smile and keep running. Of course I run in zig-zags, backtrack, but still I run forward. That is why I run s

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much longer distance than Filip and other bipeds wearing racing numbers, but a vet, Jarek Zajączkowski, takes care of my health. He runs with his dog, he understands us.

Filip calls my medical checks technical inspections and tells me to lie “upside down”. We always make inspections before the race. And we have run together quite a bit. My hook for medals starts bending. We have participated in Chudy Wawrzyniec, Zamieć, ZUK, Niepokorny Mnich and other city runs and ultramarathons in the mountains.

When Filip and I come home from a several-day-long mountain running I need some time to get accustomed to the city. Dog’s claustrophobia manifests itself with double strength at home. When it does, I lie down next to a large loudspeaker – as black as me - and listen to metal bands.

No nostalgic music that makes you cry, but strong sounds.

Sepultura rules. I have leaned much about music from Filip.

A FRENCH BOY My stomach likes to play tricks at the least expected moment, which means during travel. On me and on Filip. That is why Filip always takes medicines and poop bags. Our trips must be broken down into stages, with stops for me to stretch my four legs, to park some bark, sometimes, when there is too much swinging in the car to go in reverse on the grass. It is simply motion sickness. The dog that travelled by train was lucky. A car is my nightmare. And the worst case scenario is when on the dashboard I see a mascot – a cheap plastic dog, obtrusively nodding its head. Upholstered interiors and driver beware. A guaranteed puke. Even if it makes me mad. Don’t mock us.

Every runner has his Achilles heel, a weakness he must stand up to.

In my case it is my stomach. That is why our first aid kit is always at hand. I have an impression that at a race Filip takes care of me more than he does of himself. “He works hard as a mule” – he says. In his backpack he has all my stuff. A thermal blanket, pills, treats, paw

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ointment, a blinking lamp, a wind resistant scarf, which makes me look like an old Indian woman, and a folded water bowl. There is no-go without that set. What matters the most to me is the water bowl. By the way, the person that convinced bipeds that a drink in a plastic bottle is healthy is quite a magician. Tap water, stream water and puddle water is the best. I still haven’t learnt to drink from a bota bag.

LET THE DOGS OUT My life is worse than people’s lives. I have four paws, so 400 % greater risk of injury. Additionally, I have always run bare pawed. I have natural pads, not made of some transparent foams, fake polystyrene or honeycombs. There is no such thing as heel-toe drop.

The thing I dislike the most is that oily paw ointment.

I know it helps me, that it prevents pad injuries, but the tickling and skidding are unbearable. Luckily, the discomfort passes quickly, that fatty thing comes off on the route, but the first impression makes me sick. I do not use any laces, and electronic chip for time measurement at the race is fixed to my collar and I fly. On midfoot, ahead.

Running on midfoot is every runner’s dream. I know it, because Filip keeps repeating it like a mantra.

Filip with our buddy, Kuba Łubniewski, recently convinced me to make a documentary. I am supposed to sit, bark, wag my tail, fly, show my teeth in front of a camera and that’s it. On Polakpotrafi.pl, with your help, I managed to collect money for a film production.

I also got to run a bit with a small camera on my neck, an interesting experience. Bipeds were talking about me. All that matters is that we were on open air all the time. We will see what comes out of it. You can find details, as always, on my Facebook profile (www.facebook. com/etopieskomandos). A little bit of showing off won’t hurt anyone.

It is cool to have such cool bipeds around me.

A MAN’S BEST FRIEND / ULTRA STORY

Filip and I decided to make a line of dog gadgets under the name Pieskomandos. Leashes, collars, scarves, folded bowls and the like.

They must be simple and functional. We came up with and tested our ideas on hundreds of kilometers ran together. We also want to write a dog guide to encourage people to be active together. To convince lazy ones to move, to persuade those insecure, to bring runners’ attention to our needs, to slim the thick, air the tired, cheer up the sad. But there is a message to you, dog sisters and brothers!

Move your four paws and heavy bellies, warm furs, tails between legs, brushed teeth and perfumed butts from flashy beds. It’s time to get active. You do not have to run ultramarathons to change your dog’s life.

My dog’s life is in fact really cool.

