4K EHOH 24H
4 km every hour on the hour for 24 hours
Once in a while you get a wild idea. A dream you wish to fulfil or a goal you want to achieve. Why? Well sometimes you just got to do stuff just for the sake of it. Nevertheless, we were curious to find out more about why Simon from SAYSKY chose to tie his running shoes and run 4 km every hour for 24 hours.
Because that’s just what he did. Not because he had to, not because of some bet he made, but because of a burning desire to just go for it. In these corona times it’s about keeping your spirit high and staying motivated. We’ve had to rethink the way we live, and while our everyday lives have been put on hold, the time is now to create your own opportunities and challenges. Read the interview below the video and get inspired by Simon to create your own goals.
Why run a 100K in 24 hours?
Because I had the opportunity and the urge to find out what kind of experience it would be – both physically and mentally. And I’ve always liked the quote by the first man who ever reached the top of Mount Everest – when asked by people ‘’why?’’, he would always answer ‘’because it’s there’.
What was the goal?
The goal was to see how far I could push myself. And I also thought it would be interesting to find out if it would be the physical or mental part that would be the biggest challenge.
What was the greatest part about the experience?
Basically, it was running in the middle of night when the city was completely empty and quiet, and I had the roads to myself. It was such a cool feeling to experience a world, where I was all by myself. It made me feel badass, when I knew the rest of the world was just sleeping, while I was still going at it. But at the same time, it was also a bit bizarre to run around on a Friday night, and during my runs I also met some drunk people on their way home from a party – they were all commenting on the fact that some guy was running around the lakes at 4 in the morning (sidenote – this was before Corona lockdown).
What was the hardest part?
The last hours of night were definitely the toughest. I was really tired, and I was in doubt if this project was even a good idea. And I have to admit that it was really difficult to start up my body the last 20K. Especially with some of the runs around 5-6 in the morning. At this point I really couldn’t come up with a straight answer to ‘’Why’’ anymore. I was really cold and dark, and I still had many hours left – that was definitely the most critical period. And then my watch stopped during one of the runs – I thought I was done, but when I realized the mistake, I had to go out and run another 2K. That was pretty tough!
How did you stay motivated?
As long as it didn’t hurt too much to run, and I still had the urge to complete, the motivation came all by itself. Besides I made sure to have some sub-goals and goodies like candy and soda waiting for me.
So what did you eat?
I hadn’t planned anything specific with regards to food, so I just bought a bunch of different stuff to eat. I had yoghurt, toasts, chocolate biscuits (those I was not a big fan of, because they were pretty dry), and then I had bought a bunch of candy that I haven’t had for a long time. These I used as rewards for myself – the highlight was definitely Milkyway Starts! The low point was an apple, which I pretty much just ignored.
What kind of thoughts went through your head in those 24 hours?
In the beginning I reflected about a bunch of stuff after each run, but at the end my mind switched to autopilot. When I started out, I spent a bunch of time being hypersensitive to all of my body’s signals. “Am I thirsty? Hungry? Are my clothes bothering me? Why does it hurt here?” but at some point, I just got into a rhythm, and I concluded that there were a billion factors that could end this project – but this was not something I could control. What I could control was to enjoy the ride while it lasted.
How do you look back at the experience – as positive or negative?
It really was a great experience, especially the mental part. The best part was that I doubted if I could run the entire time. I had set up a “cut off” every hour that meant if it took me more than 40 minutes to ‘’run’’ 4K, then I would stop. Besides one run (which was completely horrible), most runs took me between 18-30 minutes to complete. And that was a really positive experience.
What took me by surprise, was that the toughest part was being bored. From 01 – 08 AM I was alone, and it was extremely boring. It was crazy how much my mood was lifted, when my friends came by in the morning and started running along.
How did your body react afterwards?
I was really tired in all of my joints the week after, and it took 3 weeks before I could start to run again. The days afterwards my entire body was sore – all muscles were tightened up. My knee also started hurting, but it healed quickly.
If you had to do it again, what would you do differently?
I would start out early, so I could finish earlier the next day. I would like to finish around 10. Mostly because it’s really tough to have gotten through the night, and then realizing you still have 5-6 runs left. I think it would be nice to watch the sunrise knowing that in some way, this was the final whistle.
Keep up with Simon here: