Last Saturday, I ventured to Adegem to take part in what could be considered the toughest survival run: The Long Survivalrun in Meetjesland, an event with 27 years of history and revered as a classic. Adegem boasts a reputation that any participant can confirm – this is a run like no other…
My previous experience in Adegem ended abruptly due to stormy conditions; the race was canceled an hour after the start. This year, the organizers faced challenges again. Excessive rainfall resulted in the canal’s water level being too high, leading to the omission of water obstacles for safety reasons. While disappointing, Adegem is renowned for its plethora of obstacles, so a shortage wasn’t a concern.
The Start
On race day, surprisingly, the sun was shining, and the temperature had risen to about 12 degrees Celsius. After a warm-up and a few shirt changes – with or without a thermal shirt – I made my way to the start. The starting shot rang out. Everyone simultaneously climbed out of the container and began their race. Soon, Michael de Cooman and I took the lead. In the initial part of the race, we took turns leading.
Muddy Fields
The first section of the course would normally be fairly quick under normal circumstances; short obstacles and straight stretches, but due to the recent weeks’ rain, I sank up to my shins in the muddy fields. Today, my legs are going to have a tough time.
One of the first obstacles was a swing-over across a manure tank. I leaped from above and landed slightly wrong in the mud. I felt a twinge of pain. A sizable lump on my ankle would be my only souvenir from this run. I loosened up the pain while navigating a hurdle forest, reaching the canal. Here, the real climbing began.
Unique Obstacles
Adegem is known for its unique obstacles. Everything is knotted with rope and on ropes, making every obstacle bouncy. If you climb into them with several people, you’re guaranteed to be launched when someone else jumps out. Besides, the obstacles are quite… unique? Have you ever done a swing-over with a sandbag around your neck? Or a swing-over from a triangle? This demands some technique but mostly tests brute strength. With a slight lead, I entered this obstacle feast. A series of swing-overs, and even more combinations. This isn’t my strongest point and Michael passes me, gradually increasing his lead.
Taking a Risk
After the first set of obstacles comes a stretch of running, and I chose to close the gap. I managed this fairly swiftly. After running together for a kilometer, I took a risk: I picked up the pace. I knew there was a long stretch coming up, and I noticed that I handled it just a bit better than the competition. It’s not like I had a choice; I wasn’t going to win on these unique obstacles. I opened up a gap of about a minute. I maintained this lead for several kilometers. Further on, I lost time at a series of swing-overs. I felt Michael’s hot breath on my neck again.
The Critical Moment
Together, we headed towards the Survivalrun Meetjesland training area. Here, it started getting really tough. A series of 4 combination obstacles awaited us. Michael took the lead in these obstacles, and I tried to keep up with his pace. Perhaps not the most sensible choice because I’m unfamiliar with these obstacles and have no idea what’s coming next. I burnt myself out completely. My arms were pumped, and I fell off the last obstacle on the training ground. I retried immediately, but this attempt also failed. I saw Michael pulling away, and I felt my arms giving in.
There was a brief moment of reflection. Completing the race was possible, but it would likely become an exhausting struggle. From this point, I still had 8 kilometers to go, and I knew I would face these obstacles again. The Long Survivalrun of Hang On Run is scheduled for next week. Suddenly, the decision was crystal clear. Today wasn’t my day, and I dropped out of the race.
Reconsideration
Immediately after my decision, regret set in. The ‘what ifs’ haunted my mind. Could I still close the gap? Would I manage the obstacles at a slower pace? Realistically, the answer was probably no. There was only one way to find out, and that was to continue, but with the next week in mind, it didn’t seem wise. So, one option remains: to redo this run in the near future.
The Lessons
Was this trip to Belgium entirely for nothing? No, it was a learning experience outside my comfort zone. I take valuable lessons with me for future competitions and have some new ideas for training practice! But first, next week, our very own Hang On Run!