Thanks Filip!

A MAN’S BEST FRIEND / ultra story

ULTRA TWINS text:

Rafał Bielawa and Kamil Klich Łukasz Buszka

photos:

The two who scored Główny Szlak Beskidzki in 150 hours.

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A MAN’S BEST FRIEND / ultra story

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A MAN’S BEST FRIEND / ultra story

RAFAŁ:

KAMIL:

Główny Szlak Beskidzki (GSB, the Main Trail in the Beskids) is the longest mountain trail in Poland. Its length was measured on numerous occasions, the results vary and fit within the range from 495 to 520 km. During our run we made around 530 km. But GSB is not just about statistics, but mainly about beautiful views, splendid mountains, wonderful climbs and demanding runs downhill. Perhaps it’s a shame we got to see most of the route at night, but the starlit sky thoroughly compensated what we did not manage to see.

GSB means LOTS of emotions... The idea came up last year and it kept maturing.. until the right time has come, and that was the fall of 2015. As far as the record is concerned, the distance is no longer the most important factor, but the time in which you want to do it is. Most people walked that route towards Ustroń, so we thought: why not do it the other way? And we did that still in the fall, to check if it’s doable. Plus, we know Bieszczady well, and at the end of the trip, when you are very tired, it is better to be in the area you know.

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ULTRA TWINS / ULTRA STORY

RAFAŁ:

There was no voting on who the captain would be, after all we are ultra twins [laughter]. We focused on building a harmonious team.

We can push forward strongly together, and we started by coincidence some time ago on the route of Bieg 7 Szczytów (7 Summits Race) (240 km) and so it went on. We also have a good time in each other’s company. We often burst out laughing, which, naturally, could taken away some strength, but gives an unbelievable kick to keep fighting!

KAMIL:

Because of the time of the year we had to secure adequate clothes. We did not know exactly what to expect. In the backpack I carried: long pants, calf length pants, two sets of underwear, four pairs of socks, a t-shirt and a long sleeve shirt, a wind stopper, a rain jacket, gloves, two buffs, sleeves, spare shoes and, additionally, two head lamps plus spare batteries, a first aid kit, Sudocrem, a whistle, a knife, two thermal blankets, an ID card and cash, tissues, a map, an instant multivitamin, ca. 2 liters of liquids and food. Several kilograms of stuff.

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ULTRA STORY / ULTRA TWINS

RAFAŁ:

Looking at this from a perspective I don’t think we were fully aware what it meant to do over 500 km in the mountains.

Everything seemed so distant. We definitely knew there was an adventure ahead of us, but we also knew that if we make it then no matter what the result is – we would be very happy.

What did I fear? I think rain, which could have flipped our project upside down. What was I excited about? The feeling of an adventure in the air. A reset we were soon to experience, far away form computers, everyday life, with one objective only: all forward!

RAFAŁ:

We got a crazy idea to make laundry only once. We reached the Shelter on Przehyba. We got to the room and there was a nice surprise – warm heaters. It was very late, or rather very early in the morning, and our stuff was crying “wash us!”. So I made some laundry, with my eyes shining proudly. In the morning came the disappointing life, the heater was cold, and I was able to add two unplanned kilos of wet clothes to carry. Luckily the day was sunny and we managed to dry the laundry trapped to our backpacks before the dusk.

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ultra story / ultra twins

KAMIL:

After the heater adventure the forester comforted me: “Take it easy, the bears do not like smelly people �.

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ultra story / ultra twins

RAFAŁ’S ULTRA DIARY

DAY ONE:

We set off briskly towards the first turn [laughter]. We gave each other a friendly five for courage and sense of community in achieving our goal – to finish it, no matter what the result would be! Day one was mainly a struggle with heavy backpacks. We did not expect that the 10 kg on our back would be so tiring for us.

Maybe not from the very beginning, but with every kilometer taken the weight was increasingly bothering us. The first day was also a wise decision about spending the night in Markowe Szczawiny shelter.

Still not exhausted, but tired, we stayed there overnight, even though the plan was to continue for another 20 km.

