Leiria Run: Aiming at the Impossible

All my life, I was constantly doubted by the people around me. That was always a kind of fuel to push my limits further and further.

When someone says one of my dreams or goals is impossible, that I won't make it, or that it's unreachable, I set a target on it — and I know that sooner or later, I'll get there.

It has been like this my whole life: challenging myself to do what many think impossible, aiming at the unreachable. I never did it to prove anything to anyone but myself — that whatever the goal, with focus and will, everything is possible. To paraphrase Walt Disney, I like the impossible, because the competition there is smaller.

That's why running the Leiria Run meant so much to me: it reaffirmed that I CAN — whatever comes, I'll handle it.

A month earlier, the plan was to prepare and arrive in good shape. I was sick for 20 days and couldn't — but I went anyway and finished the course.

It was a unique experience, passing through mountains, a monastery, a castle, descents, climbs, stairs, dense forest, and even through the river.

Along the way, people played instruments and sang, children cheered and elders watched from their balconies — an incredible celebration.

In the end it was 14.7 km in 2:23, finishing 997th out of 1,500 participants — which for me tasted exactly like finishing first. Challenging myself to do what many judge impossible, and pushing past my limits, is the greatest victory of my life.