Random thoughts
Friday, January 25, 2019
Going extreme, briefly
The eight
edition of the 24 Stunden Burgenland Extrem Tour around Lake Neusiedl took
place this weekend. Having signed up and cancelled twice for health reasons, I finally
made it this year. A big thank you to my friend Erich, whom I had talked into going
for this together three years ago and who was kind enough to give it another
try.
I was super
excited the days before and somewhat relieved to see others talk about their rising
panic as well, both the distance of 120 kilometers and the unpredictable winter
weather make this more extreme than the typical running event. Fortunately the storage
capacity of the running vest put a natural limit on how much I could possibly
pack to feel prepared.
Following
the spirit “LIVE LOVE MOVE”, as the organizers put it, the 24 Stunden Burgenland Extrem Tour is not a competition
but a huge collective adventure, a road to new experiences, life-long
friendships and also a path to yourself. Right from the start the tour is very relaxed, a large crowd of
people moving along the narrow tracks, usually in small groups, not worrying
too much about their pace, chatting and having a good time.
The weather started out nice, with temperatures around the
freezing point and only a light breeze, and the bright moonlight illuminated
the snow-covered tracks up and down the vineyard hills (so much for Burgendland
being flat). After slipping a few times on the snow-covered tracks, I once scored
points for an elegant telemark landing that should later knock me out of the
tour.
We passed the green boarder near Fertőrákos, and enjoyed the beautiful landscape
and the sun that finally broke through the clouds. As we progressed to Balf,
the first supply station offering tea and snacks, we decided to each run at our
individual speeds. While I managed to stick to my planned pace on average,
walking uphill and running downhill, my ankle was increasingly hurting and I
was happy to reach the second supply station at Hegykő.
Unfortunately taking a break here didn’t help, on the contrary. Getting back
into my shoe I could barely walk, let alone run. Thus ended the tour for me early
after just 34 kilometers.
Back in
Oggau, the nice lady who recognized the finishers with a medal insisted that I
should get one too, kind of an honorary mention I guess. Doing just one fourth
of the tour was certainly not what I had planned but still a good experience, and
above all I made new friends and learned a few things for the next time.
Congratulations to all finishers, who successfully beat the weather and the
strong winds in the second half of the tour, extreme thanks to the organizers for a great
event, and I am looking forward to the 24 Stunden
Burgenland Extrem Tour again in 2020!
Labels: running