DAY TWO:

Day two started with Babia Góra ascent. It was supposed to be hard, gloomy and cold, but it wasn’t. We got there as to the first floor. With a smile and surprised this was it. I think the funniest moment happened to us behind Jordanów, where route markings were removed and, was it not for the guide about GSB and a phone call to our friend, it wouldn’t have been good. So, walking somewhere between Jordanów and Rabka, almost bitten by dogs, we reached a place where all the lacking markings from those several kilometers must have been gathered. Literally every second tree was painted all over, not with tiny little markings, but with a red and white monstrous mark. No wonder they ran off paint.

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ultra story / ultra twins DAY THREE:

Day three is a morning in the shelter on Przehyba, a wet set of running clothes and a delicious żurek soup at Łabowska Alp – the force was with us. Behind Krynica the Olkusz running team caught and passed us as a French TGV, and we only saw them off. Suddenly that rushing machine stopped with a loud “uuuu” and started squeezing us from every side. This was a kick! Although some time later they put us in our place, while we - trotting, and they - walking, maintained the same pace. Halfway point was long behind us and were able to save our strength. During Kozie Żebro ascent we were also supported

by Tomek Barszcz, who witnessed what I think was the biggest crisis that got us on the way. It ended as it had to end, he went home and we... dropped – almost dead – under a chapel. In the morning we reached Bartne. This is how we scored over 300 km.

DAY FOUR:

Day four started wrong. It turned out that my legs didn’t look good and I had to see a doctor – I got an extra shot and antibiotics, we moved on. It was the worst day, and it was so bad due to our own fault. No sleep, overall fatigue and no food resulted in the fact that those 38 km that we made could have been the last. Only a good dinner, a long sleep of seven hours and delicious breakfast charged our batteries and let us return to the race. At night I wasn’t able to stand on my legs. I will save you the details, but they looked very bad. Overall inflammation, pus and the like – it was not my cup of tea.

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ultra story / ultra twins

DAY FIVE:

We ate, and we moved on in quite a good style. We stopped for a cup of tea at the seat of Rymanów forest inspectorate.

There nice gentlemen gave us a piece of pipe to fix a broken stick, and gave some comfort saying that even though we can meet bears on the trail, they won’t touch the smelly ones. Another eating stop in Puławy Górne and a delicious pasta with cheese. Kamil, probably not accustomed to such delicacies, did not want to leave. He devoured two

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servings, and was still thinking about removing some of his equipment to fit this dish in, but he finally got persuaded and with our bellies full we moved on. On the way there was Tokarnia and Wahalowski Wierch, where, they say, it is easy to become disoriented, but pilgrims, who recently walked that trail at least several times, left a broad path behind and helped us. We reached Komańcza and... we were almost counting our chickens.

ultra story / ultra twins

DAY SIX:

So near and so far at the same time. Setting off from Komańcza in the middle of the night we didn’t count on shops to be open, although Kamil, with his nose pressed against the window, tried asking 2someone inside to open the door. On the way to the shelter under Hon we ate everything we had in our bags. Driven by hunger I ate the gifts of nature: dry blueberries, blackberries and clover. If we had ha leather belts we would definitely have started chewing them. All we were left with were phone calls to our friends to ask what they had for breakfast. Michał ate cheese cake. “I bet it was dry”, we said and we set off to Cisna.

After we woke up, as every morning, there was a certain ritual, i.e. changing dressings.

Then a stop by at a store, two bags of food supplies and off we go towards Jasło. We would ascend dynamically as if we had not hiked for kilometers before. Downhill running on loose stones, where the feet were howling of pain, was the worst. In Smerek there appeared a strong group of runners led by Robert Korab, who went with us to the peak. On the way to Chatka Puchatka we experienced one of the funniest stories of all the escapade. Suddenly, somewhere in a distance there appeared a light, as if someone was walking towards us. The light

was moving, as if swinging in the wind, and disappearing. The whole situation repeated several times, the light appeared and disappeared. Due to the fatigue we were not able to assess the distance and we had no idea, where exactly on the pasture we were.

At some point when we saw the light we also heard a voice: “guys, come, have some coffee”. It was one of our supporters, who would go out of the building every once in a while to see where we were. We drank a few cups of coffee, ate some cake and moved on. In Brzegi the girls came, gave us a big hug, but also quickly rushed us to go to Caryńska.

