Challenge Accepted!

It’s official: T-231 days until the potential adventure of a lifetime… yet again.

You might say holding onto unfinished business might seem like stubbornness or even a bruised ego. Maybe you are right. But isn’t it precisely that stubborn resolve that keeps us growing? I’ve realized that the idea of ‚closing the gap‘ in 2025 isn’t just about ticking off races or seeking closure – although this is also part of it. It’s always about entering and honoring the journey – putting yourself into a position in the first place to attempt slighlty out-of-the-comfort-zone stuff.

I must admit, each challenge faced and each race still unfinished has left a mark, and maybe that’s not something to be ashamed of. However, I am also really bad at leaving business unfinished. So, there are two races I would love to conquer next year. And the dices are thrown early, if it could play out for the first one: SWISSMAN 2025. With my ballot entry in, I find myself standing once more at the mental starting line, where – in case of admission – excitement and dread have daily coffee dates, both trying to out-caffeinate each other.

And let’s not forget the physical starting line – yes, that one too. After my SWISSMAN 2024 effort, I was determined to keep my fitness up. I’d finally clawed my way back to a state I’d generously call “in shape” (though there’s always room for improvement). My dream was to glide into winter with some leftover VO2-max magic, ready to take on my favorite cross-country ski races like a well-tuned snow machine.

But, as life often does, it decided to dropkick my plans. Starting on the 1st of September, I embarked on a whirlwind romance with a series of infections that took my body on a feverish roller coaster ride, peaking at 40°C for nearly a week. When antibiotics couldn’t even make a dent, it got… let’s just say, spicy. Looking back, I’d chalk it up to a cocktail of bad luck, bad timing, and a few misbehaving lab results.

Round three of antibiotics finally did the trick – this time, Amoxicillin on the rocks, served intravenously. Between a persistent bladder infection, a delightful case of adrenitis, and pneumonia to top things off, my fitness level got shredded faster than race bibs at the finish line. But hey, I like to think that my pre-illness fitness at least gave me a fighting chance.

Of course, the nerd in me couldn’t resist calculating the energy my body burned just by running this sustained fever. The result? I could’ve run the UTMB main course – all 170 km of it – twice. And yes, with the elevation gain. If only lying in bed had finish lines, am I right?

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

S. Beckett

So here I am, starting the countdown once again. My mind is already racing—plotting routes, envisioning summits, and crossing my fingers for a lucky ballot draw. Yet at the same time, I’m easing back into training, finding joy in the simple progress of not getting winded on the first flight of stairs.

If it were up to me, we’d start New Year’s resolutions early, with my plans already laid out. Here’s to the suspense, the renewed sense of hope, and the thrill of resetting the adventure clock.