Covid canceled many races that year and also both dates of the Ultralanovka for Plamienok (Lanovka stands for Cable car and Plamienok is an organization in Slovakia that helps families with seriously and terminally ill children to spend their time together at home, not in a hospital. They provide palliative care to those children at home. Ultralanovka is an event that takes place under a Cable car at Koliba - Kamzik in Bratislava and the whole income from the event goes to Plamienok. People can contribute to this by renting runner's legs). There was also a ban on going out and traveling outside the district due to Covid, but the Ultralanovka organizer allowed registered runners to run it individually and virtually, either directly on Kamzík in Bratislava or on a route with similar parameters in the area of each individual's home. I'm looking out of the office window at the hill above Liptovský Mikuláš, called Háj-Nicovô, and I'm straight away checking its parameters in an online map. Approx. 3.7 km and some 160 m elevation gain. That might be possible... I write to the organizer, and they confirm that it will do, the route is approved.
The following weekend there was a mass Covid testing, and oops, I don't even know how, I found myself in quarantine with a positive test result. However, Ultralanovka was still in my head... I feel fine, I'm just tired but I at least practice yoga in quarantine every day. After 13 days I'm out of jail still feeling good, even better, and I'm curious to see how my running will go. My fitness is out of whack... my legs are fine, but my heart rate is sky high, I get tired faster. So I'm setting the project date for the last weekend of November, I guess I'll get a little better by then. I'm texting to Katka, a running friend, who "hired my legs" as a runner on this project back in the spring, that I'm going to run Ultralanovka at Háj, and whether her pledge is still legit. She ensures to come to support me and will bring some broth. This innocent threat eventually turned into a 24hr professional support with an assistant, a van, a gas stove, massage, good coffee, laughter, energy and mood, which even Kilian did not have and for sure that is why he did not finish his 24-hour challenge.
I contacted a few people who I thought might like to come and hang out at the Háj a bit, do a few rounds with me and maybe even stay during the night. Well, I didn't want to do a massive PR for it, because I had no idea how it would turn out and if by chance I would die somewhere in the middle it would be embarrassing. I admit that I take my failures hard, especially when the audience is there too. So a few people promised to come and support me and even my friend Janka promised to lend me her husband - ultrarunner Janko - for the night. He hasn't done much for the past two months, so he better starts doing something and that is to circle around Háj at night with me. Now that's what I call the perfect start to training for the upcoming ultrarunning season. I'm getting quite excited and am leaving behind my worries about how my long Covid break will effect all this, the fact that I hate the cold and the dark. This time of the year may be characterized by low temperatures, but at least the days are short and the nights are long. Whatever. I feel responsible for all those people who put their trust in my feet and pledged to contribute to a good purpose.
The week before the event, I'm taking the time to rest, wash my stinky running stuff so that it will be beautiful and fragrant for at least the first two hours on Saturday. I make a mental list of what I will need and start preparing. Katka and I are fine-tuning the start time and such details and on Saturday morning, after a not-so-good night, I finally pack up and leave for the crime scene. After all, it is not so cold, the temperature stays around 0 to minus 1, max. minus 2. However, I have packed Columbia winter boots, a long winter coat and ski gloves. Just for sure. (I actually used the gloves in the freezing morning the next day).
I park the car, get dressed optimally, warm up, and at 8:02 I head out. Whew, that's it, I've already started, there's no turning back, I'm counting down the first minutes of my first 24-hour race. Seemingly a completely ordinary feeling, I just set off and ran. I have never run for so long before, my longest run in terms of time was 13 hours and in terms of distance around 58 km. Considering all the circumstances, I chose a very moderate pace. The tactic was that I would walk up the hill in the forest and break to a gentle jog down the asphalt so as to last as long as possible. In an absolutely brilliant frame of mind, I run the first lap, the second... and I witness the birth of a beautiful day. The mist is lifting, the mountains are revealing, the sky is blue, and the sun is also peeking out. The trees and bushes are all white from the frost and the scenery is truly beautiful.