Caryńska looked strange at night, so far we have always passed through it during the day. Everything looks (or actually doesn’t look) completely differently. It was dark, cold and windy. We were running downhill with the awareness it was the last 30 km. In Ustrzyki we still wanted to get some sleep, but already at 3:40 I got a text: “guys, don’t slow down!”. All we could do was keep going. On the way we passed a black silhouette that I wasn’t sure was real. Just in case, to clarify my doubts about the physical existence of that ghost, I later asked Kamil if he had seen it too. Yes, he did, what a

relief. Szeroki Wierch ascent by Kamil is a struggle of an ultra runner with sleep I admire and applaud. He struggled, fell, and kept going, just to get to the first shed. It turned out to be occupied. Too bad, I forgot to make a reservation. So we spotted a place on benches, somewhere on a side. We took out our rustlers (thermal blankets) and all the fun started. Tourists woke up, raised their heads, we apologetically bowed low.

Falling asleep? No way! 15 minutes later an alarm, a wake up call, the rustlers, dancing beautifully with adequate accompaniment, lande in our backpacks, I massage frostbitten heel and we go on. It is cold, but it is fun. All there was left was beautiful views at Halicz, Rozsypaniec and a straight way to Wołosate. A sip from a flask already on Bieszczady asphalt, a joyous handshake and YES... we did it! Even though there were a few more kilometers to get to the final pole.

On the last section we flew like we had wings, supported by tourists on the way, who - informed by out colleagues- cheered us on the last meters. We reached the name sign after 150 hours and 50 minutes. We managed to do it quickly and as planned, safe and sound.

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bio

bio KAMIL KLICH Almost 38 years old, married (to Kasia), with a child (Gosia), and a dog (Ferdek).

A physiotherapist, a motor preparation trainer, a graduate of Academy of Physical Education in Krakow. He has been running for about 7 years. Major races / achievements: Bieg Rzeźnika HARDCORE (100 km) – 1st (2015), 2nd (2012) and 3rd (2014) place, Bieg 7 Szczytów (240 km) – 3rd place (2015) and 5th place (2014), Zamieć (24 h) – 1st place (2014) and 4th place (2015), Bieg Kierat (100 km) – 5th place (2014), Górska Pętla UBS 12:12 (12 h) – 5ht place (2014), Tor Des Geants (333 km, Alps) – 127th place (121 h) (2014)

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bio RAFAŁ BIELAWA 42 years old, woman: Gosia, children: Ola, Marysia, Adam (from the oldest), passion: running and photography, work: advertising and marketing. He has been running since June 2012, completed ultramarathons: Bieg Rzeźnika - three times (best time 9:27), Bieg 7 Szczytów (240 km – 4th place), Chudy Wawrzyniec (2 x 80+km, 1 x 50+km), Twardziel Świętokrzyski (100 km – 1st place), BUT Challenge (in installments), Bieg 7 Dolin, 24h Ultramaraton Zamieć, Grand Trail Orobie (70 km); more than ten completed marathons, including the Crown of Polish Marathons.

THIRD TWIN

Zimowy Półmaraton Gór Stołowych

Supermaraton Gór Stołowych

bio ŁUKASZ BUSZKA Born in Łódź in 1975 A designer, a photographer, a traveler and a cook.

Since 2007 he has been working in Dadadesign - his own advertising and photography studio. He provides advertising graphic design services, he creates brand and corporate visual identity systems. As far as pictures are concerned - he specializes in portraits, culinary, and sport photography. After work he writes travel reports. He is a member of the organizing team and an art director of Mountain Festival in Lądek-Zdrój, Dolnośląski Festiwal Biegów Górskich and Super Maraton Gór Stołowych. You can meet him taking pictures during those races.

This is where, during Bieg 7 Szczytów in 2014 he met Rafał and Kamil.

Supermaraton Gór Stołowych

Dolnośląski Festiwal Biegów Górskich

I must admit that it was a sensational adventure, the adrenaline, the mountains, hours of waiting, the morning in Chyrowa with the mist rising above an orthodox church and evenings in mountain shelters colored with our black humor. Great fun.

