Romanian Marathon runner Tiberiu Useriu said on Thursday morning upon landing at the Avram Iancu International Airport in Cluj-Napoca, where he was welcomed by hundreds of people, that among the most difficult moments during the Arctic ultramarathon was when one of his toes got frostbitten, adding that that was something he had expected.
"Three days into the race, almost all moments become hard at one point ... (...) It was not easy for me. At one point, a toe in my left foot got frostbitten. I changed my run a little bit, and changed my cadence a little, and I started to have problems with the legs, getting sores, but obviously I knew what was waiting for me; somehow I managed the situation the best I could before the end of the race," said Useriu.
He also said he feels tired although he is physically restored.
"I'm a little tired; we flew for 16 hours, and I did not have time to recover. From a physical point of view, I have recovered. I was put on antibiotics for the first five days because I had some infections. I had it worse last year because of many more frostbites, many more injuries. This year I'm pretty good physically speaking," Useriu said.
He hinted that after winning the competition three times, he may not run in it next year and find other projects instead.
"I do not know, I think I will take a break from this competition, but I'm not sure, because I cannot know, but I'll have to do something else. I have won this race three times, I kind of know what is there, there will be no new things next year," said Useriu.
One week ago, Tiberiu Useriu, 44, managed to win for the third consecutive time the 6633 Arctic Ultra Marathon, considered to be one of the toughest in the world, given that it is taking place in the Polar Circle area.
The race started on March 8, and Useriu managed to finish it after 7 days and about 5 hours.
As always, Useriu crossed the starting line carrying the national flag of Romania, which this time was showing the insignia of the Centennial of Romania's Greater Union of December 1, 1918.
Moreover, organisers welcomed him to the tune of the national Anthem of Romania and embraced and congratulated him.
This year's ultramarathon edition was an anniversary one, as the race turned 10, so the organisers decided to change the route and extend it by 30 miles (about 50 kilometers).
Of the total of 617 kilometers, about 280 were run in the Ice Road, a frozen river. At the start, there were 23 competitors who were planning to run the whole route, but 16 of them dropped out. Among them were the three other Romanians: Levente Polgar, Florentina Iofcea and Avram Iancu.
Useriu led the race from the very first day, so when he got to the finish line he was more than 80 kilometers ahead of the second ranked Irishman Paul Deasy.
AGERPRES .
Comentează