Romania 2018: Retezat Marathon, Rausor skijump

Once again, I took part of what I’ve sworn I would never do. This race made me drop dead last year and I really meant when I wrote:

“.. is not for everyone, definitely not for me. While I was climbing the rocks and praying for the finish line, I swore to myself that was the one and only time I will take part of that race.” (click here to see the last year’s article)

This year I had to prove to myself I can do better, and so I did. Still not the best time ever, but 1.5h faster is something. Weather helped a lot also. Last year felt closer to hell also because it was too hot and sunny. This time, partly sunny and cooler. The road to hell Retezat Peak was a happier road. The toughest 7k climb now felt easier. I kept my smile on 4 hours more than last year.

#improvement 😀

Maybe it adds up: the weather, the training you have, the shoes you wear, the fuel you eat… but nobody can deny this is one of the toughest races in Romania.

I recommend again this race, but for well prepared runners. The views are mesmerizing and if you know what are you going into, you won’t mentally collapse like I did in 2017.

This year I convinced a few people to join the party and the good news is I’m not totally crazy: everybody agreed this was a hell of a race, where you can go really  and deeply cuckoo by the time you find the finish line.

For a little more detailed experience, see my other article here 🙂

Thank you and goodnight 😀