Last week I started and finished Piatra Craiului Marathon for the 3rd time, but my result was affected by a cold that made it hard to keep a steady pace on the climbs.
Piatra Craiului isn’t like other trail marathons. It’s the oldest trail race in Romania, and the toughest. The route has steep, rocky, technical sections, most of them on the descents. It’s a race that brings together some of the best amateur runners alongside the pros. I first ran it in 2019 and then again in 2023, and neither went too well for me. All 3 race results are logged within RunningLog.
In 2019 the temperatures were low (roughly 7°C at the start and 0°C on the ridge), the weather was foggy, and the course was still wet from the previous day’s rain. I made the mistake of starting in shorts and a t-shirt, which worked fine until the top of the first climb (km 16). From there I started losing heat, moving slowly over the steep technical sections on the descent to the Spirlea refuge. I managed to finish, but my pace suffered in the second half because my body had gotten cold.
I came back in 2023, ready to push the pace. This time the weather was good, maybe even too warm on the sun-exposed sections, and I started with minimal gear and only one 500ml flask. Again, the strategy worked until the top of the first climb, which I reached together with runners who went on to finish in around 5 hours. Then, on the descent and the second climb, I started to feel dehydrated, had to fend off cramps in my right calf, and my pace faded. I still crossed the finish line in roughly 6 hours.
Back to last week’s race: the weather was somewhere in between my two previous editions, close to perfect. This time I started with my hydration vest and two 500ml flasks, made sure to eat enough on course, and started a little slower to save energy for later. However, as the race went on and I reached the first climb, it was clear my effort on the climb wasn’t good. I kept pushing as hard as I could, but it wasn’t my day. That was confirmed the next day, when the cold symptoms showed up. I had run the race while still asymptomatic.
I want to come back to Piatra Craiului Marathon and run it without having to deal with any issues. Right now I’m not sure if that will happen next year, since I’m still deciding which races I’ll do in 2027.
