In the early hours of Monday morning, athlete Stephen Sammut Nurminen had been on his feet for 63 hours and had run a distance of over 240km along the Sicilian coast.
He still had another 125km to cover to complete his challenge, and at 2.30am he had a difficult decision to make.
“I had spent the last few hours walking barefoot and the pain in my feet was something I never experienced,” Sammut Nurminen told Times of Malta.
“It would have been a much easier decision to stop the challenge if I was ‘broken’ mentally, but I was there 100 per cent, it was my body which couldn’t keep going.”
On Friday of last week, the 36-year-old ultrarunner began his toughest challenge to date, his attempt to run 365km across Sicily. Things started off badly, however.
“Twenty minutes before I started the run, I realised my second pair of running shoes and my medical bag were left behind,” he said.
Despite the bumpy start, Sammut Nurminen was off. But it wasn’t long before the intense Sicilian heat proved too much. At the 40km mark, he fainted.
He then decided to run most of the route at night, to avoid the heat. He would only have brief ‘mini-naps’ which would last between 10 to 30 minutes.
Despite all this, the “unbearable” pain in his feet was too much. “My feet were on fire, it was like standing on hot charcoal,” he said.
“I tried to push on past the pain. My physio was there helping me, massaging my feet and legs, but my feet were covered in bruises and blood. My toes were a mess, one was even broken.”
I’m not disappointed, and I don’t see failure because through this run I have learned a great deal and can be more prepared for my next challenge- Ultrarunner Stephen Sammut Nurminen
It was finally on Monday, exhausted, feet full of blisters, legs chafed, he decided to stop the challenge.
“I’m not disappointed, and I don’t see failure because through this run I have learned a great deal and can be more prepared for my next challenge,” he said.
After a few days’ rest, he’s already back to his training regime for an 80km race in Turkey in three weeks’ time, keeping in mind all the lessons he learned.
Also, Sammut Nurminen took up the challenge to raise €10,000 for NGO Dr Klown. He has so far collected over €5,800 and people can still send in their donations.
Donations can be sent through the GoFundMe page, or Revolut +356 7902 3975 or BOV App +356 9945 0718.