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Dnes už si nespomeniem ako presne som sa dostal k dokumentu Kroky na hrane (link na Vimeo) o behu skupiny slovenských ultrabežcov po trase úteku Vrbu a Wetzlera z tábora Auschwitz-Birkenau do Žiliny. Viem len, že to bolo cca 2017, ja som ešte býval na opačnom konci sveta, a o slovenskej ultra trail scéne som nevedel vôbec nič. Ale film som si kúpil, so záujmom pozrel a po pár minútach som si povedal, že jedného dňa by som to rád skúsil aj ja …
Prečo ? Bol to taký mix dôvodov – historický kontext, fakt že som zo Žiliny no a k tomu samozrejme aj tá športová ultrabežecká stránka.
Bolo to ale zložité, keďže som býval 10,000km ďaleko a do Žiliny som zavítal dvakrát do roka na 5-6 dní len ako návštevník. Veci sa ale zmenili, keď som sa v roku 2020 presunul naspäť na Slovensko. Už bolo treba len nájsť čas, niekoho do partie a vybehnúť.
Tri-štyri roky som môj plán sem tam niekomu spomenul, až sa nakoniec v roku 2024 všetko tak nejak stretlo – dátum aj malá partička – a mohli sme vybehnúť. Len 7 rokov od prvotnej inšpirácie.
Zloženie partičky – Jaro Kližan, Ivan Husár, Ján Sameliak a ja.
Dátum sme si zvolil na víkend okolo 17.11. Najmä preto, že to bolo cca mesiac po posledných ultrabehoch, ktoré sme všetci tento rok mali v pláne. Nakoniec sme ako deň štartu vybrali piatok 15.11. Dôvodom štartu pred víkendom bolo, že počas piatku a soboty bude väčšia šanca, že po ceste nájdeme niečo otvorené ako počas soboty a nedele.
Logistiku sme nakoniec utriasli štýlom – nebudeme nikoho otravovať ohľadom supportu, dvojička z Nitry dorazí do Žiliny, nechá tu auto, zo Žiliny nás do Poľska odveziem štvrtok večer ja, auto tam necháme, a v nedeľu sa poň zo Žiliny vrátime.
Pri snahe zbaliť sa som zistil, že môj zvyčajný bežecký batoh asi nebude stačiť. Musel by som robiť pri balení kompromisy. Síce by som pobalil všetko, čo by som určite potreboval, ale nie všetko, čo by som mohol potrebovať, ak by nastal nejaký problém. Predsa len nás čakali kopce a zimné podmienky. A tak som ešte ráno pred odchodom išiel kúpiť nový batoh, do ktorého som už všetko pekne pobalil.
Vo štvrtok podvečer sme vyrazili do Poľska. Po ceste nás prekvapil dážď, nič také v predpovedi počasia nebolo. Tak sme len dúfali, že na ďalšie dni už sa dobrá predpoveď počasia potvrdí.
Zo štvrtka na piatok sme prenocovali v Brzezinke, cca 2 km od tábora Birkenau. Ráno v piatok 15.11. sme prebytočnú výbavu odložili do auta, ktoré v Brzezinke ostalo a okolo 7 ráno sme vyrazili na cca 175 km dlhú trasu do Žiliny.
Ja som po prvých 500m zistil, že okrem prebytočnej výbavy som do auta odložil aj palice, a tak som sa ešte pre ne vrátil. Však prečo by si človek nedal kilometer extra keď má pred sebou len 175km …
Asi po 2km sme dobehli na miesto neoficiálne oficiálneho začiatku trasu – bránu tábora Auschwitz – Birkenau.
Z pohľadu na koľajnice, vežu, vstupnú bránu ma mrazí aj keď to vidím len fotke. Osobne som tu bol teraz po druhý krát a pocity, ktoré som pri tom pohľade mal, sa ťažko popisujú. Bol som celkom rád, že sme boli štyria, a už naladení hlavne na beh…
Urobili sme si rýchlo foto “pred” a pokračovali v ceste. Najbližšie kilometre viedli okolo tábora. Kilometre kým sme obehli cca polovicu obvodu tábora, aby sme mohli pokračovať ďalej smerom na Slovensko … Kilometre, cca 6km… to vystihuje rozmery toho monštra z 2. sv. vojny, ktoré tam dnes ako memento stojí…
Ako navigáciu sme používali trasu, po ktorej bežali pred rokmi chlapi v dokumente Kroky na hrane. Podľa mapy sme mali byť stále na nejakom značenom turistickom chodniku. Ale tie prvé kilometre tam nebolo značené nič, a miestami nebol ani žiaden chodník.
Možno už si mýlim čo bolo skôr a čo neskôr, ale hneď ako sme vbehli do prvého porastu čakala nás priekopa plná vodobahna. Hľadali sme spôsob, miesto, ako ju prekonať suchou nohou. Keďže sa to veľmi nedarilo, Jaro sa povýšil na ženistu a skúsil vytvoriť provizórny most. Polopráchnivý kus dreva, ktorý do jamy hodil ale nepristál ideálne, a Jarov pokus využiť ho ako most skončil nohou po členky v bahne. Ideálny štart… Medzitým Janči o niekoľko metrov ďalej objavil stromy spadnuté ponad priekopu – tento most fungoval lepšie a rád som ho využil aj ja .
V ďalšom poraste čakala ďalšia priekopa, táto už o dosť hlbšia a zdalo sa, že aj s trochou viac vody. Kedysi ponad ňu asi viedla lávka, ale z lávky ostali už len dve paralelné úzke hladké “koľajnice”, také kladiny. Nebol som si veľmi istý, že sa z nich nezrúbem. Ale keď to úspešne zvládli všetci traja predo mnou, tak som sa odhodlal na tú kladinu vyliezť aj ja a tak celkom slušne priposrato som sa premiestnil na druhú stranu jamy.
Niekde medzi domami na mieste na mape označenom ako Plawy nás zastavil a usmernil jeden miestny pán. Tade kam nás posielala navigácia už zjavne cesta neviedla, blokovalo ju stavenisko diaľnice. Tak nás pán otočil naspäť a nasmeroval na obchádzku..
Po týchto úvodných motaniciach nasledovala relatívne nenáročná rovinatá sekcia, často po asfalte. Bol to taký celkom relax, dobrá rozcvička. Na približne 30. kilometri sme prebehli cez Pisarzowice, kde sme sa kľudne mohli zastaviť a niekde najesť. Ale keďže ešte nebol úplne čas obeda, nezastavovali sme. Ja som si tam aspoň odfotil miestny kostol. Asi tak o dva kilometre neskôr, keď sme pred sebou zbadali prvý kopec na našej trase, nás už ale napadlo opýtať sa Googlu, kde nablízku alebo po ceste niečo je. Odpoveď – Po ceste nič, len zachádzky 2km sem, 2 km tam … To samozrejme neprichádzalo do úvahy. Takže len niečo z vlastných zásob, a snáď za tým kopcom niečo bude.
Prebehli sme ďalším lesíkom, objavili sa nejaké domy (na mape miesto označené ako Mlynek) a počuť bolo hluk rušnej cesty. Vyliezli sme k nej a na druhej strane zbadali pumpu. Na pumpe nás vítal veľký nápis Subway. Nečakaný bonus a po cca 35km naša prvá dlhšia zastávka.
Keďže príprava štyroch kusov sendvičov inak milému pánovi celkom aj trvala, využili sme čas na dobitie bateriek v mobiloch, v kľude sme pojedli, doplnili tekutiny, dali kávičku a vyrazili sme ďalej.
Teraz už nás čakali prvé kopce, na ktoré som sa aspoň ja už aj celkom tešil. Nijak sme to do kopca nehrotili a šlo nám to celkom fajn. Po asi hodinke stúpania sme vyliezli pri niečom, čo v hmle najskôr vyzeralo ako stožiar elektrického vedenia. Bol to ale mega veľký oceľový kríž aj s vyhliadkou (Chrobacza Łąka). Ale keďže sme boli v hmle alebo v oblaku tak sme videli všade len bielo a trochu toho kríža. Dlho sme sa teda nezdržiavali a vyrazili sme ďalej.
Bežali sme teraz chvíľu po zvlnenom hrebeni a čakali kedy príde tma. Asi po hodine, ešte pred tou tmou, sme narazili na cedulku oznamujúcu blízku prítomnosť nejakej chaty. Hneď vedľa cedulky bola voľajaká usadlosť, ale všade tma, len niekde za plotom brechal pes. Vyhodnotili sme si, že je to asi mimo prevádzku a pokračovali ďalej. Po chvíli nám došlo, že ideme blbým smerom, ale celkom rýchlo sme sa vrátili na správnu trasu. Na nej sa po pár minútach objavila veľká budova, v ktorej sa aj svietilo. Chata Magurka. Na hodinkách sme mali cca 55km – ideálny čas na ďalšiu hostinu.
Z menu bolo čo vyberať, a tak aby sme to mali pestré, sme si každý objednali na jedlo to isté: parené buchty s čučoriedkami. K tomu pivo, niekto fľaškové, ja som si dal miestne čapované, trochu sladké, ale k tým buchtám sadlo perfektne. Nasledovali kávy a bohviečo všetko ešte. Pojedli sme, pokecali, oddýchli, piwko sfúkli, hladinu kofeínu navýšili. Vonku medzitým zhasli svetlo, tak sme už nasadili aj čelovky a vyrazili ďalej. Čakala nás dlhá noc, aj keď teda stále ešte bolo len neskoré poobedie.
Už po tme sme pokračovali ďalej, asi 5km po hrebeni a potom ďalšich 5km dolu kopcom nazad do civilizácie. Bol piatok už celkom večer, ale dúfali sme, že nájdeme aspoň nejakú otvorenú pumpu, kde doplníme zásoby.
Narazili sme len na kruhový objazd, most ponad diaľnicu ale pumpa sa po trase nekonala žiadna. Hneď za mostom sme vbehli medzi domy a na prekvapenie sme skonštatovali, že tu dole je na rozdiel od hrebeňa, z ktorého sme práve zbehli, dosť veľká kosa. Za domami sme odbočili medzi nejaké polia a tam tá kosa pridala na kvalite. Normálne zima. Niekde pred sebou sme videli ďalšie kopce. Vedeli sme, že niektorý z nich na nás o chvíľu čaká, ale nevedeli sme ktorý. Vždy keď sme už mysleli, že “tento to bude” sme sa nejak stočili a pred nami bol zas iný.
Konečne sme sa vymotali spomedzi tých mrazivých polí a vbehli sme do ďalšej civilizácie. Opäť sme začali dúfať v nejakú otvorenú pumpu a opäť nič. Ale… niekde pred nami v tme sa odrážalo zelené svetielko – to by mohla byť Žabka… Človek viac dúfal ako veril, ale tentokrát to vyšlo. Bola to Žabka a ako bonus bola ešte aj otvorená.
Kilometer 77, čas večere. Tak sme do nej vbehli a začali sa kochať výberom. Ja som si dal nejaké slané aj sladké pečivo, fľašu Coly a kávu. Jediné miesto, kde sme si mali aj kde všetky tie pochutiny na čo položiť pri konzumácii bola chladnička hneď pri vchodových dverách. Každý náš pohyb aktivoval senzor a dingdong pri vchode. Pani predavačka tam niekde vzadu z nás musela mať radosť…
Pomaly sme sa najedli, doplnili tekutiny a vydali sa ďalej. V tej chvíli sme nevedeli, že ďalšie miesto, kde budeme môcť doplniť zásoby, nájdeme až o ďalších 60km neskôr…
Podľa profilu nás teraz čakal najvyššie položený úsek trasy. Ako sme stúpali vyššie a blížili sa k 1000mnm začal sa objavovať prvý sneh. Sneh napadol len predošlú noc, takže bol čerstvý a fajne sa v ňom bežalo. Takto vyššie v okolo 1000m bolo opäť príjemne, ten nepríjemný chlad sme nechali dolu v údolí. Toto bola asi najkrajšia časť celej trasy. Na jednom otvorenom poli sme si ten sneh tak užívali, že sme zas zbehli trochu mimo trasu, ale chybu sme rýchlo napravili. Po 17km úseku v kopcoch sme sa opäť blížili k civilizácii.
Niekde pod nami sme videli veľkú osvetlenú oblasť. Prepdokladali sme, že nás tam zavedie navigácia, a boli sme si celkom istí, že tam už konečne nájdeme pumpu (nič iné otvorené sme už v nočných hodinách neočakávali). Trasa nás ale nezviedla hneď dolu k “svetielkam”, ale asi 5km sme bežali po ceste, ktorá bola niekde medzi kopcami a tou civilizáciou.
