In the Zone

Thomas Van Woensel: inside the Barkley marathons with a (Barkley) virgin

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Thomas inspired me to go on my run across Belgium.

 

So, when I heard he was going to be part of Barkley, I just couldn't wait to hear everything about his experience.

 

I thought I knew a thing or 2 about the race. I've probably watched every Barkley documentary out there.

 

So, I was shocked to hear it's so much more intense than I thought it was:

  • Sliding down hills & falling trees
  • Memorizing the course while keeping up with the veterans
  • Trying to get your calories in while scrambling up and down constantly
  • Going from freezing cold to sweating your ass off
  • 2 water stops on a 12h-loop

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    And I could make the list much longer.

     

    Needless to say, this was a fascinating conversation, where we talked about:

    • How Thomas prepared Barkley in the Swiss Alps
    • How he experienced the race
    • Why the race is so hard to finish
    • What he'd do differently
    • What's next on his horizon

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      He didn't inspire me (yet) to make an attempt at Barkley myself. But he did inspire me (again) to just go after the goals I care about, however silly other people think it might sound.

       

      Thanks for the inspiration, once again, Thomas!

       

      And to you, reader, I wish you a joyful and insightful episode!

       

      P.S. Thomas is currently running his way across the Canarian Islands with @runthemarenostrum. So, I hope he gets to see this!


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      In the ZoneBy Kobe Blondeel