This October marks a very special moment in my running “career”. I drove five and a half hours to the opposite end of the country to take part in a Trail Kuršių Nerija race that would promote me to a marathoner and an ultra runner all in one day.
Trail Kuršių Nerija
I set my sights on this race at the end of last year. I saw a video from the 2024 race, and instantly fell in love. The event takes place on the Curonian spit: a narrow piece of land that cuts a small piece of the Baltic Sea adjacent to the Lithuanian coastline.
This is a fairly inclusive event that allows you to choose distances between 5k and 104k. So why did I, a person who’s never ran a marathon, opt for 50+ kilometres?
From half marathon to an ultra
I joked previously that I am shallow and I simply preferred the nice round number instead of the wonky 42 (or 26, if we’re talking miles). I ended up running fifty-three, so jokes on me.
The real reasons are more significant. As I already mentioned, it took a while to get there, it felt almost imperative to choose a longer distance to justify the journey. This has also been a very tough year, which led me to want to prove I can do hard things and come out stronger on the other side.
Do it for the views
Since completing TKN, I have recommended this race to virtually any runner I’ve spoken to. The original reason it caught my eye were the incredible views of the Curonian Spit, and boy were they worth every step.
At times, I felt like none of it was real. It couldn’t be, surely! I ran along the sea, dodging the tides. I ran through the vibrant autumnal woods and the sun peaked through the leaves. I scrabled and sped through the hills, sank in the sands, tripped on roots.
This was an Odyssey for me, someone who only passed their driving test this year, someone who is learning to live by myself. I wanted to prove that I am stronger than I imagined. And that’s exactly what I did.