Bonum Cursum

The Gala Biegów Ultra in Kraków was one of the most distinctive ultra-running events in Poland, a celebration of endurance held right in the heart of the city, in Park Jordana. In 2020, it brought together runners from across the country for three challenges: the VII 12h Night Ultra Distance, the VI 6h Morning Patrol, and the II 3h Fast Trio. Everyone could find their own flavor of suffering, from a gentle morning jog to a full night of existential crisis at a steady pace.

What made this event special was its open spirit. Both seasoned club athletes and brave amateurs could take part, as long as they were at least 21 years old and in decent health, and preferably had a sense of humor. On race day, we all gathered at the event headquarters by the 3 Maja entrance to Park Jordana, where we collected our bibs, timing chips, and, figuratively speaking, our last bits of sanity.

The course was a loop of about 1.1 kilometers. It sounded innocent enough, just some asphalt, some trees, and a few street lamps. But after a few hours, that same simple loop turned into a mental battlefield. Running through the night gave the park a whole new character, filled with quiet, dim lights, rustling leaves, and the endless rhythm of footsteps. It wasn’t just a run anymore. It became moving meditation, mixed with fatigue, self-doubt, and a pinch of absurdity.

Each lap felt like both a small victory and a polite reminder that there were still countless laps to go. Fatigue set in, the mind wandered, and internal monologues grew increasingly philosophical. Why am I doing this? Is this still fun? Do my shoes even exist? And yet, through all that, there was something magical about the night. The silent understanding between runners, the nods of encouragement, the volunteers cheering with genuine warmth, and the shared feeling of “we’re all in this together, for some reason.”

It was a race against time, against the limits of body and mind, and sometimes against the overwhelming temptation to just lie down on the grass and call it a day. Still, every lap brought me closer to that quiet triumph only ultra runners know, the feeling that endurance itself is the reward.

Sadly, the Ultra Running Gala no longer exists in this form. It once brought together Kraków’s running community with unmatched passion, but now it’s just a memory. Yet for those of us who ran those long hours in Park Jordana, the event lives on as a reminder that true endurance doesn’t always need mountains or wilderness. Sometimes, the hardest battles are fought in circles under city lights, with the world asleep around you and only your own heartbeat for company.

P.S. Speaking of battles, my crew was kindly handing me cookies during the race to “keep my energy up.” The problem was, I wasn’t exactly in the mood for cookies after eight hours of running, so I started leaving them on the next aid table each lap, like a secret cookie relay. By the end of the race, my little scheme was discovered, and the organizers made me officially eat them all in front of everyone after the finish. Turns out the true endurance test wasn’t twelve hours of running, it was those last few cookies.