A ako sme zistili, teraz tá cesta vedie cez stavenisko diaľnice. Neboli tam žiadne zátarasy, bola v pohode prebehnuteľná, aj keď dosť zablatená, ale značky, ktorým sme úplne nerozumeli, naznačovali, že sme asi naozaj na stavenisku. V noci tam bol kľud a pokoj, ale cez deň by sme asi museli hľadať nejakú obchádzku…
Úspešne sme tento nekonečný úsek prebehli a ocitli sme v Milowke. Celkom veľká a dlhá obec, v ktorej sme dosiahli métu 100km, ale nenašli sme v nej už takto neskoro nič otvorené. Ak tam majú nejakú pumpu, tak pred nami ju úspešne ukryli. Dolu bolo opäť výrazne chladnejšie ako na kopcoch.
Keďže už dlho nebolo kde doplniť zásoby, šli sme teraz na tom, čo sme si niesli so sebou. Vody sme v tom chlade až tak veľa nepotrebovali, a kalórií bolo pošetrených v batohu dosť. Človek síce mal chuť na nejakú bagetu, ale treba fungovať s tým, čo máme. Proti tým, čo utekali v roku 1944 sme mali luxus…
K hraniciam nás čakalo ešte posledných 15km cez kopce. Pod nami sme videli svetlá, dokonca aj OMV pumpu sme z diaľky z výšky identifikovali, ale my sme šli iným smerom. Na to, že sme už mali v nohách cez 100km, sa šlo stále celkom dobre. Kilometre nám postupne ubiehali a naraz sme sa vynorili pri pamätnom stĺpiku pochodu Auschwitz – Žilina na hranici v Skalitom… Na chvíľku sme sa tu zastavili, ale nie na dlho, bolo treba sa udržiavať v pohybe a teple.
Naše nádeje, že v Skalitom “musí byť pumpa” celkom rýchlo zhasli. Nie hneď, ale počas celých tých nekonečných 10km čo sme bežali po území, ktoré sa na mape ukrýva pod názvom Skalité nádeje zhasínali postupne. Totálne zhasli, keď sa objavila prvá pumpa od našej Subway hostiny v Poľsku, a bol to len automat, bez obchodu. Chvíľu neskôr sme odbočili vľavo a čakalo nás 15km cez kopce do Čadce.
Bol to posledný úsek po tme, hore dolu cez dva kopce. Veľa detailov si z neho nepamätám, až na posledné kilometre pred Čadcou. Už sa rozvidnievalo, pod stromami sme videli stádo vysokej zveri. Ja som sa nejak pozabudol a naraz som bol tak 20-30 m za chalanmi. Čadca už rovno pred nami a z lesíka nad nami 2 výstrely. Poľovníci v akcii hneď po ránu. Radšej som hneď pridal a zvyšok partie dobehol.
Bola sobota ráno, mesto sa ešte len zobúdzalo, a my sme nahlas rozmýšľali, kde nájdeme niečo vhodné a otvorené. Nakoniec padla voľba na Kaufland, kde sme očakávali kaviareň.
Kaviareň sme našli. A hneď po ránu darček – okrem sladkostí vitrínka plná chlebíčkov a bagiet. Objednal som si teda dva chlebíčky, bagetu, koláč a kávu. Ani chalani sa pri svojich objednávkach nehanbili a tak sme posedeli a konzumovali trochu dlhšie. Ja som si ešte odskočil do supermarketu pre Colu a minerálku. Prvú pauzu po 60km dlhom úseku a poslednú pred cieľom sme si kvalitne užili. Do cieľa nám ostávalo ešte cca 39km a asi najnáročnejšia časť trasy.
Hneď prvé, nie veľmi ťažké stúpanie sa ukázalo ako výzva. Výdatné raňajky ma nejak unavili a začal ma trochu premáhať spánok. Keďže som bol najedený nemal som veľmi chuť do seba ešte hádzať aj kofeínový gél. A tak som len dúfal, že to stúpanie rýchlo skončí, aby som sa mohol zas rozbehnúť a prebudiť. Krátka kríza našťastie nebola nijako vážna a pobeh pomohol.
