21/06/2026
Trail 100 Andorra by UTMB®️ by UTMB, Dist: 108.2 km | Elev. gain: 6,937 m+, Time: 22h 08min; 1st🥇among the Polish 🇵🇱 runners (7) | Cat: 19th | OPEN: 122nd (out of 650)
You don’t often get the chance to run around an entire country, but that’s exactly what Trail100 Andorra offers - to run the perimeter of this beautiful tax-haven microstate that lies right in the heart of the Pyrenees mountains🏔️
Andorra100 is considered one of the two toughest 100K races in the entire UTMB series. Not only are the climbs& descents brutal, incredibly steep and highly technical - I used poles for about 90% of the race - but daytime temperatures rise above 30°C, while nights become very cold. This year, 40% of participants failed to finish the 100K race. In addition, about half of the course runs at or above 2,000m of elevation, so without specific preparation for altitude, heat and vertical movement, a good performance is virtually impossible. Many thanks to Piotr Kamiński coach for great help in hypoxia training at DCS Polana Jakuszycka im. Juliana Gozdowskiego 🙏
The race came with its share of adventures. At one point, a herd of horses blocked the trail on a narrow path, and since there was a foal among them, we had to carefully go around them. We also crossed - unfortunately in the dark - the famous Tibetan Bridge, the second-longest Tibetan-style suspension bridge in the world. One of the most remarkable experiences came late in the race, when I was running alone at night in a place completely away from civilization, surrounded by absolute silence. Incredible feeling!
During the first part of the race, I struggled with stomach issues. Fortunately, salty broth with rice and staying on top of hydration, gels, and electrolytes from the very beginning worked wonders.
My mantra for this race was: YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR LEGS AT THE LAST SECTION - thanks Ian Lye 🙏
So the key, was pacing the race in a way that wouldn’t destroy my quads on the descents and would leave enough energy for the second half and the finish. That strategy paid off, as I continued moving up the overall standings throughout the latter stages of the race and basically ran the last 12K non-stop.
Continued in the comments👇
