Kozí kameň 45 - ALS Charity Run - Memorial of J. Svočák 2021 (47km / 1700m+), Svit, 21.8.2021

 "I'll start at full blast and gradually speed up." (Motivational quote)

"He who does not overdo the beginning will not make the personal best." (Tekel, J., 17.7.2021, Telgárt)

Foto: Matúš Jančík

I was the first one at the presentation that morning. I say to myself, OK, at least I'm the first at the presentation 😂 That morning at 7:00 a.m. in Svit, 16 men and 5 women - me, Mirka and three other girls - lined up for the start. I had no idea what result I should expect from myself, I counted on all kinds of alternatives, even the last place, but I didn't even dream of winning. I just wanted to have a good run and finish the race. To have numbers and not letters in the result sheet 😄 and most importantly, do it all in good health.

That morning, as I always do before the start, I put myself somewhere in the back so as not to get in the way of the speeders in the initial few hundred meters. For the first two kilometers along the flat, the majority remained faithful to the two quotes mentioned above. For now, the women stick together and I can hear two of them right behind me breathlessly stating that we're going pretty fast, aren't we? I agree with them a little, but if you don't overdo the beginning, you won't make a personal best. I shout to Mirka, who is running a few meters in front of me, not to wait for me, let her run her own way. I did not warm up before the race this time. I did that the day before, when I did a decent 2km warm up, 6x strides up a hill, stretching, running drills and a decent 2km cool down. During the second drill exercise, I thought to myself: "I hope I won't regret this tomorrow..." 😂

I can feel that warm-up a bit now, but I've been running relatively well since the start, even if the pace is a bit too fast for me at such an early stage of the race. I don't know if I can keep up this intensity for 45 kilometers. But I tell myself - as long as it goes well, it goes well. The two women eventually slowed down after the first kilometer and went their own pace, the three of us are still sticking to each other. Tactically I tell myself that I will stick to the first two as long as possible. After all, as long as it goes well, it goes well. I'm waiting for the oxygen to reach my muscles, for the engines to warm up and start going full blast. I'm also watching to see if the scenario from Turec is going to repeat (read here: Turiec Trail), but nothing like that is happening yet. 

We finally run into the forest and the first climb begins. I catch up with Mirka, who takes off her windbreaker and we jog together for a while. My turbo kicks in (ok, a small turbine, not a turbo) and I fast-hike up the hill. I can't talk much because of my heavy breathing. Hopefully Mirka will forgive me and we will make up for it at the finish. Before long, I leave her behind, but I don't attach any importance to it - she can pass me again at any time. A nice forest single-trail takes us all the way to Smolník hill. I'm also catching up with the first girl - not that I'm aiming to, because nothing can be clear yet in the first kilometers. But as long as it goes well, it goes well, and I'm going. Of course, during the first downhill, she left me behind like nothing and together with her partner ran far ahead of me. So I continue through a beautiful forest and try not to slow down, but at the same time enjoy the surrounding nature, grass, trees, fragrant forest, nice runnable trail. I'm relishing it today, it's so beautiful here, the morning is beautiful. I enjoy running, I enjoy keeping the same rhythm, I don't want to slow down or stop for photos. After all, the images will remain in my memory. And the truth is that there were several photographers on the track, so I hope for beautiful professional photos 😅

I arrive at the first aid station at the 12th kilometer, where the girl and her partner are slowly getting ready to leave, but when they see me, they quickly move on. I refill the water, swallow a piece of banana, and don't linger there for too long either. The following is a section along meadow roads and forest tracks, I can still see the couple about 200 meters ahead of me. We swing over another hill with beautiful views all around and and with a steep forest road down the hill. The grass up here is already yellow-brown, I can smell the end of summer in the air, even though the sun is just starting to shine and it contrasts nicely with the green trees and blue sky. A steep descent is followed by an even steeper ascent, the trail is lined with thick raspberry bushes. The scent of ripe raspberries lingers everywhere around and the girl in front of me is tempted by to stop and eat them. Every now and then she pauses by the bushes and feeds on the goodies. Her partner takes pictures and videos of her. I'm not stopping, I know that berries are insidious and dangerous thing. Once a person gets stuck with them, there is no chance of leaving. I learned a lesson once on a hike with my other half - we went to Žiarske sedlo. Above the Žiarská chata, we peaked in the blueberry bushes and that was it, the hike was over 😂.

Foto: Matúš Jančík

We are so close behind each other during the last climb to the Kozí kameň. The trail leads through a dense overgrown flora. The organizer warned us about this, but I am already trained for something like that from Veľky bok and the crest of the Low Tatras. Besides, the speeders have blazed a pretty distinct trail for us, so it's not that bad. At the top a photographer is waiting for us there and taking pictures. The girl calls out to her partner not to go yet, that she needs to rest, she needs a photo and she needs water. So I leave them behind and rub down the hill.

They will catch up and overtake me in a while a anyway. I try to go fast and carefully at the same time, concentrating on every step in a steady rhythm, hop hop hop. A mountain rescuer is waiting somewhere down there, writes down my bib number and alerts me about the damp and muddy section. Well, it was nothing terrible, I've been through worse. It was wet for a relatively short section and I quickly got it over with. The steep trail eventually passes smoothly into a forest road heading towards Lopušná dolina and I run to meet the next aid stand. Well, it's about time, I'm out of water. Every now and then I look behind me, but the couple is nowhere to be seen. I refill my water at the aid station, drink Birrel, mineral water, bite into a banana and soy candy bar and continue. The guy and the girl are still nowhere. It gives me a little boost and I'm trying to move on as fast as possible. A short section through the forest, I run onto the tarmac, where the markings confused me a bit - one green arrow with the ALS45 sign points to the left and another green arrow points straight. I'm heading left. Here our route joins the shorter 23km route and the trail is marked with orange markings only - it leaves me in doubt whether I am following the correct route, but hopefully I am. I have the course navigation in my watch and the organizer warned that the small deviation from the original route will be at about the 34th kilometer.