I would repeat this run with the same people without hesitation one more time! www.dadadesign.pl www.buszka.pl

Ultramaraton Tatrzański - Tatra Fest Bieg

Dolnośląski Festiwal Biegów Górskich

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TOP SHELF

HAPPY PEOPLE RUN ULTRA A book review SZCZĘŚLIWI BIEGAJĄ ULTRA (HAPPY PEOPLE RUN ULTRA) Publisher: Galaktyka

text: Mikołaj Kowalski-Barysznikow photos: Piotr Dymus

T

his is not a book about running. This is a book about love. Love for space, freedom, and – mainly – love of two people for each other.

I was truly captured by how the authors of Szczęśliwi biegają ultra on every step and in every chapter, subtly seduce each other and interweave evidence of mutual affection and inspiration into running adventures.

What is extraordinary is how skillfully they are able to complement each other, how maturely they strive to compromise, how bravely each of them is able to give up pursuing their own ambitions to make more space for the partner. This is apparent not only from the descriptions of their extraordinary adventures gathered on running trails over the last decade, but also from the very structure of the book, where a clear division

into Magda’s and Krzysiek’s parts does not disturb at all for Szczęśliwi... to form a coherent literary work.

It is also a book about friendship. Much space is dedicated to honor running achievements of the authors’ friends and colleagues, which, thanks to their testimony, will remain immortal. Thanks to Szczęśliwi... now not only a group of people from the world of ultra runs, but also a broader audience, has a chance to find out that Piotrek Kłosowicz was the first Polish record breaker with his legendary run around Mt. Blanc massif, that in 2013 Maciek Więcek made 500 kilometers long Główny Szlak Beskidzki from Wołosate to Ustroń in not much more than 100 hours and that the way was not easy for him

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at all, that Agnieszka Korpal not only rode her bike and climbed 28 Polish peaks carrying her bike on her back in less than 16 days, but she latter repeated her achievement... running, and finally that Darek Strychalski “Sztajner”, with great help provided by Dołęgowscy and their Inov-8 team, settled scores with the legendary Badwater ultramarathon and in 2014 reached the finish line of that super difficult 217-kilometer run. These are just examples, because there are more similar stories in Szczęśliwi.... What is important, many of them are accompanied by beautiful pictures by Piotrek Dymus, whom Magda and Krzysiek call a silent coauthor of their work. This warm and full or recognitions approach to the characters of the second plan gives the book an exceptional and intimate character. The quintessence of the ration of Dołęgowscy to the running-based friendships is the chapter dedicated to their “child” – the Inov-8 team – everyone will be able to be a part of the team for a moment.

Szczęśliwi biegają ultra skillfully combines elements of an adventure book, an autobiography, a diary, but also a professional running

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handbook, which make every one of you, whether you are a runner or not, find something for yourself. Some will be interested in reading about Magda’s transformation, who over the years, and through the pages, went from a partying and smoking chick to an athlete knocking on the doors of the national ultra runs elite, while others will willingly devour the chapters, in which Krzysiek analyses issues connected with training deep to the prime factors. Many will lead their finger on the map from Sahara to Colorado, looking for the runs and the routes they have both travelled during the years, and some will probably jump right to the most spectacular chapter, in which together with Dołęgowscy we meet the legends of that discipline: Scott Jurek, Anton Krupicka and Joe Grant. And all that on their land, in the Mecca of ultra runs – the town of Boulder at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. But everyone – no exceptions – even if they do not want to become ultra runners right away, after reading Szczęśliwi... will at least consider if they could fulfil their dreams just as Magda and Krzysiek do.

Szczęśliwi biegają ultra is not a book about running. This is a book about love for running.

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„Badwater” cookies

„BADWATER” COOKIES recipe: Zofia Strychalska photo: f11.art.pl

W

Ingredients: • 2 dark or bittersweet chocolates • 1 cube of butter • 1 glass of flour • 2 glasses of oat flakes • 1 glass of sugar (or honey) • 2 eggs • 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder • 2 glasses of dried fruits and nuts (raisins, cranberries, almond flakes, walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseed etc.)

On a deep frying pan melt butter and chocolates (broken into pieces) in a hot water bath. Let it simmer until it melts completely (do not burn!).

