The Courage To Continue Is What Counts.
- Vlad Ixel
- Ultramarathon and Trail Runner
Vlad keeps flying across the globe racing in some of the most amazing locations there are. Racking up podium finishes in the toughest of ultras, he sets goals and meets them, no matter what.
THE CHALLENGE OF THE ULTRAMARATHON is precisely what drives me—pushing your body and mind to a new high level of pain and struggle. My dad ran his first 100k race in the USSR in 1973 and I drew inspiration from that. I always knew that running a 100k race was something I’ve always wanted to do since young.
THE FINISH LINE IS one of the best things in running ultras. It’s knowing that you did everything you could to get to that finish line, despite things not going as planned. All the hard work is for that one goal of making it to the finish line.
LEADING UP TO THE ATACAMA CROSSING, A 250KM RACE, I worked really hard and placed second, but it was a little disappointing to not win. I had stomach problems the full week prior the race and I was on antibiotics. It was just disappointing to not give my everything.
MY FIRST 100K RACE was TMBT in 2013. It was amazing! The people, the course, the experience were all just amazing. It was super hard and finishing it first made it so much more special.
GOING VEGAN, to tell you the truth, is the best thing I’ve ever done. It started from finding a way to recover faster, so I gave it a try. I have not looked back since. I feel better, I sleep better—I have more energy! Also I recover faster and, above all, I’m happy.
MY TRAINING IS very mixed up. I train seven days a week and twice a day and it involves a lot of hill and stair repeats, as well as, a lot of road and trail running. Then, I do a lot of strength training using my own body weight. Yoga is a big part of my training, too.
MY LIFE AND WORK revolve around health and running, so they’re easy to balance. Luckily, my girlfriend is a yoga teacher and a runner as well, so it helps that we can train together and travel to races together.
I AM LUCKY to have The North Face as my sponsor, together with a few other companies, supporting my training and racing. I am also lucky to do a lot of coaching and help runners all over the world achieve their running and fitness goals.
MY FAVOURITE PAIR OF SHOES is The North Face Ultra Trail II. In a year, I use about 20 pairs of shoes.
EATING HEALTHY means a lot of fruits and vegetables everyday. That seems to work for me. I don’t have any specific diet. My goal after big training sessions and races is to get as much healthy food into my body as I can, and as fast as I can so I can recover faster.
ONE’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS RUNNING AN ULTRA should be: Don’t go home till you have given everything you can and always believe in yourself. Self-belief will take you half way there.
MY MAIN GOAL IN LIFE is to be happy. Running makes me happy, so that’s what I do. Maybe next week or next year, swimming will make me happy, so that’s what I will do. But right now, I’m happy to run.
TRAVELLING AROUND THE WORLD AND RACING opened my eyes and my mind to think outside the box. We can always learn something from places and people around the world. When I travel around the world, I always try to learn as much as I can to improve as a runner and a person.
WHAT KEEPS ME GOING is my set of goals. I set them and do anything in my power to get them. But my main goal is not winning races, but being happy.
COMING TO KL, I thought it would be great to do a few clinics and talk to teach the local runners some of the techniques that helped me win many trail races. I enjoy coaching so much, besides I was looking for a course for The Great Relay KL, which will take place in 2016.
THE GROWING NUMBER OF MALAYSIAN RUNNERS AND RACES improves the level of running here. It’s just a matter of time before we see Malaysian runners doing well in Europe and the USA. In my clinics here, I saw very talented ones and, I’m sure, they will have great running careers.
MY ADVICE FOR RUNNERS LOOKING TO RUN THEIR FIRST ULTRA is to get the K’s in your legs. A lot of people go into 100k races after doing a few weeks of 50k-70k a week. If it means doing very long hikes and two runs a day, then go get those K’s and time on your legs before an ultra.