After three laps, Katka arrives with Martin and the van, we greet each other, exchange a few words about how it is going, and I continue jogging. I know the asphalt section by heart, but the path in the forest is new and unknown to me. A part of Petra Vlhová's trail running route also leads there, the signs and an information board tell me. About halfway up the hill there is a rest area with stumps to sit on and some more information boards. A little higher, in the place where the trail emerges from the forest to the meadow, there is a small booth with the sign Hmyzí Hotel (Insect Hotel). I'm thinking - how lovely - and I imagine bees, wasps and hornets living there in the little rooms in peace and quiet 😂 at the very top of the hill there is the war cemetery and the memorial to the fallen heroes of WW2. I remember how I took the pioneer oath there. Yes, I'm that old now 😂 and I've gone crazy like this on my old knees. On the other side of the hill, there is a non-functional ski slope (actually, it's functional again) where I used to ski a lot too when I was younger. I'm not Petra Vlhová now, but I am Petra Navrátilová and I'm running my Ultralanovka here on Petra Vlhová's route.
In the middle of the fourth lap, I meet a familiar car down by the railroad crossing, but since I'm blind AF, I have to focus really hard before I see that it's my man, who came with our friend Zuzka to run a few laps with me. I didn't know they were going to come, because my idea of doing this crazy thing didn't seem to be met with much enthusiasm at home. So it was a nice surprise. They will wait for me at the top and join me for the fifth round. Hooray, I'm looking forward to it, and I walk up Petra's hill all the more briskly. We meet up, I have tea and something to eat, I introduce them to Katka and Martin, the mood is fantastic. So we start the fifth lap together and the day seems absolutely beautiful to me. Our friend Pali comes by on his Grand Vitara, we debate, we laugh. He then finds a good position to take some beautiful photos for us. He also offers me tea, thank you Pali. I don't even know how, and the next three rounds in their company passed like nothing, and my stomach is letting me know it is time for Katka's intergalactic soup. So I say goodbye to my dearest (he has to go continue babysitting) and Zuzka, and while my soup is heating up, I stretch a little. Katka and Martin are telling me about their experiences from Martin's 24-hour race, which he ran in Žilina and we laugh at all sorts of dirty things. The two of them are serving me like I was some kind of celebrity, it's so strange to me, I'm not used to something like that, but in the course of this day I'm getting used to it very quickly and I'm incredibly grateful for it. I admire them. After the soup, I feel a rush of energy, so I spin a few more laps, alone for now.
During one run down the asphalt, a car pulls over next to me with two young boys, they ask why I've been running there since morning - they saw me. So I briefly explained to them what the matter was, and that they should rent my legs No. 11. They probably wouldn't rent my legs, but the idea popped into my head that we could still promote this event a little on the Internet and Facebook, maybe someone else will join and support a good purpose. So, Katka and Martin are filming a video called Rent my feet no. 11 vol. 1 and Katka starts sharing updates on the progress massively.
In the middle of the tenth round, I meet my friend Jerry at the bottom of the hill, who has come to keep me company. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so we chat about who has what news and how life is going, what are our running plans for 2021 (almost none), etc. etc. Down at the crossing, we meet Janka and Janko (the one who hasn't done much for two months), they ask how I'm doing and confirm Janko's participation in the night's longer half of the event. Yes, I know that the halves are the same, so what 😁 Janko advises me to save energy, and when he comes to join we'll give it a whirl. Ha ha 😂 supposedly he won't come here to just walk. Ha Ha 😂 even before, when we were arranging the details about everything, he threatened me that he wouldn't let me go home until I completed 24 hours. (I got so scared that I fulfilled them so I could go home). Everybody needs more of these Jankas, Jankos, Katkas and Martins for friends in their lives. Really. The fact. They even offered me their tea. So we say goodbye for now and we'll see each other later. Jerry and I continue up Petra's path. Jerry merrily jogs next to me and still manages to talk.