Ďalšie kilometre išli celkom pohodovo, až na to, že som sa už nutne potrebovaľ “odľahčiť”. Za jednou z dediniek som si povedal, že teraz je ten správny čas, oddelil som sa od skupiny a našiel som si vhodné miesto. Kľudu sa mi ale nedostalo, a ďalšie dva neďaleké výstrely poľovníkov ma rýchlo popohnali ďalej.
O niekoľko kilometrov prišiel úsek, na ktorý ťažko zabudnúť. Bežime, odbočíme vľavo a začal nekonečne dlhý, strmý zbeh lesom, medzi stromami, po členky v lístí. Trasa tu šla po žltej značke, ale chodník si človek musel len predstaviť. Zvládli sme to bez úrazu až dolu do dediny na okraj Nesluše. Tu začal ďalší zaujímavý úsek – intenzívne stúpanie nie úplne ideálnym, miestamy zarúbaným, miestami rozrytým terénom. Ale zvládli sme a zbehli sme do Rudinskej.
Tu som sa rozhodol ísť mimo trasu na prieskum, či nájdem niečo otvorené. Nenašiel som. Zmieril som sa s tým, že občerstvenie iné ako z batohu bude až pivko v cieli na Staničke v Žiline. Tam nám ostávalo už len posledných 15km.
Po krátkom stúpaní za dedinou sme sa napojili na modrú značku, ktorá nás už nasmerovala na Budatín. Prvé metre na modrej stáli za to. Stúpanie ešte chvíľu pokračovalo, ale teraz už ílovitým bahnom, ktoré sa masívne lepilo na topánky. Išlo doslova o kilá materiálu, ktorého sa nedalo zbaviť. Len čo som sa dostal na trochu normálnejší povrch som sa snažil tú záťaž z topánok odstrániť, ale dalo to zabrať.
Zabrali sme aj my a míľovými krokmi sme sa blížili k Žiline. Onedlho sme prebehli okolo odbočky na Rochovicu a to už bola skoro Žilina. Už len posledné kilometre cez les a cez Považský Chlmec zbeh do Budatína. Tu sme postupne prešli do chôdze a zhodli sme sa, že cez mesto už to nebude behom. Pri futbalovom štadióne sa ešte k Ivovi prihovorili náhodní okoloidúci, ktorých zaujímalo, odkiaľ ideme. Prešli sme podchodom popod železničnú stanicu, na Hlinkovom námestí absolvovali ešte krátku zastávku na pizzu a potom už plnou parou vpred do cieľa na Stanici ŽIlina Záriečie.
Po 32 hodinách a 23 minútach, 175km a 5600m prevýšenia, sme dorazili do cieľa. Jedna z posledných výziev na mojom zozname úspešne zdolaná, a to najmä vďaka super spolubežcom. Takže Jaro, Ivo, Janči, ešte raz vďaka!
Strava záznam tu / Strava record here
Auschwitz – Žilina, November 2024
I can no longer recall exactly how I came across the documentary On the Edge (link to Vimeo), which follows a group of Slovak ultrarunners retracing the escape route of Vrba and Wetzler from the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp to Žilina. I only know it was around 2017, and at the time, I was living on the other side of the world with no knowledge whatsoever of the Slovak ultra trail scene. But I purchased the film, watched it with interest, and within a few minutes, I thought to myself, one day, I’d like to do this too…
Why? It was a mix of reasons—the historical context, the fact that I’m from Žilina, and, of course, the challenge of the ultrarunning aspect.
It was complicated, though, since I lived 10,000 kilometers away and only visited Žilina twice a year for 5-6 days as a visitor. Things changed, however, when I moved back to Slovakia in 2020. At that point, all I needed was to find the time, a buddy or two to join me, and hit the trail.
For three or four years, I would occasionally mention my plan to someone, and finally, in 2024, everything came together—the date and a small group of like-minded people—and we were ready to run. Only seven years after the initial inspiration.
Our group – Jaro Kližan, Ivan Husár, Ján Sameliak and me.
We scheduled the run for the weekend around November 17, primarily because it was about a month after the last ultramarathons we all had planned for the year. Eventually, we settled on Friday, November 15, as the starting day. The reasoning behind starting before the weekend was that there would be a better chance of finding open places along the route on Friday and Saturday compared to Saturday and Sunday.
