She had done her homework. The running rucksack was filled with snacks, the legs were trained and the equipment was in place. Still, it wasn’t until Saturday morning at 6 o’clock on July 3 that reality hit Mara Krebs: She had to run the 100 kilometers from Nuuk to Kapisillit. And not only that, she had to do it in one day.
The plan was for her to run with a good colleague. However, she was injured before they reached Kobbefjord.
She had done her homework. The running rucksack was filled with snacks, the legs were trained and the equipment was in place. Still, it wasn’t until Saturday morning at 6 o’clock on July 3 that reality hit Mara Krebs: She had to run the 100 kilometers from Nuuk to Kapisillit. And not only that, she had to do it in one day.
The plan was for her to run with a good colleague. However, she was injured before they reached Kobbefjord.
– We had to slow down, and in the end we couldn’t see the others at all, says Mara Krebs.
Mara Krebs recorded a video diary of the race along the way. From here is the first part of the trip.
The colleague is picked up by a boat, and Mara Krebs takes over some of her food. By evening she reaches the Qassi glacier, now on her own.
– It was mega scary, says Mara Krebs. It was raining and foggy.
– My legs were a little shaky. I thought if I fall through, I don’t know where I’ll end up.
Here a thought strikes, which will follow Mara Krebs for the rest of the route. Namely, that she is completely alone.
As Friday has turned into Saturday, Mara Krebs reaches Qooqqut. It is 2-3 in the morning and she has covered almost 60 kilometers.
– I’m not feeling so well here, I’ve slipped, wiggled around and one of my poles is broken, says Mara Krebs.
To avoid further damage, she slows down. Actually, she had expected to complete the race in 24 hours, but she can see that is not going to happen.
Mara Krebs recorded a video diary of the race along the way. Here from the second part of the trip.
Over the course of the morning she reaches Aqajamerngit. Here the fog is thick and, for Mara Krebs, the route is also unknown.
– Here I can feel that I am becoming quite unsure of the route, even though I have it on my inreach.
But in the fog she can hear voices. These are the third-day runners, i.e. those who complete the route from Nuuk to Kapisillit over three days.
This must mean that she is going to the right place, concludes Mara Krebs, who follows the three-day runners as best she can now. But it is difficult to follow their pace, because at this point the body is well used.
– It’s as if the legs don’t want to run as fast as the head would like, she says.
She cries and laughs. And somewhat regrets that she has run on without her partner.
– I need someone who can move me on, or someone who I have to move on myself, she says.
Mara Krebs recorded a video diary of the race along the way. Here from the last part of the trip.
– But I am also very determined to complete the race anyway. I had to collect money (for Nanubørn, ed), and had told everyone that I was going to run. So I thought, it’s damn embarrassing if I don’t finish.
With those thoughts running through her head, Mara Krebs meets a group covering the route at walking pace.
They offer her to accompany them.
– That’s where I break down, says Mara Krebs. And indeed her pace increases.
At the pebble beach they go their separate ways. Mara Krebs is hopeful. It’s going to be fine, she thinks. But very slowly.
With about 5 kilometers to go, the tank is close to empty.
– It really hurt, and it was as if the closer I got to the finish line, the more tired I got, says Mara Krebs.
As she drags herself through, she meets another Nuukkap participant who has completed the extreme race several times.
– She looks at me and asks what do you say until I just pull you through the last part, says Mara Krebs and continues:
– There I broke down in tears. It was just what I needed.
She grabs Mara Krebs’ staff and makes her pull the last.
– She literally pulls me through the last few kilometers.
The moment she crosses the finish line, she doesn’t quite remember. She is chilled and dehydrated, and goes straight to bed.
During the 38 hours and 19 minutes that have passed since she and her colleague started the race in Nuuk, she has not slept.
After the race she doesn’t feel so well, and when she is back in Nuuk she stops by the hospital because her body is so affected.
Was it worth it?
– It wasn’t worth it to run alone. But I’m glad I did, and touched that I was met with so much care, says Mara Krebs, whose advice to future participants is not to run alone unless they’ve tried it before.
– If you have registered together, you must also go together, says Mara Krebs.
The organizers of Nuukkap, Greenland Arctic Xplorers, should probably not count on a race registration from her for next year. In return, she would like to be a volunteer and help in an emergency, she says.
– I would like to be trained as a Wilderness First Responder and learn all these survival things.
