In Japan, they call it a “psychoathlon”. Anyone who takes a moment to consider the scale of the event understands why. We keep it at 14- and 20-camp. Stefanie and Joris from #teamrunnerslab took on this challenge during the World Cup.
The world championships ultra multievents took place at our own country last weekend. In Turnhout to be exact. All men could compete in 20 athletic disciplines over two days. The ladies had tocompete 14 times.
The 14- and 20-camp? Say psyhoathlon!
And whether this is a hard challenge . Follow along:
100m, long jump, 200m hurdles, shot put, 5,000m, 800m, high jump, 400m, hammer throw and the 3,000m steeple. That was day one for the gentlemen.
The following day it was the 110m hurdles, discus throw, 200m, pole vault, 3,000m, 400m hurdles, javelin throw, 1,500m, triple jump and the final 10,000m. So all the ingredients to create a true battlefield at the finish line were present.
In the 14-camp, the ladies were spared the longest running numbers and the most technical camp numbers. But they did not come off easy either with 100m hurdles, high jump, 1,500m, 400m hurdles, shot put, 200m, 100m, long jump, 400m, javelin throw, 800m, 200m hurdles, discus throw and a 3,000m as the icing on the cake.
#teamrunnerslab and the hunt for the world title
An unusual sporting challenge where a world title was also at stake? There, #teamrunnerslab could not be missing. With advisor Stefanie , the 2017 world champion was once again at the start. Now, Stefanie resolutely went for the gold medal in the seniors. Joris also accepted the challenge. With him, fun and perseverance were key.
With a bag full of food and spikes, the duo headed to Turnhout. Backed by the responsiveness and speed of the adidas Prime SP , Stefanie rushed to her first win of the day in the 100m hurdles. Afterwards, many more would follow, it later turned out. On day two, tired legs decided that reactivity had to give way to suppleness and a lesser load on the short running numbers. The adidas Adizero Prime SP was thus exchanged for the adidas Adizero Finesse, but the winning didn’t stop there. From discus throw to high jump, Stefanie put it all to her hand.
Only on the longer running numbers, where the adidas Adizero Ambition provided comfort, did she clash with the competition. The competition admittedly suffered a firmer bump. They then ran against the brand new world champion in 14-champ ! With 8,758 points , she also immediately pulverized the Belgian record.
Out of the comfort zone
Joris could present less heptathlon experience than Stefanie, but was not inferior in terms of willpower . In his choice of spike , he considered stability and comfort above all. For example, for the long jump, he chose the adidas Adizero PV/TJ instead of the “LJ” spike. For shot put, hammer swing and discus throw, the smoothness of the adidas Adizero Discus/Hammer helped him turn his strength into a good throw.
Bolstered by a primal cry in the final meters of the 10,000m, he crossed the finish line Sunday night. He had completed his first ever 20-camp. As a surplus, he even got to take third on the podium in the M40. Where there is a will, there is always a way.
The right spikes for every discipline
Do you have a heptathlon or decathlon scheduled soon? Choose the right spikes to put that extra percent on the scoreboard. At Runners’ lab, you’ll find a wide range of spikes for every athletic discipline. Via the link below you can already find a part of the wide range.
Do you prefer to be assisted in your choice? Feel free to make an appointment in one of our six stores and our advisors will help you.