Arrows and ribbons lead us first through the woods, then through the meadow, and before I know it, I'm down in the alleys, where another buffet awaits. I ask the volunteers: I'm running 45, am I here correctly? Am I going well? Yes, you are absolutely going excellent here! I laugh, take a proper drink and push on. Here I am passing the 23km and relay runners, we run again through the meadow, through dark mini-tunnels under the roads and railways and find ourselves at the bottom Bôrik hill. At this point, the route has changed at the last minute from the original one, and I'm running up and down one hill and then the other, confused, wondering if I've accidentally lost my way and if I should have gone in a different direction at the confusing markings on the asphalt up there. Finally, in doubt, I continue according to the markings. I'm checking the route in the map in my phone and I see that it will later connect to the original course at the cycle path. I calm down and move on, but I realize that I lost many precious minutes by messing around there. Raspberry girl is definitely hot on my heels! So I kick the propeller a little, swing onto Bôrik, run along its undulating surface up and down and up and down and up and finally down (what does it just reminds me of 😂 it's like a mini-Sidorovo from Ultrafatra) to the next meadow. 

This section is a decent head workout. A person runs for several kilometers on a flat surface that is slightly inclined (that is, the eyes see the flat surface, but the legs strongly protest - no, it's a hill!) and after 37 kilometers you can really feel it - the legs are heavy, it's hard to run. Moreover, the trail does not turn anywhere, it goes straight, and one can see far into the distance how far he has to run on this "difficult" section. Well, I tell myself that I must not stop, no rest, nothing. Because the girls behind me are definitely running too. They don't hang around. I shorten this psycho section with various simple mathematical tasks, for example, calculating after how many kilometers the Raspberry girl will catch me if she goes a minute per km faster pace than me, and if she is currently a kilometer behind me. I need to keep my head occupied somehow 😁 I've also been getting a twinge in my side, actually since the first downhill today, once it's twinging up, once down, once to the right, once to the left, but each time I somehow manage to release it by breathing.

I look behind me and see that some woman is catching up with me, and it seems to me that it is Raspberry girl. I'm left slightly disappointed. I look back again, and I see that this one is wearing a white t-shirt and Raspberry was wearing a gray tank top. I am relieved 😁 This was a 23km girl and she cheerfully passed me, asking how the Altra Olympus were feeliing. They feel great. But I tell myself that I mustn't get too excited just yet. Anything can happen even in the last kilometer. Somehow we finally come to the point where the track starts to turn back down. People are out of their houses cheering, ringing cowbells, clapping, the atmosphere is amazing. It gives me that much needed energy and the will to fight on. The penultimate aid stop - I fill up my water, fill up my stomach, don't linger for too long and try to run down quickly - about 7 final kilometers await me. They are also long, they lead through meadows and along the streets of the village of Batizovce, but I can see that the finish is slowly but surely approaching. It's not the endless twelve-kilometer Gaderská dolina 😄 For the first time during the entire run, I check the split time and am pleased to note that I could make it in 6 hours. Only now, will it really be 45 km or will it be more? I have a spare time for two more kilometers there 😁 so even if it were 47 km, I should be able to make it in 6 hours, if nothing significant happens on the rest of the course.

Nothing significant happened on the rest of the course. I'm running between the Batizovské gravel sands, under a bridge, another bridge and one more bridge, along the main road and I even manage one more misturn 😂 luckily, two runners behind me alert me and so I can return to the trail in time. I finally approach the street leading towards the finish line. The alley is about 500 meters long, I keep running as fast as I can, even though everything hurts and the twinge in my side is getting stronger and doesn't want to stop. At the end of the street, I turn around and see only male runners. No women. Now I'm fully aware of it - I'm running for victory 😍 a wave of endorphins washes over me, I enjoy the feeling, it's something amazing, I wish everyone could experience it. The last few meters to the finish gate, the organizers extend the winning ribbon, I'm running through it and smile like a little moon on the dunghill. I stop my watch, get the finisher's medal around my neck, chip off my final time of 5 hours and 54 minutes, and it's all over. I've won my first race. Everything hurts, but I don't feel tired, just a new wave of endorphins and euphoria. Those who have experienced it know 😎

 

 

In that euphoria, I'm babbling something to the host's microphone, and now I hope that it made at least a little sense. I get a baguette and a lemon flavor Birrel, soak up the atmosphere at the finish line, and can't stop grinning. In ten minutes, the second woman catches up, and in another ten, Mirka is here. We greet each other at the finish line, happy to have made it safely and in good health and are even happier that we will both be on the podium today 💪 The presenter is slightly confused by the fact that we have the same last name and states something about a family business 😁

The event was very nice, done from a depth of a heart, I really liked the course and it was well marked (apart from my messing up at some points, but that was more like my fault). The atmosphere everywhere on the track and in the background was welcoming and cheerful, even though the idea of the whole event is much more serious and deeper.

ASL Charity run