We finalized the logistics in a simple way: no bothering anyone for support. The pair from Nitra would drive to Žilina and leave their car there. On Thursday evening, I would drive us from Žilina to Poland, leave the car there, and on Sunday, we’d return to pick it up from Žilina.
When I started packing, I realized my usual running backpack wasn’t going to cut it. I would have to compromise while packing. Sure, I could fit everything I absolutely needed, but not everything I might need if something went wrong. After all, we were heading into mountains and winter conditions. So, on the morning of our departure, I went and bought a new backpack, which fit everything perfectly.
On Thursday evening, we set off for Poland. Along the way, rain caught us off guard – it hadn’t been mentioned in any weather forecasts. We just hoped that the good forecast for the coming days would hold true.
From Thursday to Friday, we stayed overnight in Brzezinka, about 2 km from the Birkenau camp. On Friday morning, November 15, we left our surplus gear in the car, which remained in Brzezinka, and around 7 a.m., we set off on the approximately 175 km route to Žilina.
After the first 500 meters, I realized that along with the extra gear, I had also left my running poles in the car. I went back to get them. After all, what’s an extra kilometer when you’ve got just 175 km ahead of you…
About 2 km in, we arrived at what was the unofficial official start of the route: the gate of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.
The sight of the tracks, the tower, and the entrance gate still sends shivers down my spine, even when I see it in photos only. This was my second time here in person, and the emotions I felt looking at it were hard to describe. I was genuinely glad that there were four of us, already mentally tuned for the run.
We quickly snapped a “before” photo and continued on our way. The first few kilometers led us around the camp, tracing half its perimeter before heading toward Slovakia… Kilometers, about 6km.. to circle just part of the camp – a testament to the massive scale of that monstrous site from World War II, which now stands as a chilling memorial.
For navigation, we followed the route taken by the runners featured in the documentary On the Edge. According to the map, we were supposed to be on marked trails. However, during those first kilometers, there were no visible markers, and at times, not even a trail.
I might mix up the order of events here, but as soon as we entered the first wooded area, we encountered a ditch filled with mud and water. We searched for a way to cross it without getting our feet wet. After some failed attempts, Jaro took on the role of engineer and tried to construct a makeshift bridge. He threw a semi-rotten piece of wood into the ditch, but it didn’t land quite right. Jaro’s attempt to use it as a bridge ended with his foot sinking ankle-deep into the mud – a perfect start … Meanwhile, Janči discovered some fallen trees spanning the ditch a few meters away. This “bridge” worked much better, and I was happy to use it too.
In the next wooded area, another ditch awaited us – this one deeper and seemingly holding more water. Sometime longtime ago there must have been a small bridge crossing it, but now only two narrow, smooth “rails” remained, resembling balance beams. I wasn’t too confident I wouldn’t fall off, but after all three of my companions crossed successfully, I mustered the courage to climb onto the beam. Moving across the gap slowly I managed to reach the other side safely.
Somewhere between houses in a place marked on the map as Plawy, we were stopped and redirected by a local man. The route our navigation suggested was apparently impassable, blocked by a highway construction site. The man kindly turned us back and pointed out a detour.
After this initial wandering, we hit a relatively straightforward, flat section, often on asphalt. It was a good warm-up. Around the 30-kilometer mark, we ran through Pisarzowice, where we could have stopped for a meal. However, it wasn’t quite lunchtime yet, so we decided to press on. I did, however, take at least a quick photo of the local church. About two kilometers later, as we spotted the first hill on our route ahead, we decided to ask Google if there were any food options nearby or along the way. The answer: nothing convenient—only detours of about 2 km in either direction. Naturally, those weren’t an option. So, we made do with our supplies and hoped there’d be something on the other side of the hill.
We ran through another small forest, passed some houses (marked on the map as Mlynek), and started hearing the noise of a busy road. Climbing up to it, we spotted a gas station on the other side. To our surprise, on it we saw a big Subway sign. This unexpected bonus became our first proper stop after approximately 35 kilometers.
The friendly gentleman at the counter took a little while to prepare four sandwiches, so we used the time to recharge our phones, eat at a relaxed pace, refill our water supplies, and enjoy a coffee. Feeling refreshed, we set off once again.
