96km game changer in Samobor.

While I’m enjoying my EVS year in Zagreb besides doing a lot of new stuff I still follow my old hobbies like running and biking. To give you glance what its all about here is a strory of recent adventure with my new friends from Zagreb running club Upri Gelender.

Three days before the race I receive the sms from Vedran(my training friend one of fastest trail runners in Sljeme) ,,Andris do you want to join me in 100k run in Samobor’’ my first thought was ,, it is too insane offer to reject’’. What scared me was the fact  that the longest mountain run I have done so far was 55k 3 years ago and I was completely wasted afterwards. On the other hand what motivated me was three things - curiosity what would happen after 100km, wish to see Samobor surroundings and hunger for adventure.

It was allmost midnight when we arrived at Samobor the temperature outside is around 10 degrees and there is a refreshing mist in the air. My watch was showing 15minutes past midnight when we start  our run. Altogether we were crew of 8 mens , chating and craking jokes first five hours went like a one moment.  At some point around 5 o’clock I got attacked by sleepmosters, luckily then begun more hilly and techical part of our route and I was forced to focus which drove away all the sleepiness.

At eight o’clock we reached Trdinov vrh or in other words the highest point of our root and also midway which meaned that there isonly half way left. It was really nice realization and it gave our team extra motivation to move faster which resulted that slightly before then we arrived at Šosice where we had refreshment point in local bar. Some guys grab some water other change their socks or tried to dry their feet.
After ten minutes refreshment we could continue to run it was only 35 km left. 

Because the speed of different team members varied I decided to split and I got Hrvoje(guy with a quite an exerience in ultra marahons) as a companion to run rest of tack. Hrvoje was a really nice companion because or speed matched as well as our sarcastic humor. 

Somehow the closer we get ro finishline the slower the time go. For me it was downhill what was iritating for Hrvoje it was uphill but together we balance the disatifaction and cheer up each other by saying some jokes which made us run last kilometres faster then the rest of the track.

When we reach finishline I have a pain in my legs and joy in my hart.

Before this training I would never imagine myself running ultra marathon but after all the nice emotions I got during this weekend it is more than clear that this is something I want to do again and probably Istria 100miles will be my next years goal.

Huge thanks for Gelender team for letting me join their amazing event!