Still running on post-race adrenaline, I wanted to share some impressions from yesterday’s Korba Poznańska marathon, a one-day gravel race covering 180 km around Poznań, mostly off-road and over fairly flat terrain.

I have to admit, I’ve always been pretty far from the world of sports, so this has all been a brand-new experience for me. This was only my second marathon ever, and the first one I approached somewhat seriously, with semi-regular training and some actual bike prep.

I submitted my application sometime back in winter, and the closer race day got, the more anxious I felt. And, as luck would have it, everything that could go wrong in the days before the start did go wrong.
First, while riding one of the course sections, a steep downhill with big rocks, I punctured a tire and bent the rim. Then, two days before the race, I made a dumb mistake and crashed hard on the Warta path. Skidded half a meter across the asphalt. Ended up with a swollen thumb (nearly twice the size of the other), scraped knee, elbow, and fingers on my right hand. But the worst part was falling on a cleaning spray can in my backpack, I took a solid hit to the ribs.

I don’t know why, but my wife has asked me several times if I believe in signs. Still, I decided to start the race, but left all my tools and pump behind. On the one side, every gram has a value, on the other hand, on the other, with my hands in that shape, I wouldn’t have been able to fix anything anyway.

The day before the race, last-minute prep took longer than expected, and I only managed about 4.5 hours of sleep, but as soon as I heard alarm in the morning, it took fifteen minutes for coffee and I went through empty streets lit by sunrise. Just that moment alone was worth it. I caught myself thinking that sunrise in the city feels more magical than sunset.

We started as a trio, Vlad, Egor, and me. Optimism faded with each kilometer. Egor and I reached the first pit stop about 15 minutes ahead of Vlad, who had to get some medical attention. After 130km, we stopped trying to ride at the same pace. Everyone hits the wall differently and needs different recovery breaks.

At kilometer 150, in Wielkopolski National Park, a guy and a girl overtook me, which gave me a little competitive boost. I picked up speed on another rocky descent, heard a thud from behind, and suddenly the ride turned rough.

That was already my fifth damaged TPU during the season. The last argument to switch to tubeless.

So, I had no tools to repair, no tube to replace, and it still over 25km to go. I called the organizers, and they said there’s little they could do in such situation.

Then, by pure luck, Adam, a guy I’d ridden with earlier, passed by. His hand and knee were bandaged. He had crashed on a concrete slab, and with worse consequences than me a few days ago: his helmet cracked. When medics arrived, they helped him but disqualified him from the race (riding with a broken helmet isn’t allowed).

Instead of giving up he continued the race and stopped to ask what was wrong, quickly realized I was stuck, and helped me take the wheel apart and change the tube. One of the other riders left us a pump. Whether it was from fatigue or because the pump couldn’t handle high pressure, I only managed to inflate the tire to about 60% and continued the race. Unless there was one more issue: speed switcher link popped out. Fortunately, it got stuck on the second smallest gear which pushed me ride even harder.

So I finished the last stretch basically riding single-speed, battling every climb and sandy track.

Total time: 9:49, moving time: 8:23, and average speed: 21km/h.

In comparison, the best result was 5:46, which is as far away from me as Mars.

What was particularly impressive to me is the very healthy competition atmosphere. Even a bit idealistic. Even though the result is important to everyone, in case of problems, everyone will ask what they can do to help, cheer up, share what you need. The feeling of being part of it is amazing!

At the end, I understood why it’s called a party: there was a truly positive, festive atmosphere all around: music, jokes from the commentator, short interviews, food, snacks, drinks. The faces you passed on the track now seemed familiar, all united by a shared experience.

Final thoughts: If you love the feeling that cycling gives you, I wholeheartedly recommend trying an event like this. One way or another, it will be unforgettable!