Another Marathon passed. This weekend I ran the first edition of Apuseni Marathon. I didn`t know what to expect but it all turned out to be perfect. The organization of the even was spotless and everything except the weather was ideal for a good run.
My race day didn`t start very good, as I was feeling a bit nervous. The race started very fast, with the guys from the half-marathon setting a fast pace. Me, Daniel, Adi, Alex and our new found friend Aida, one night before the race, we ran a bit of the first part so I knew what to expect ( 7km of fast climbing). I stayed in touch with the second group (Balan Silviu and Zsolt Kovacs). But after 4km I started to feel bad, my foot were weak and it seemed that I won`t finish in this manner. I lost some time in the last part of the uphill and got passed by some runners, including Daniel who was running fast for the half-marathon.
After the first refreshment point and the end of the climb, we had around 13 km of downhill. The first part was difficult because we had to run on a small path, but then we entered a forest road. The wake up call for my body came after 10-11 km, close to where the marathon and half-marathon tracks were splitting. I saw Balan in front of me (300m) and I started pushing.
I kept on pushing and the road kept on going downhill. We entered a village and I saw Balan who turned back because he was not certain if he is on the right track. We ran together for around 7 km until the big climb started. During this time, in the village I had a Deja-Vu feeling, because I recognized the places where me and Cosmin Georgescu got lost some years ago! The climb started also on the road, and it was not very steep, but I lost some time because I stayed a bit to much in the refreshment point. There was a small part where you had to climb and I didn`t look at the markings and went up and up, until I realized that I am not on the path anymore. I climbed extra around 20-25 m but it was more difficult to go back down on the wet rock. I was loosing hope to ever catching the guys that passed me. The climb entered the forest and a big rain came, along with small ice. It had the effect of refreshing me. I then saw Lucian Clinciu, who is a good runner, and I started going after him. I passed him and until the next control point I passed another 2 runners.
I had only Balan in my mind and I started seeing him when we reached 8 km until the finish. He was running with Bogdan Sulica at that moment. I reduced the gap to less then 100 m, but they saw me and ran very very fast on the last downhill. I ran for around 2km on the last climb with the idea that I have to preserve my rank. The last refreshment point was 3 km before the finish. There I met my friend Ioana Mica who shouted very loud at me, also telling me that if I push hard enough I will catch the guys in front of me. The adrenaline rush came into my body as I threw my water bottle and my windstopper and started running real fast.Thank you Ioana and the guys from the last refreshment point! I saw Bogdan Sulica, and stop for some meters to catch my breath and then started fast again. I passed him and he couldn`t keep my pace, but Balan was to far away for me to catch !Next time!
My time was 04:01:16 and I was 4th in 16-29 category and 9th overall.
Overall it was a great experience, nice tracks, great organization, nice people in every control/refreshment point. I knew the Apuseni Mountains are beautiful, but now I am certain.
P.S. My friends also had good results: Daniel was 2th in the 30-39 category of the half-marathon, Aida was 3rd in her category also, and Adi improved his time in a marathon by far! Congrats!
And I can`t forget my friend Bogya Tamas who won the marathon!Good one friend but I won`t be so forgiving next time !
Results Apuseni Maraton 2011
P.S.2: You still owe me the "extra part" of the starting kit !
