In 2025, I was selected as a part of Vitamin Well Runners with a reward/highlight in November – a trip to Spain, to San Sebastián where a group of selected runners from several countries ran either 10k or a marathon.
Here I am, 10 months later finishing the report draft, thinking it would sound more positive once I’d slept on it. It really doesn’t. Happy with the result, grateful for the opportunity, but here’s the rant report through my eyes.
Running Ljubljana marathon a month before just inside 3h, as a solid training run was an awesome decision. Finding out the new gels didn’t have any electrolytes in them, fixing the blisters and a few speed sessions later I was ready to tackle another one. At least until a week before the event, when I was diagnosed with Lyme borreliosis heading straight to antibiotics. Yay.
Initial wish was beating my father’s marathon PR and getting as close to 2:44:59 as possible, but combining the meds, freezing outside for several hours a day before and some additional travel ‘joys’, I would be happy with another sub-3. Still, trying to put my mind in a happy place.
Race report, hmm… How about a photo?
Personal best – 2:45:20 officially, despite moderate to strong winds. Happy with the result, and I also beat my father’s PB. Stars aligned.
A special thank you to Vitamin Well. Especially Ana, who went above and beyond to keep me rested, informed, and functioning before the race. Cheers!
I do have some other comments though…
1. Question: Is it normal in Spain for the race-organizer car to drive straight into a runner out of pure negligence? Also, driving off after it happens, just waving an apology?! Next time, could you please schedule such activities in the first 10 km, not at 33 km? 😡
2. Opinion: If a course includes sections where runners lap each other, could you PLEASE move the slower runners to the outer edge instead of letting them block the entire lane while chatting and taking selfies? It’s dangerous and unbelievably frustrating when you’re running on the limit after two hours.
3. Suggestion: If a pacer can’t finish in the advertised time, maybe remove his/her flag or something? Just a thought, because passing the 2:45 pacer a few hundred meters before the finish and realizing I wasn’t even close stings a bit.