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hisk the eggs with sugar. Add flour, oat flakes, baking powder and dried fruits and nuts. Mix everything thoroughly.

When the ingredients on the frying pan become completely smooth, add the oat mix. Take off the frying pan from the cooker and mix everything together very thoroughly. Put small portions with a spoon on the baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes at 170-180 degrees.

Enjoy it!

„Badwater” cookies

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Save the bananas

SAVE THE BANANAS recipe: Marcin Rosłoń photo: f11.art.pl

Ingredients: • 3-4 very ripe bananas (black peel) • 1/3 of a glass of melted butter • 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (of course white sugar, xylitol or stevia may be used) • 2 tablespoons of your favorite, pourable, fragrant honey • 1 whisked egg • 2 glasses of wheat flour or your favorite type of flour • 1 teaspoon of baking soda • a decent pinch of salt • a handful of flour sprinkled goji berries, dried cranberries or raisins and chopped walnuts • you can add black chocolate • add your favorite dried fruit and nuts – as desired

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S

ave very ripe bananas instead of throwing them out by working them into a puree. Add melted butter and then sugar, honey, whisked egg (not straight from the fridge) and mix everything together with a large spoon. Sift flour to a second ball, which will prevent raw spots. Add soda and salt. Add mixed dry ingredients to the banana paste. Combine thoroughly, add your favorite dried fruits and nuts and pour the dough, which has the consistency of a pudding, in a form lined with baking paper. Put it in the oven for an hour or more at the temperature of 170 degrees with fan assist function.

Next let it rest for fifteen minutes with the oven off and the door ajar.

In the meantime feel free to make some stair climbing, push-ups, planks, sit-ups, cat and camel stretches, squats and other exercises, as the reward is smelling great and growing before our eyes. So do our muscles and your form.

Banana bread, I call it city lembas, is ideal for every running occasion. As breakfast on the run, during a mountain trip, and as a carbohydrate fuel-up after training. It tastes best with a glass of cow or vegetable milk. Try it your own way and what is most important: Save the bananas!

The toughest in Polish Ultra Save the bananas

Contact

www.beskidyultratrail.com tel. +48 501 756 714

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THE WORLD OF ULTRA TRAIL BY SÉBASTIEN CHAIGNEAU text: SébastienChaigneau photos: Damiano Levati / The North Face, Mouss Production

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Courmayeur photo: Damiano Levati / The North Face

Courmayeurphoto:DamianoLevati/TheNorthFace

ON TRAIL

I

practice ultra trail for a long time, in fact I began to run when I was a child. I did athletics and cross-­‐country. Before I used to do bicycle and it was so great to discover an endurance effort when I was young.

example try a vertical kilometer, a race longer or shorter that we usually do, try stage races… In the second case, it is to live with our memories in the past and let the train continue moving forward.

After a long break, I decided to run again in the mountains because it was the perfect way to forget all the problems we have in life. I really appreciated running outside the track and every run was a travel. One day I decided to discover the forest, the other one I decided to run to the top of the mountain to have a look on the amazing landscape.

It’s true that it could be difficult to accept but today is not the same than yesterday, especially when we speak about trail running.

So many races and runners start to take part on this fabulous sport, and as a consequence a lot of money and brands decided to integrate the sport.

Today nothing has changed. I run for exactly the same reason: travel, discover and share this perfect moment with my family and my friends.

Obviously, just as the world, the ultra and trail is a practice in constant evolution: more investment, more brands, more sponsors, more races, more ultra races...

In fact, if my mind hasn’t changed, the world of ultra trail has changed.

How to react and what to do? Two choices are available: the adaptation and non-­ ‐ adaptation. In the first case, it is to be part of the movement, move towards new things and why not new practices. For

But I really think that the spirit of trail and ultra trail has not changed. Why we run, how and where we run, has not changed. That’s true that packaging has changed but the gift inside, the pleasure of running in amazing places has not changed. In fact, I really appreciate that everyday more and more runners decide to run, not only on the road but in the nature, forests or mountains too. I have so many messages from people telling me that I was an inspiration. I am very surprised because what I only do is running.

