24H RUN TELEVIE SCHËTTER

24 hours - 130 kilometres - 850 euros raised. This is the "final result" after the 24h run. People often ask and talk about the performance and the results. But what is behind these numbers?

What do you think, feel and experience during such a run? 

The Télévie Schëtter 24h was my 4th run of this kind, the last 24h took place in December 2022, so just four months ago. All my past 24h runs are not official races, but we - ultra runner Claude Stiefer and I - organise them ourselves "just for fun" and then run them together. We combine this with raising money for various organisations. 

 A 24-hour race has a completely different character than (+)100km trail runs or stage races. The aim is to run as many laps (of about 3km) as possible during the 24 hours, with few breaks. During our 24h runs we were responsible for our own supplies and all our food, drinks and clothes were in a camper on a car park, so we were able to always fill our bottles, eat something or take a short rest. And that was already a challenge for me. Knowing that I could lie down in a cosy camper at any time took a lot of mental strength, especially at night when the tiredness got heavy and the temperatures dropped. I had to fight my tiredness and my lack of sleep a lot this time. I had a very busy week and on Friday I got up at 8:00. We started at 18:00, so I had been on my feet for 10 hours. I didn't really rest before the run. Another runner, Guy, started with us. He wanted to walk the 24 hours. Claude and Guy felt the same way as I did. They had also been on their feet all day, but that didn't bother us, we were all looking forward to the start and the run.

How does it feel to run the same short lap over and over again? Especially at night?

Unlike my ultra trail runs, there were no various beautiful landscapes and viewpoints. I tried to concentrate on the running itself and not on the monotony of what was around me. I looked for certain 'highlights', like the cows in the barn or the heron that stayed in the water all night. And conversations, of course, passed the time. It was a mixture of distraction and concentration. I didn't focus on the hours ahead, I focused on the present moment and just kept going. But it would be too easy if I could always do this for 24 hours. The longer the run, the more ups and downs I experienced. The challenge was to see these "downs" as temporary and not to get lost in them. And of course I enjoyed the 'ups' and those funny and fulfilling moments.

In December we ran for 24 hours in -13 degrees, which pushed our bodies to the limit. It wasn't as cold this time, but we had a heavy shower and thunderstorm right after the first lap, so we were wet from the start. During the night the temperature dropped to 3 degrees and it was very humid. This also had an effect on performance, because when you get tired, you feel cold. And again the temptation to get into the warm camper was big. But Claude and I ran all night, only taking a 20-minute break once. It wasn't until 6:00 that we decided to take a 10-minute power nap. We woke up after an hour and 20 minutes (still sitting). 

 When we started again at 7:00 after our powernap, the sun was just coming up and the sunrise was fantastic. Normally a new day gives me new strength. But I was still very tired and it took me a while to get going again. The tiredness was even worse. I had been on my feet for 23 hours, I was running for 12 hours with just an hour and 20 minutes of sleep. 

As soon as we started, we were joined by other runners who accompanied us for a few laps or even until the end. It added variety and was a great motivator. But there was also the danger of getting into a different rhythm and running "too fast" for the remaining hours. But I was able to find the right balance between "going with the flow" and conserving energy. And of course our lovely companions adapted to our snail's pace. 

At some point I lost my sense of time. The last time I was consciously aware of it was at 7:00 . We took another break to have something to eat. At that point it became more and more difficult for me to run and I walked more and more. When we had almost 120 km, I was just tired and wanted to lie down. But only for 10 minutes this time! And indeed, we only slept for 10 minutes sitting down. Claude seemed to be fit again, but I was really down. All I felt was endless tiredness and the desire to sleep. I didn't want to move. Two more hours.

How do you motivate yourself to get up and run at a moment like that?

I don't know exactly what I was thinking at that moment and what kept me going. I wrote to a friend and told her that I was at a really low point and we were chatting for a while. Our conversation distracted me and gave me an incredible amount of strength. Then I was very emotional. All sorts of emotions took turns. I wanted to cry - because I was tired, because I was happy, that it would soon be over, because I was proud of still being on my feet, because I missed my friends, because I made almost 130 km... And then I was just empty and drifted forward. Pleasantly empty and peaceful. The tiredness was also somehow gone. At least I didn't feel it anymore. The end was near, only an hour to go. My feet were hurting. But that didn't matter now. And then it started to rain again, really pouring. At that moment I pulled my hood over my head and tried to suppress any form of anger and frustration. I felt so cold and the rain was very uncomfortable and painful all over my body. But I concentrated on my movement one last time, ignoring everything around me. Soon it would be over. 

24 hours - 130 kilometres. A big smile on my face. It was a great feeling!

We crossed the finish line together with Guy, who walked the whole 24 hours and had done 108 km, and Claude's brother who had been running with us for hours. Claude and I were sure of one thing: it's time to stop doing 24-hour races for a while. We'll see who comes up with the idea of organising another 24-hour race next time.