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‘I’ve Never Cried So Much On A Run’: Maltese Ultra-Runner Completes Whopping 365km Run Across Sicily

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Maltese ultra-runner Steve Sammut Nurminen successfully completed a whopping 365km run across Sicily over the weekend – a feat never done before by any Maltese citizen.

One can only imagine the great mental and physical strength one needs to complete such a challenge, which took Steve exactly 70 hours to complete.

Speaking with Lovin Malta, Steve expressed that he’s never cried so much during a run, especially during the final 30km, which proved to be the hardest.

“The first 100km was quite hard, as it consisted of a lot of uphills and especially as we headed into Saturday late morning as it got extremely warm,” Steve recounted.

“From 150km onwards I started to feel a burning sensation in both my feet which only got worse with time. The Physio managed it at times but towards the end of the run, it became quite unbearable. The last 30km were excruciating, I’ve never cried so much on a run.”

Throughout the 70-hour challenge, Steve only slept a total of two hours, which also started to take its toll towards the end. 

“It didn’t make sense to get any sleep though as I was nearing the end so I wanted to keep moving forward as much as possible without getting too comfortable.”

“At the 30km-from-the-end mark, my mind completely shut down as it realised that we were close to the end and I started to feel all of the pain which I had been trying hard to ignore for the previous 150km-200km – my feet being the worst.”

“It literally felt like I was barefoot running on hot coal (not that I know what that feels like).”

“The last 5km felt like they were never-ending – I was actually convinced that my tracking device stopped working, not realising that I was moving at a much slower pace than previously. This really messed with my mind.”

Of course, one can only begin to imagine the wave of emotions upon completing such a challenge.  

“When I got to the end, It was very emotional – of course, I was extremely happy to have completed the challenge, I don’t think it has actually sunk in yet, to be honest. All of the hours of training and preparation were rewarded,” he said.

“Then of course there is the fact that I had not managed to complete this challenge last July, it made it that much sweeter of course – in fact, the thought of not managing it a second time was one of the things which kept me moving forward during the toughest moments.”

“Also, seeing the support I received and continue to receive is just super overwhelming and I feel a sense of accomplishment as we get closer to reaching our target of collecting 2,000 meals for the OFM soup kitchen,” he said.

For those who would like to donate to the cause and support Steve, you can follow the donation page here.

Well done Steve for completing the challenge! 

READ NEXT: Watch: Late Night Collision Between Cab And Mini In Baħar Iċ-Ċagħaq

Sasha is a writer, creator, and podcast host interested in environmental matters, humans, and art. Some know her as Sasha tas-Sigar. Inspired by nature and the changing world. Follow her on Instagram at @saaxhaa and send her your stories at [email protected]

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