But this is a perfect gift that you could have: someone telling you that you inspire his life. Sometimes our goals and dreams come from someone but sometimes your inspiration comes from the mountain and the beauty of the nature.

bio SÉBASTIEN CHAIGNEAU Born 23/02/1972 in Châtelleraut (Vienne), 44 years old.

French professional trail runner, member of The North Face International Team.

Highlights: 1st and record of the Hardrock 100 2013, USA (160 km) 1st Transgrancanaria 2013, Canaries, Spain (120 km) 1st Lavaredo Ultra Trail 2011, Italy (90 km) 1st TNF Endurance Challenge 2010, Chile (80 km) 1st Olympus Marathon 2010, Greece (43 km) 2nd Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® 2009, France (168 km) 3rd Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc® 2011 3rd Ultra-Trail Mont Fuji 2013, Japan (160 km) 3rd Transgrancanaria 2011 3rd TNF Endurance Challenge 2010, Argentina (80 km).

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Photo: Piotr Dymus

Ewa Majer

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POLISH MOUNTAIN ULTRA CHAMPIONS Marcin Åšwierc Photo: Piotr Dymus

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BEAT THE SUN

O

n Tuesday 21 June 2016, eight relay teams from across the globe - each featuring three expert and three amateur runners - battled it out in ‘ASICS Beat the Sun’, a unique running relay race around Mont Blanc. All the runners were pushed to their physical and mental limits with just 15 hours, 41 minutes and 35 seconds to cover 140.1 km between sunrise at 05.44h and sunset at 21.25h.

Eight continental teams - featuring 23 countries and 6 continents - were represented: East Asia, Oceania-Pacific, Africa, Europe North, Europe Central and Europe South, plus two teams from the Americas.

Each athlete had prepared rigorously for the most adrenaline-packed race of their lives with the amateur athletes were selected from over 30,000 online applicants following an intensive 16 week training programme. The challenging 140km course was divided into 12 sections with each athlete taking on at least two sections of the course.

ADVERTORIAL

In an epic finish cheered on by a huge crowd in Chamonix town centre, Team Europe North – featuring one amateur and one expert each from the UK (Matty Hynes, James Rory MacDonald), Sweden (Jonas Buud, Anna Sofie Nelsson) and the Netherlands (Erben Wennemars, Chris Berendse) - finished the global race in 14:50:00, an unbelievable 51 minutes ahead of the sunset.

Team Europe South were the only other team to beat the sun, finishing ahead of nature’s clock by 12 minutes.

Team Central Europe, with two Polish runners in the squad – Tomasz Domzalski and Piotr Myslak – came in third, but couldn’t quite match the sun for speed around Europe’s highest peak. Team Americas 1, Americas 2, Africa, East Asia and Oceania-Pacific, were all unable to beat the sun, as nature’s toughest challenge took its toll on their athletes’ tired legs as they dealt with the extreme weather conditions including snow, driving rain and wind.

The teams faced 9,668 metres of crippling ascent - the equivalent to tackling Mount Everest – and some were on the course for 20 hours on a day when conditions, including snow, driving rain and wind, were against them.

Mike Brabant, Global Category Manager Running, ASICS commented: “ASICS Beat the Sun is about inspiring runners from all over the world and this year’s event did just that. We set out to make it Nature's Toughest Challenge, and despite all the elements conspiring against the teams they never gave up. This made Team Europe North’s winning performance even more incredible, and we shouldn’t forget Team Europe South who also beat the sun.

For the six teams that didn’t quite make it, everyone at ASICS is incredibly proud of their effort; there’s no shame in losing out to the sun - the toughest competitor anyone can face.”

ASICS Beat the Sun continental team placings: 1. Europe North 2. Europe South 3. Europe Central 4. The Americas 1 5. The Americas 2 6. Africa 7. East Asia 8. Oceania-Pacific For more information about ASICS Beat the Sun, please visit: www.races.asics. com/us/en-us/beatthesun/ live-race-updates ASICS has also shared images from the event using #ASICSBeatTheSun across its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media channels.

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/ready-made patterns /elevation proĂžles - cut-off times, food stations, ascent & descent / bespoke options for events or sports clubs / ready to print your ideas /

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