As experienced in 8+ hour races, at the beginning of 2014 I received an offer to be the director of the pilot project of the Croatian race Wings for Life World Run. Since I was still an Ironman PRO at the time, so i chose the promotion function that I still do today, eight years later.
These are my five details from “Wings” that you probably didn’t know about.
The format of the race was 100 kilometers and we were thinking about refreshments after Šibenik, almost 90 kilometers away from the start in Zadar. Every year after that, the race was supposed to go to another city and this was the most demanding “run project” in Croatia at that time.
In 2015, I wanted to win the race so badly that I had to give up due to exhaustion and dehydration. It was a big defeat for me, because I ran for my sick dad who always wanted me to win. That same year, I finished my IRONMAN PRO career with eighth place at Ironman Austria. After the race, due to fatigue, i I couldn’t join in RTL Direct studio with Zoran Šprajc. I am very sorry today to miss the opportunity to share my last Ironman race thoughts with public.
The coldest, but for me the most beautiful press meeting, was held in the precious church of St. Donat in Zadar, where the international director of the race Colin Jackson was also present. The temperature in the room was barely 12 C, but we were warmed by enthusiasm and positivity. Already in 2014, the project had over 3,000 applicants.
On the morning of the Wings for Life World Run in Zadar 2016 (the year I won the Zadar edition of Wings) I ate three boiled eggs instead my usual prerace oatmeal. I started the race far behind, which was perfectly fine, since I had no pretension to the first place :). Rest ist History!
In 2020, due to pandemic, we ran through the app. I ran “solo” in the UNESCO-protected Ager in Stari Grad on the island of Hvar. I lay in the field most of the time picking lavender and it was only here and there that the harmony and serene silence of the “lockdown” would be interrupted by the voice from the application – “… you are amazing, keep going …”.
This 2021, I will run in my city of Samobor with my fellow citizens. Run with us for those who can’t – sign up today at WingsforLifeWorldrun.com.
