Suffering in races

In ultra running, it’s sometimes brought on as a “right of passage”. Like you need to suffer for it to be real, or cool, right?

But what does coach Karel think about it? Well, very simple, this is what he says:

“I don’t believe that.

I believe that ultrarunning can be great by exploring and surpassing your limits, but you don’t have to suffer for it to be real. In fact, to run the PCT FKT, I focused on being well-organized and efficient to get the most out of my experience.

It was my reason to go back to the PCT. Because in 2016, it was a total suffer-fest. And though it’s cool to look back on, I wanted to return to those beautiful places without the pain and properly enjoy the scenery.”

So, don’t be afraid to suffer, but don’t look for it unnecessarily either.