Now, the first real hills awaited us, and I, for one, was genuinely looking forward to them. We didn’t push too hard on the climbs, taking it steady, and it was going quite well. After about an hour of ascent, we reached something that, in the fog, initially looked like a large electric pylon. It turned out to be a massive steel cross with a lookout platform – Chrobacza Łąka. Unfortunately, being enveloped in fog or clouds, all we could see was white all around and a bit of the cross itself. We didn’t linger long and moved on.
For a while, we ran along an undulating ridge, waiting for the darkness to settle in. About an hour later, before night fully took hold, we came across a sign indicating a nearby mountain hut. Right next to the sign was some structure, but it was pitch dark, only a dog barking somewhere behind a fence. We figured it must be out of operation and kept moving. A short time later, we realized we were heading the wrong way, but thankfully, we quickly corrected our route. Soon enough, we spotted a large building with lights on – Chata Magurka. With about 55 km on our watches, it was the perfect time for another feast.
The menu offered a lot of options, and in order not to be boring, we all ordered the same thing: steamed blueberry dumplings. As a side there was beer – some went for bottled, but I opted for the local draft. It was a bit sweet but paired excellently with the dumplings. Then came coffee and and other things I can’t quite recall. We ate, chatted, rested, and increased our caffeine levels. Outside, the darkness was on, so we put on our headlamps and went into the long night ahead, even though it was still technically late afternoon only.
In the darkness, we carried on, traversing another 5 km along the ridge before descending 5 km back down into civilization. By now, it was Friday evening, and we were hopeful of finding at least an open gas station to restock supplies.
Instead, we encountered only a roundabout, a bridge over the highway, and no gas station in sight. Crossing the bridge, we ran between houses and were surprised to find it significantly colder down here compared to the ridge we had just descended from. Passing the houses, we turned onto a path through some fields, where the chill intensified even further. It was genuinely cold. Ahead, we could see more hills looming in the dark. We knew one of them was our next climb, but we couldn’t tell which one. Each time we thought, “This must be it,” we would make a turn revealing a different hill waiting ahead.
Finally, we managed to leave behind the freezing fields and entered the next stretch of civilization. Once again, our hopes for an open gas station were reignited, only to be dashed gain, nothing. But then… in the distance, a green light flickered in the darkness. Could it be a Żabka? Our faith was more wishful thinking than true belief, but this time, it worked out. It was a Żabka, and to our delight, it was still open!
At kilometer 77, it was time for dinner. We dashed inside and marveled at the selection. I picked up both savory and sweet pastries, a bottle of Coke, and a coffee. The only place to put down our food and drinks was a top of a fridge right by the entrance. Every movement triggered a sensor, and the door would chime with a “ding-dong.” The cashier in the back must have had quite a time with us.
We ate, replenished our fluids, and set off once again. At that moment, we didn’t know that the next chance to restock our supplies would be 60 kilometers later…
The next segment of the route was the highest, gradually taking us above 1,000 meters. As we climbed, the first patches of snow began to appear, freshly fallen from the previous night. At this altitude the temperstures were pleasant again, the cold of the valleys was gone. This snowy stretch was the most enjoyable part of the entire route. On one open field, we got so caught up enjoying the snow that we again wandered off course briefly, but we quickly corrected our mistake. After 17 kilometers of running through the hills, we descended back toward civilization.
Somewhere below us, we spotted a large, brightly lit area. We assumed our navigation would lead us there and felt certain we’d finally find a gas station (by this hour, we didn’t expect anything else to be open). However, the route didn’t take us directly to the “lights.” Instead, we ran about 5 kilometers along a road somewhere between the hills and the distant glow of civilization.
We soon realized we were traversing a highway construction site. There were no barriers, and the road was passable, though muddy. Signs we couldn’t fully understand suggested we probably weren’t supposed to be there. It was quiet at night, but we imagined we’d need to find a detour if we were here during the day.
Successfully navigating this seemingly endless stretch, we arrived in Milówka, a long little town where we hit the 100-kilometer mark. It was late night already and we found nothing open here. If there was a gas station, it was well hidden from us. Down in the valley, the cold was again noticeably sharper than in the mountains.