In this conversation, the next four laps pass into the unknown along with the daylight, and Jerry has to run to the bus. I'm afraid he won't make it because he had to trudge with me. I'd better skip the pit stop too, so I wouldn't hold us back. We say goodbye down at the crossing, and the pit stop has to wait a little longer, because I have a section through the forest waiting for me, but already alone and after dark. This little hill Háj has such a reputation for being a place where youngsters go to enjoy not only sex, but also drugs and other rock and roll. And so I prefer to banish the idea of someone lunging at me from the bushes and grabbing me by the throat in the dark woods - I say NOT TODAY out loud to myself in Aryan and try to climb the hill as quickly as possible. Up by the monument, two headlamps are already walking towards me and shouting: Hello, do you have a spleen? What about the kidneys? I've already sold one... it doesn't matter, the second one is enough for us. This is Katka with Martin 😊 after a short break and snack, Katka sends Martin to the next lap with me. He starts running like at the start of a marathon, so I calm him down asking where he was hurrying so much, I can't go very fast anymore. Fortunately, he realized it right away and with a slow jog and a chat about all kinds of things, but especially about running, we completed the next circuit.
We run up and suddenly there are so many people that it becomes a mass event 😄. Karinka came with Michal and Matúš, and other people (e.g. two naked runners, dressed only in shorts and a chest belt), who were attracted by Katka's motivational posts on Facebook. Amazing 😊 they set off with me into the freezing wind (yikes, I forgot to mention that it started to blow freezingly cold up on the hill from about the fifth lap. It's only minus two degrees, but it feels much less, and the cold gets under my skin) and darkness. It's been busy up the Háj, cars drive up and down and up and down one after another just like on the highway. It calms down around two in the morning. They probably go up there for sex and alcohol and drugs. But in this cold? People are going crazy.. instead of enjoying the warmth of home, they shiver in the cold, wind and darkness at Háj. I don't understand them 😂 The cars are parked side by side like in a summer movie theater and enjoy the evening scenery. It is true that there are beautiful views of the illuminated city from there, it is magical. One car was parked there for maybe three hours and was blasting Balkan hits the whole time. The sounds of drifting could be heard from the second nearby parking lot. Just one big party up there.
Meanwhile, we are circling around and talking about all sorts of things noticing the same car with a Poprad license plate, as it keeps going up and down, I guess they are counting my laps or something... Janko arrives (the one who hasn't done much for the past two months and we are supposed to give it a whirl) and also Majka, who was like I'M NOT I'M GOING I'M NOT I'M GOING HEY HEY I'M NOT GOING I'M NOT I'M GOING and finally she went and talked herself into staying until the morning. In the company of my friends, I don't even notice that my legs hurt, that my knee aches, that my right heel stopped hurting and the left one started to hurt, that the run no longer feels like a run anymore, not even a jog, it's like a shuffling my feet forward, right, left on the alternate, but that I'm still moving forward, I don't want to sleep, I don't have a crisis, I'm in a great mood, even if sometimes I'm quiet and I can't talk. I am grateful that they are there with me and they may not even know me that well. Some of us just follow each other on Strava or not even that, but they are there and they are a part of this event. I don't even know how many times I've passed by the Insect Hotel. Oh, I actually know, I'm still able to do the math in my head and keep the track of the laps. The night is beautiful, the moon sometimes shines brightly between the clouds, so we can even spare our headlamps.
The time has come to say goodbye to most of the crew. Janka's Janko and Majka are staying with me, faithful Katka with Martin, Katka's daughter with boyfriend who is also a runner that understands this madness. He just didn't get me the young brown-haired ones.. Oh well 😇 Maybe "One time next time". I'm very hungry, and the hunger cannot be satisfied by the marvelous soup even, so I'm warming up my pasta with sauce, which I cooked and brought with me and K&M are now serving it with a candle on the table, just like in a fancy restaurant. Well, don't I like them 💗 😍 The pasta doesn't want to go down my throat much, but somehow I manage to force-feed myself. In the end I feel good, the food warms up my stomach and turns into energy. Meanwhile, Katka: Do you fancy massaging your feet? Kati, but my feet probably stink... Oh, don't worry, I have three children, I'm used to all kinds of things. I wouldn't even mind you having a puke 😂😁 This is Katka.
