Who am I?

This is already a philosophical question. And that brings us a little closer to the answer: I'm Pascale Worré, a passionate ultra runner and philosopher. What does that mean and what does it say about myself? I'll just start very simply, the rest can certainly be explored by reading the articles.

I live in Luxembourg, a small country bordering Germany, France and Belgium. Even as a child I was looking for a certain "truth", I always wanted to know why the world and human beings are the way they are, and why there is suffering, joy, love and death. These are just a few examples of questions, there were many in my head.

These questions remained even as a young adult. I sought answers in philosophical and literary texts, and studied German language, literature and philosophy at the University in Heidelberg. In the year 2012 I started my PhD. in philosophy. Around the time I started writing my thesis, I also started running. And running changed my view of the world, of nature, of life, and it shook my previous views. Running also gave me a new perspective on myself and on what I used to call "truth". And my understanding of philosophy also became different, at least the kind of philosophy that is often taught by studied philosophers and in universities.

When I started running in 2012, I quickly realised that the longer distances appealed to me. I saw a report on "ultra runs", i.e. runs that exceed the marathon distance of 42.195km. There are no upper limit and different variations are possible: 100-kilometre races, 100-mile races (160km), stage races, 24-hour runs, Backyard Ultras… Most of these races take place on trails. I was absolutely fascinated  by these type of runs. Running through nature for hours and days, often in extraordinary conditions and challenging terrain, seemed impossible to me on the one hand, but at the same time I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do: To explore the world by running through it. At the time, I couldn't even imagine what it would feel like or what it would do to me. 

There are so many reasons why people run or don't run. And everyone should find out and live their own reasons. I've often asked myself why I run. I think I have found an answer. But maybe the "why?" is not as elementary as its effects and influences.

Enjoy exploring!