Alexander Kovalev, a Pskovian, began to run in order to increase the endurance that was required in martial arts. For several years he ran 10-15 km, and then he took part in the half marathon and his distances became much longer. 50, 100, 200 km without long sleep and rest is far from the limit of its capabilities. At the end of July, Alexander took part in the knockout race, where he ran 207 km. Now he is preparing for the Elton Ultra marathon, in which he will have to overcome a distance of 220 km, and he dreams of participating in the extreme ERMAKXTRI Triathlon, where he will have to swim, ride a bike and run 226 km every day for five days. AiF-Pskov asked Alexander about his hobby.

Endless kilometers

— You have just returned from the Biotropika (BUT) elimination race, which took place in the Leningrad region. What it is?

— This is a somewhat modified version of the Backyard Ultra race, it came to us from America. It was based on the Backyard rules, but added a division into age groups, and into men and women. I myself learned about these competitions not so long ago. I know that they have already been held in Russia several times, literally in May they were held in St. Petersburg.

— Are such races considered extreme sports?

— No. Anyone can participate in them. There are no restrictions. An athlete who is just starting to run can see how many laps he can run. The rules are simple: participants run in a circle 6.7 km long, those who do not have time to cover the distance in 1 hour are eliminated. Every hour a new start begins — and so on until one of the most enduring participants remains. He becomes the winner.

— You have run more than 200 km — this is 31 laps, which means 31 hours. 31 hours without a break?

— There were breaks. I ran the lap in 40-45 minutes. Tried different tempos, wanted to see what would come of it. I ran this distance in 30 minutes and 50 minutes, but I realized that for me the best option is 40-45 minutes. I had 15-20 minutes to rest, which is quite optimal, because if you rest for a long time, then it’s harder to start a new circle later. Well, if you run without rest at all, then you run out of breath faster.

— In your group you took second place. How many laps did the winner run?

— I was overtaken by the race leader Vasily Korytkin from the Kemerovo region. He also set a new Russian record — 46 hours, that is, 46 laps or 308 km. And this is far from the limit.

— After you left the race, it turns out that he ran them alone?

— No, according to the rules of the competition, one person cannot run more than one lap. He competed with Irina Masanova — the only girl who came out on the second day. She ran 45 laps with him, thus taking first place in her group. According to the Backyard rules, there can be only one winner, and according to the BUT rules, there can be two, among men and women. Vasily became the absolute winner.

Running 24 on 7

— What are your impressions of the race?

— In three weeks I am taking part in the Elton Ultra race, which takes place in the Volgograd region, so the purpose of my participation in the elimination race was to test my psychological endurance. I am happy with the result, everything worked out. The only problem I have is with my stomach, I need to work on it.

— How to prepare for such a race? How not to sleep?

— In fact, there are many ways, one of them is to train microsleep, fall asleep for 5-10 minutes. You go into yourself as much as possible and disconnect from everything. I have not practiced this technique before these competitions. And at the race I began to use it from the fifth lap, although I felt very good at that time. But I expected that I would have to run for two days, and maybe even more. After the 30th lap — and it was already a day and six hours — I did not want to sleep at all, I was ready to continue running, but, as I already said, due to stomach problems, I could not fully realize my potential.

— Did you eat during the race?

— Yes, there is a must. The food is the most ordinary, plus sports nutrition — various gels, cereals, sweet carbonated drinks help out a lot.

Do you need any special diet before the race?

— I prefer not to eat or drink for a couple of days.

— It does not deprive you of strength?

— No. After all, I do it not a day or three before the competition, but a week and a half. I starve for about three days, and then I eat mostly liquid food, for example, cereals.

— Does the body need some kind of recovery after such long runs?

— Certainly. It is necessary to assess the state of the body, how clogged the muscles are, and proceed from this. Swimming helps me a lot, for 3-4 days after such races I swim at a calm pace. Luckily, my body recovers pretty quickly.

— Is this your first experience of running such a long distance?

