The slow run

What is S24?

S24 is an ultra-marathon, an unusual one. You don’t get a specific number of kilometers to run, you get a specific time. You get 6, 12 or 24 hours and you have to run the most you can during that time. The runner that runs the most kilometers in the given time wins the gold medal.

Where does it take place?

It takes place in the city of Timisoara, Romania in a park close to the city center and right next to the Bega river. The route consists of a 1,22 km loop around the park. The surface is entirely paved and at points quite narrow. There is public lightning at night but some parts can get quite dark.

What’s it like?

This is an internationally recognized race so a lot of people participate, not only locals, but also quite a few foreigners and some really good athletes. The top Romanian ultra runners usually participate and they even set new country records here. But everyone is welcomed, don’t be afraid, if I’ve run it, you definitely can too.

Organization is good, you have a checkpoint close to the start line with all kinds of goodies and water. For the long race they also provide food at lunch and dinner times. You get your own spot with a table and chair under a tent in case you want to take a breather during laps.

There’s an ambulance present at any time and people that can give you a massage to loosen up your muscles. The crowd will cheer for you and aplaude. Kids will ask why are you doing this(you’ll do this too, quite a lot) and the weather should be really good for running since the race is usually held in late May when it’s almost summer but still not that hot yet.

My experience

I ran the 24 hours race in 2019, this was my first ultra. The most I’ve ran previously was 42k, a marathon. I wasn’t accustomed to this format either, but when I decided to do this I knew this was going to be a challenge and that’s exactly what I wanted: something totally outside my comfort zone. 

My training for the competition wasn’t the best either, you need a lot of time to train for something like this. That’s if you want to have a good result, if not then you still need more training then you’re probably accustomed to but it’s manageable.

My target was 100 kilometers. If I reach that number it’s amazing. I managed to run/walk 122 kilometers, that is 100 laps. Probably out of these more than a half were done walking and the rest running. But I stayed on the track for probably 22 hours. I did not sleep, just a quick nap at around 3 in the morning when my entire body had just one mission: convincing me to stop and sleep, anywhere: on the grass, on a curb, on my legs.

All in all for me it was an amazing experience, very well organized and a safe place to try this different world of the ultra run. I’m going to write a more detailed post about this experience to keep this one from becoming a little novel.

Conclusion

If you want to get a taste for the ultra, try this, it’s a good starting point. But please train. Train hard and do all the medical checkups, this is not a joke.

Summary

Where: Timisoara, Romania
When: Usually in late May
Format: Running for a given period of time on a 1,22 km loop on a paved surface in a park
Race types: 6, 12 or 24 hours
Website: www.s24h.ro