After completing the London Marathon, I started wondering: What if I went further? I wanted to test my limits physically and mentally. So I signed up for a race in Hungary that goes around a large lake, covering 65 kilometers in a single loop. Most of the course runs along a raised embankment, fully exposed to the summer sun.
This was a completely different kind of race. Unlike marathons, here runners are allowed to have a personal supporter on a bicycle. Their job is to provide hydration, food, and encouragement throughout the race meaning runners don’t need to carry a pack, which makes a huge difference over long distances, especially in the heat.
I asked one of my best childhood friends, Péter , to be my support and he agreed. Truthfully, neither of us really knew what we were signing up for. We rented a small apartment close to the starting line and arrived the day before to pick up the race bib and check out the course. Everything looked good.
Race day was July 1st, 2023.
We woke up before dawn. The weather was perfect calm, clear, and warm. We packed the bike with supplies, gels, water bottles, and set off at 6:15 a.m.
First, I treated the pace like a marathon which was a huge miscalculation. Second, I broke one of my own golden rules: I usually don’t talk during runs, but this time I chatted quite a bit in the beginning. Around the 35 km mark, I had to stop at a TOI TOI toilet, and when I stepped out, I must have twisted my leg awkwardly. I felt sharp pain in my right knee, the one that’s always been a bit weak.
The pain was manageable as long as I kept moving but every time I stopped to refuel, restarting was absolute torture. I kept going, but it became clear that my body was “programmed” for the marathon distance. I passed the 42 km mark just fine, but after that, I was dragging myself forward.
By the time I reached 55 km, I was limping from the knee pain. That’s when something amazing happened: another runner pulled up beside me and asked what was wrong. I explained the pain, and he gave me a pain relief cream. I applied it, and within two minutes… the pain almost completely disappeared.
I could run again.
I pushed on, and to my own amazement, I finished the full 65 km.
It was an unforgettable experience not just because I completed my first ultra, but because I shared the whole journey with my best friend. That made it even more meaningful.