— Yes. Prior to that, I ran a day in Cherepovets, ran 221 km, completing CMS. But there are other rules. There are no restrictions, there is only a day and you — as much as you can run, so much you run. At the same time, you can relax and even sleep during this time.

— Are you going to participate in knockout races?

Yes, I’m aiming for it. Next year, on May 28, Backyard should be held in St. Petersburg and I intend to run there for at least two days.

— In the last race you were one of the Pskov region?

— No, there was another Pskovian, he, along with me, is a member of the Dikiye community. This community is essentially my support group. And Wild Trails — free weekly trail runs in different wild locations for different levels of training in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Sochi, Pskov and Saratov. Everyone who wants to gather on Sunday at 8 am, go to nature and run through the forest for 10-15 km, communicate, share experiences. Usually, to get to the place, you need to overcome another 20-30 km. I usually run this distance. My comrade Alexander Yermolin is running with me. Together with him we went to the Biotropika (BUT). True, due to injury, he was able to run only 10 laps.

Hear your body

— Alexander, how long have you been running?

— Since childhood. Even at school, I was constantly sent to various competitions, however, I had to run short distances, but I really did not like them. And I didn’t like running at all. After school, he began to run to develop the endurance necessary in the martial arts he was engaged in. Started with 5 km. Until 2016-2017, I ran about 10-15 km, and in 2017 I took part in the Pskov half marathon for the first time and something inside clicked, I began to look for the next starts. Only in May he took part in four half-marathons, in July he ran a marathon in St. Petersburg in 3 hours and 8 minutes. And then everything went on the rise: the first 50 km, the first 100 km.

I ran my 100 km at the Elton Ultra marathon — the only ultramarathon in Russia in the semi-desert zone. This distance has become a breakthrough for me. It was quite difficult: during the day the thermometer can rise to 50 degrees, and at night, on the contrary, it can be very cold. At a distance, I switched off several times, but when I finished, I realized that I still want to experience something similar. Such a run he reboots. After him, you look at some things differently. Last year I ran Elton Ultra 200 km, took 4th place there, now I am also preparing to run this marathon.

— 200 km is also not the limit?

— Of course not. I set myself goals that motivate me to constantly keep myself in shape. I set myself goals that motivate me to constantly keep myself in shape.

— How do you choose events for yourself?

— I look at what the participants write about the races, if I light up, then I will definitely participate.

— Do you need to be in good health to run such distances?

— To participate in all such competitions, a medical certificate is required, they check the heart, the absence of serious diseases. But during the training I learned to listen to my body and I know when to see a doctor and when not. I can identify the problem myself.

— How much do you train?

— Running such distances, you need to include running in your life. After work, sometimes you get tired and it’s not always possible to run, so I run to work. My working day starts at 7 am, I get up at 5 and go to work by 7. Sometimes I can replace running with cycling or swimming.

— Do you train by yourself or under the guidance of a coach?

— Alone, yes. I initially had a trainer who gave me basic knowledge, told me how to listen to my body. And then I just realized that it’s easier for me myself. Because, let’s say, I saw some starts somewhere and I want to participate there, but according to the program drawn up by the coach, I am supposed to recover during this period.

— You have quite a wealth of experience, is it enough for you to overcome such distances?

— No, not enough. Just at the last competitions, I realized that I still need to study nutrition. I never ran for more than a day, but then I had to run much more and faced the fact that the food was not digested, because of this I could not continue the race. In the same place, I talked to guys who are more experienced than me on this topic, they suggested different options for solving the problem, I will try.

— Do you have a lot of medals in your piggy bank?

— I have more than 100 medals and a dozen cups — these are prizes. I’ve been doing this for a long time, only for the last year. I set myself the goal of participating in the extreme ERMAKXTRI Triathlon, which takes place in Siberia. For five days, it is necessary to overcome 226 km: 3.8 km to swim, 180 km to ride a bike and 42 km to run. This goal inspires me to run fifty kilometers in any free time or ride a bicycle from Pskov to St. Petersburg.