Frontiers of Physical and Mental Stamina
Ultramarathon running is my laboratory for exploring the frontiers of personal endurance.
These demanding races, often set in challenging natural landscapes, are more than just physical tests; they are profound journeys into mental fortitude, resilience, and the very essence of what it means to persevere.
Each ultramarathon is an exploration in itself. It requires:
- Discipline and Dedication: The commitment to rigorous training and preparation.
- Strategic Navigation: Not just of the course, but of one’s own energy, nutrition, and mental state.
- Resilience in Adversity: The ability to confront and overcome pain, fatigue, and doubt. This was particularly evident in challenges like running in freezing rain, where pushing forward was key to staying warm.
- Microexploration of Limits: Success often comes down to focusing on the next step, the immediate challenge, and over many such small steps, finishing the entire challenge.
The Connection to Broader (Micro)Exploration
The lessons learned on the trail—patience, adaptability, the power of a persistent mindset, and the humility that comes from facing immense challenges—are deeply transferable to all other areas of exploration in my life, whether academic, educational, cultural, or deeply personal.
The “Micro”-Perspective: Fastpacking and Personal Challenges
Ultramarathon races can be a lot of (decidedly Type 2) fun, but I also use a similar approach to overnight tours and self-designed, self-supported endurance pursuits.
I have, for example, taken various mountain paths to Hallstatt, across the Sarstein, the Plassen, and the Dachstein.
Or, I went on the three hikes that make up the Saalbach “Seven Summits” / “Home of Lässig”-Walk / Pinzgau Walk hiking challenge… only that I didn’t do it in three leisurely one-day hikes but in one go, finishing in right around 24 hours.
Select Ultramarathon Achievements
Via Natura 2014 – 100 Miles (165 km, with 6755 m of elevation gain): 41:25:00
Not monumental, but 4th overall – mainly because most of the few participants had to drop out after the first night, which led us into one of the year’s worst thunderstorms…
TransLantau by UTMB 2024 – 96 km, 4500 m of elevation gain: 22:54:14
mozart 100 by UTMB 2023 – mozart Ultra – 83.1 km, 5034 m of elevation gain: 16:30:22