The story began in winter, when I came across a post on a community portal about a trail marathon being organized in Szár (Saar).

I didn’t feel well-prepared for a full marathon, so I chose the shorter distance instead — 13.37 km in total. Although I had no experience running on trails, I had done a lot of hiking in the forest and countryside, so I felt confident enough to try.

On the morning of the race — a Sunday — I had to wake up quite early, around 5 a.m. But that didn’t bother me; I was motivated and excited. I got in my car and hit the road. About 10 km before reaching the starting point, I saw a hitchhiker. He turned out to be a fellow runner, so I picked him up. I thought to myself, What a crazy guy! — but hey, trail runners are a special breed.

We arrived on time and got ready to start. Since it was my first time running this event, I didn’t know the route very well. At one point, I missed a turn and ended up getting lost. A few other runners had followed me, and we soon realized something wasn’t right.

After a few anxious moments — and a bit of adventure — we finally found a trail that led us back on the correct path. I’m still not sure how we managed to find it, but in the end, we finished the race. And of course, I learned some valuable lessons:

• Always plan your travel well to ensure you arrive on time, no matter what.

• Always give yourself time to get familiar with the race route beforehand.

• Always carry a small snack — it can make a big difference.

• Always have a GPS device or at least a cell phone with you.

There’s a video recording from the event — feel free to watch it here.