Since it had been a long time since we last had a chance to resupply, we were now relying on what we had with us. In the cold, we didn’t need much water, and there were plenty of calories stashed in our backpacks. While I would not mind a baguette or something, we had to make do with what we had. Compared to those who ran this route in 1944, we were still moving in luxury…
Ahead of us was the last 15 kilometers over the hills to the border. Below, we saw lights, and even identified an OMV gas station from a distance, but we were headed in a different direction. Considering we had already run over 100 kilometers, we were still moving pretty well. The kilometers gradually ticked by, and soon we found ourselves at the memorial post for the Auschwitz – Žilina march at the border in Skalité. We stopped here for a moment, but not for long. We needed to keep moving and stay warm.
Our hopes that there “must be a gas station” in Skalité quickly faded. Not immediately, but as we ran through the endless 10 kilometers of area marked “Skalité” on the map, our hopes slowly dimmed. They were completely extinguished when we came across the first gas station since our Subway feast in Poland – it was just a self service station, no store in sight. A little later, we turned left, and 15 kilometers of hills to Čadca awaited us.
It was the final stretch in the dark, up and down two hills. I don’t remember many details from it, except for the last few kilometers before Čadca. It was getting light, and under the trees, we spotted a herd of deer. I got a bit distracted and suddenly found myself about 20-30 meters behind the guys. Čadca was right in front of us, and from the woods above, I heard two gunshots. Hunters in action right at dawn. I quickly picked up the pace and caught up with the rest of the group.
It was Saturday morning, the town was just waking up, and we were thinking aloud where we could find something suitable and open. Eventually, we decided on Kaufland, where we hoped to find a café.
We found the café, and as a morning gift, in addition to the sweets, there was also a shelf full of sandwiches and baguettes. So, I ordered two open sandwiches, a baguette, a cake, and a coffee. The guys weren’t shy about their orders either, and we sat down and enjoyed our meal for a bit. I also popped into the supermarket for some Coke and mineral water. Our first break after the 60-kilometer stretch and the last one before the finish was truly enjoyed. We still had about 39 kilometers to go, and probably the most challenging part of the route.
The first climb, though not very difficult, turned out to be a challenge. The big breakfast left me feeling tired, and sleepiness started to take over. Since I was already full, I didn’t really feel like popping in a caffeine gel. So, I just hoped that the climb would end quickly, so I could get back to running and wake up. Thankfully, the short crisis wasn’t serious, and running helped.
The next few kilometers went pretty smoothly, except that I really needed to “get rid of the load.” After one of the villages, I decided it was the right time, broke off from the group, and found a suitable spot. But peace didn’t last long, as another two nearby gunshots from the hunters quickly pushed me to keep moving!
A few kilometers later, we reached a section that’s hard to forget. We were running, turned left, and began an endless long, steep descent through the forest, between trees, ankle-deep in leaves. The route followed the yellow trail, but the path was something you had to imagine. We managed to get down safely into the village at the edge of Nesluša. Here, a new challenge began – an intense climb on terrain that was full of post logging mess. But we handled it well and ran down to Rudinská.
At this point, I decided to venture off the route to see if I could find anything open. I found nothing. I resigned myself to the fact that the only refreshments we would get other than what we carried in our backpacks would be a beer at the finish line in Žilina. There were now the last 15 kilometers to go.
After a short climb past the village, we joined the blue trail, which would lead us to Budatín. The first few meters on the blue trail were quite something. The climb continued for a while, but now it was through clayey mud that stuck massively to our shoes. It was literally kilos of material that I couldn’t shake off. As soon as I reached a more normal surface, I tried to get rid of the crap on my shoes, but it did take some effort.
We kept going, and with steady strides, we got closer to Žilina. Soon we passed the turn for Rochovica, and Žilina was almost in sight. Just a few final kilometers through the forest and across Považský Chlmec, and we descended into Budatín. Here, we switched to walking and agreed that we wouldn’t be running through the city. Near the football stadium, random passersby stopped to ask Ivo where we were coming from. We passed under the underpass beneath the train station, made a quick pizza stop at Hlinka Square, and then powered ahead to the finish line at Žilina Záriečie Station.
After 32 hours and 23 minutes, 175 kilometers, and 5600 meters of elevation gain, we reached the finish. One of the last remaining challenges on my bucket list successfully conquered, especially thanks to my super companions. Jaro, Ivo, Janči, once more thank you!