REAL TRAILS
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My tiredness was disappearing. My pulse became normal again. The heat and the hot wind kept marching along the steppe, testing the ultramarathon runners to their limit.
I could just imagine how hard it was for those who had chosen the longer distance. These strong dignified people continued their victory march, overcoming the obstacles.
Another blast of hot dry wind suddenly brought a new sensation – somehow I felt a hidden strength in my body awakening. This flow of strength went through my body, and there was a moment when I became this flow myself. This energy flow was playing like an inexhaustible fountain of rising and falling energies. They were sparkling, gleaming, and mixing. I felt a stronger self-confidence. I could see endless opportunities to capture. I could see the new horizon. It was hard to reach, and that is why it was so alluring.
Meanwhile, the bus drivers announced its departure. We got on the buses and took our seats. The buses’ route was different from the running trail. We soon found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, in the desert steppe…
Suddenly we saw a runner who had lost his way. He had got distracted and hadn’t noticed the turn indicator. The bus stopped. Someone offered him to get on the bus and come back to the camp with us. He rejected flatly and only asked for water to refill his hydration pack. Later we heard he had still managed to complete the distance with a very good performance. He even won a medal place.
The bus was overheated, and many participants had a headache and felt suffocated. The driver had to stop the bus several times. We arrived at the start safe and sound after a two-hour drive along the steppe roads. The bus doors opened and we got off, to the cheers of the supporters and volunteers, like astronauts landing after a successful travel in outer space.
This is how the participants of the 4th ultramarathon 2016 created the event that has become a golden thread in the history of this remote and forgotten land…
In the evening I was enjoying the farewell sunset at the lake. In the morning the train station was overcrowded with athletes and guests. All of them were going to bring so many positive impressions and vivid memories back to their homes scattered around the planet. They would certainly come back here in a year. Having been here once, one remembers this place for a long time.
The Elton run was followed by many more runs in other cities of Russia. I took part in various types of runs with different distances. That surge of energy I had felt when sitting on the edge of the cliff alone with my thoughts was enough for all the following distances. I was sure I would come back there…
At the end of September 2016, the registration for next-year’s ultramarathon had already opened. There were two options: 38 kilometers and 164 kilometers (100 miles). In order to participate in the 100-mile race, one had to qualify for entry within a year. I didn’t have time to do it because I had never participated in such long distances, so I chose 38 km and applied for the race.
My training was diverse and intense all autumn and winter 2016 and spring 2017. I was preparing my body for extreme loads. Running under any weather conditions and at any time was toughening me and defining my spirit.
However, it was destined for me to skip the marathon in spring 2017. Fate, pure chance, or turn of events – whatever you call it – stood in my way of sport.
I had to have plenty of patience to wait for the next year and the next race.
In autumn 2017 the registration for the 2018 marathon was opened. This time Elton provided 3 distances to choose between: 42 kilometers, 82 kilometers and 100 miles (164 kilometers).
I concentrated on my training eagerly, with an even greater passion. The registration for this run closed two weeks before the event. In 2016 I managed to sign up in advance. This time I could only count on being lucky…
I put my name on the waiting list in case someone pulled out of the 82-kilometer night race to reregister the slot in my name.
I felt a long and irresistible desire to complete this distance at that place. In December 2017 I decided to run 82 kilometers around the lake by myself. I bought the train tickets to Elton. I was sure I was able to run 82 km on my own, without anyone’s assistance.
My backpack was ready. I was waiting for my train, walking around Saratov. I went to the cinema and watched a film. I bought some puer tea from a pretty shop girl, for the journey. After the film I walked to the train station which was only three blocks away. Listening to the chugging sound of the train, I started another journey ahead to new adventures.
When I was on the train I called a few locals I new at Elton. They told me I could rent a room from them.
The train arrived at 1 a.m. Nevertheless, he met me at the station and took me home. When we entered, he introduced me to his wife and we had tea together.
I woke up early in the morning. I only slept for four hours but I felt fresh and full of energy. I packed a light backpack: 1.5 liters of water, dried fruit, energy bars, and nothing else apart from the monumental desire to achieve the goal.
I started on a trip. In December the steppe was already covered by a thin layer of snow. The roads were smoothed by cars. Some animals were examining the ground, searching for something to eat. There were still some red direction indicators along the roadside from the spring run I had missed. I was wandering around, getting lost several times because the road was crossed by dry creeks and other hollows in multiple places and some of them were flooded. Late in the evening I finally reached the familiar landmark called “Chertova balka” (the “Hell Hollow”). This biological and erosive formation was home to many various plants. There was a small creek at the bottom of the hollow. As I found out later, the place was also known as a wolf country.
Racing the steppe wolf
The sun went down below the horizon, and the menacing dark clouds obscured the sky. They were hanging down low as if they were threatening to devour the planet. It got dark very quickly. I turned on my head torch. The narrow stripe of light was illuminating the mud ruts left by trucks, slightly covered by the snow…
It was now about 30 kilometers to the village. Suddenly my host called me and said he should have warned me about wolves in the area. He told me to be careful.