Piatra Craiului Marathon is the oldest continuous running event organized in Romania, as I am aware of, at least. Dated back in 2006, in 2023 it had registered its 16th edition, because the ones from 2020 and 2021 were cancelled, mostly because of the pandemic. Now, about this one, I’ve heard around 2018 and I have been informed it is a very though mountain run. Wanted to attend in 2019, but then I was only one week away from the Berlin Marathon so I didn’t find it proper for my body to go and decided to wait. That year was the darkest one from the history of Piatra Craiului Marathon, as two runners died, falling on a very steep descent. Among the pandemic, this was one of the tragic reasons that forced, maybe, the event to be put on hold for two years. Now, the tribute taken by the nature consolidated the reputation of this mighty mountain run. However, I have decided to be part there, whenever ready. Now, the event doesn’t have a huge advertisement, the reputation is enough. But then, in 2022, I found out that it will restart, but didn’t know when.
Piatra Craiului Marathon, meant to be for me in 2022
Normally, Piatra Craiului Marathon, as of tradition, it is held in the first weekend of October and, unfortunately for me, that weekend would have been 1-2 October, when I was relaxing in Madeira and Marseille still. In the end, my luck played some role and it was decided to put the run in the calendar under the 8th of October date. I will be there! Now, my fear was still there, of the unknown, of the stories – including one from the 2017 edition, when snow and cold made everything even harder – but I have now plenty of experience, as I have tried to attend 2×2, did only 28 kilometers from the total of 42, but… it helped me gain experience. So how is Piatra Craiului Marathon really like? Is it that though? After my second edition, in 2023, I am entitled to make not only a comparison based on my own “performances”, but also to asses, in some way, the difficulty of the circuit.
Honestly speaking, after attending 2×2 and x2, I cannot compare MPC with that. I mean, I would split, the run into three:
- Up to kilometer 16
- Kilometer 16 – 22
- Beyond kilometer 22
The most complicated part of the race
It might look superficial, but it is really not. Actually, the seven kilometer portion between kilometer 16 and 22 is the core of difficulty for the mighty run. There, you are climbing to the highest peak of the trail, and end up descending on a very, very, very dangerous area, with many ropes to hold on, with Marele Grohotis, a 2-3 kilometer segment composed of a moving part of many small rocks and so on. This is the essence of the race and, truth being said, having 7 kilometers at this level, can definitely help in getting such a reputation, of a very hard mountain race. And don’t get me wrong, it really is. The only thing I want to mention is that, apart from these kilometers, everything is quite steady if you have a good stamina, it is something that can be met in almost all other mountain races from Romania.
Diana is hard, but not dangerous
“What about Diana?”, some might ask. OK, Diana Climb is the portion from kilometer 27 to 30, with the highest part at 28 and 29, a brutal climb, in fact, which for many, exhausted after already doing 27 kilometers can be very challenging. However, this happens, mostly, for those who are not very well trained, and this is a problem I am seeing at many mountain marathons in Romania, that some people should just do more before attending. Diana Climb can be exhausting, indeed, but it doesn’t have anything dangerous. I use it to relax a bit, to take step by step, and to detach from running. I am not a mountain guy, because I don’t go hiking at all, so if I can find this acceptable, then anybody, who has some cardio training, should!
What happened in 2023 comparing to 2022 with my performance at Piatra Craiului Marathon?
I don’t find it difficult, but I was very intrigued that my final time was 24 minutes slower than last year! 2023 vs. 2022. I was furious when I saw I am significantly of my track and even pissed off. I don’t have an answer for the reason. The weather was perfect, a bit sunny, but we had a lot of shade on our way – almost everywhere – and where it wasn’t, the temperatures were more than decent. I don’t have any excuse, even though, I saw, at the end, that 45 people abandoned on the track, comparing to zero last year. Something was happening, as the winner, also, came along around eight minutes later. This has an explanation, as he was 10 minutes away from second place and this supported a more steady rhythm. For me, no serious excuse. I was in good shape, the weather perfect and… maybe I was just too relaxed. It is a lesson learned for next year, to have a rough objective, based on numbers and strategy, not just on the feeling that I should do better, because I know the path and I am in a good state.
The vibe of the event
Truth being said, after putting the run numbers from 2023 to the ones from 2022 next to each other, the main cause of my counter performance was the slower time for almost each kilometer of the race. There you go, a real reason: I was literally slower and I didn’t realize that until it was too late. So, in this case, I said to myself that, for next year, 2024, I will set a goal and if I cannot fulfil it, which is to go at least below 7 hours, then three time is more than enough for Piatra Craiului Marathon! Actually, wearing a pulse belt showed me that my heart beat was lower this year, with around two beats / minute – you can see in the comparison below – and my calories burn was almost 10% higher, which looks a bit odd, since the effort, at least in essence, was milder this time. Whatever, in the end these are just numbers, my frustration is gone and everything that matters now is the experience gained and fulfilled!
The vibe of the Piatra Craiului Marathon
Speaking about the experience, what about the competition itself? I was mentioning that, from my knowledge, it is the oldest continuous running event in Romania. Indeed, the organizer’s approach is… catchy! Last year, in 2022, I was a bit pissed off because I didn’t get my shirt and medal at the end so I needed to wait until the end of the day, actually quite late during the night, to be awarded, on a stage, with all the other competitors. Tried to skip this and did partially, this year, but at the end, the procedure was the same and, in the end, I need to recognize its charm. One more thing… we didn’t get a finisher medal in 2023! At least, not a conventional one. We did get a book, though, with a customized mark which, in the end, I find it as a very interesting idea, even I am not 100% in agreement with it. Because, hey!, in the end, most of us participate for that piece of thing put around our neck at the end.
Still, the idea to offer books about mountain climbing is not a bad one. Because, apart from the prize, we had a book every time in the starter kit and I have already three. Maybe in 2024 they can switch to a mountain running book, instead of a mountain climbing one, many of us like mountain running more, but, in the end, the organizers will decide. I highly recommend this race and I like almost everything at the atmosphere in Zărnești, especially I have already a bound with the place, from the days when I have attended the Zărnești Challenge races, in the other side of the village.
Photo source: wikipedia.org