After a meal and a great massage, I add a little water to the bottle and find out that you can't put soft one in (a soft flask in a running vest...) and that Pepsi with tea tastes really great. Again and again we set off into the frosty night, this time just the three of us, but still cheerfully. Majka and Janko share experiences from their ultra races and listening to them feels like a balm on my soul. Majka compliments me on how well I'm doing, and I look at her to see if she's hasn't gone nuts, because I can barely shift my legs, but it's true that I'm still moving forward. After all, one more girl is joining us, Majka's friend from Ružomberok. She and Majka texted each other about what she was doing, and Majka told her that she was on Háj running around in circles until the morning. The friend considered this a great idea and that she would come too. So she came and turned the hill with us I guess six times, and in this chit chat the night passes like clockwork. Suddenly someone announces that it's midnight and I'm terribly happy, but I don't know why, because I still have eight hours until morning. A whole one shift. One eight-hour workday. Night, actually. We circle slowly around, every now and then stop in the van at the top for a dose of fluids, food, laughter and K&M's never-ending energy. I don't get it. How can this be entertaining for them? Staying there in the cold for so many hours, heating up soup, making tea, massaging smelly feet and bursting with humor and cheerfulness. But Katka thanks me for arranging a 24-hour date for her with her mega handsome, charismatic man (those young brown-haired ones can stay where they are...), because usually they are rarely together for so long. And she is also happy that she could stay away from the children for the whole day and it didn't sound ravenous at all, but it had the stamp of charity. So, you're welcome. Yay and they are also looking forward to finally catching the sunrise.
The hours are passing, the rounds are adding up, the traffic on Háj stops, the car with Balkan hits is leaving too and I cross the hundred kilometer mark. I accept congratulations from fellow runners on my first hundred. Although slower. I can't go fast, because what if I happened to run 150 to 200 km in those 24 hours, it would be suspicious. And I still feel very well, no crisis, no cramps, no sleep, no digestive difficulties... It's strange to me, I was rather preparing myself for how I would handle it when such a situation arose, I actually counted on that it would definitely come. After all, ultrarunners always shit and puke at races. Katka commented that I disappointed her quite a bit in this regard, she expected at least a shiver. The was a shiver, but from laughter. And a little from the cold, too.
It's four in the morning and four hours to go, we're resting in the van and shooting another promotional video RENT MY FEET NO. 11 vol. 2. And where? Wherever you want... Not where, but where... Ah, ok 😁 at
www.ultralanovka.sk Strengthened by a dose of laughter, we head off into the night again. Majka praises me again that I walk beautifully. Ok, I feel like a catwalk model. I feel really great, not only physically, but also in other ways, because I already know that I am going to make it, that I will finish it with honor and happiness. We watch another day dawn, the sky pales but is overcast. Katka did catch her sunrise, but she didn't catch it actually. It doesn't matter. Martin made her a sunrise with the help of a headlamp. From west to east, though, but at least it was exceptional. That's Martin.
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Another day is born and it's time for the last two rounds. At the last before last one, we meet the first car of that day and I wonder who can go up this early in the morning. It's Kika with her man. Kika and her cousin Gabo had circled with me in the evening and now has returned to witness the grand finale. They're joining us for the last lap. Martin plays ACDC's Highway to Hell from the van, Katka shoots a video and off we go for a smug ride, or a lap of honor, or a grand finale, or just to finish it. We're all freaking happy and I don't know why, because we're supposed to be tired, sleep-deprived, grumpy, and I don't know what else. But those who haven't experienced this probably won't understand.
We walk Perta's trail for one last time, Majka admiring it in the daylight, and we run to the finish line between the monument and the parking lot. I'm trying to add a little speed to that zombie jog, but it looks ridiculous, so I pack it up and just slowly emerge at the parking lot with a smile, stop and turn off my watch. I am very careful not to accidentally erase my record, because I probably wouldn't want to go doing it again. Katka asks: And that is all? And I tell her with a retarded blissful smile that yeah, that's it, but I'm a little confused as to what else there should be. She asks how I'm feeling, and I say happy, because I don't have to run anywhere anymore. Janka also comes over to check on her Janko (the one that hasn't done much for the past two months), whether he has been doing something. I am happy that I made it and am grateful for all those people - without them it would have been different. Maybe it wouldn't even be. Everyone else seems to be pretty happy, too, and that's good. Over the course of the night and day, more contributors joined the pledge renting my legs no. 11 and I know that it was all worth it and Katka can write another chapter in her book called People – Stories – Emotions. Thank you.
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