Post by Wafflesole on Mar 9, 2017 23:48:29 GMT
We all have our goals and SkateFurther ambassador Marco Heinen (boozy ) had a special one in 2016. After conquering Cancer in 2014 he competed in his first real long-distance event at the 2015 Dutch Ultrakate in Spaarndam/NL and achieved 100miles. Just 4 weeks later, he was struck by a car, getting forced into a wheelchair for 6 months with multiple fractures in the leg. After rehabilitation, he again competed in the 2016 24-hour Dutch Ultraskate, feeling like a 'weeble' - a toy which unbends itself after falling on the back (Germans call it 'Stehaufmännchen'). Read about his experience in the 24 hours 'pain cave' below!
What is the concept behind the 24-hour Ultraskate?
Ultraskates have a big history and tradition in the Long-Distance-Skateboarding scene. 24 hours of racing and the participants try to tackle as many miles as possible. You race on a circuit, in teams of 4 or 5 or as an individual. There are no real limitations. You simply skate as much as you can, reaching for your personal limits and records. The dutch circuit is 3.2km long and features 5m of climbing. The biggest challenge of the circuit is to climb the infamous hill.
Obviously 5m of altitude isn’t that much but imagine climbing that hill for 24 hours, again and again. You will get to know this nasty little drag pretty well, believe me 😀 Support is crucial to overcoming this physical and mental challenge. The good thing is that you receive this support by plenty of spectators who are cheering for you throughout the start/finish area, which is parallel to the hill. There is the camping area full of tents and people who are partying and relaxing while cheering on the participants passing by, making this part of the course an awesome experience. It’s helping to overcome to the gradual increase of pain.
Was there time to sleep?
Sleep is a big topic in the race. You have to choose if your body needs a break or sleep. There are no official rules. It’s really challenging to find a balance between rest and racing.
Many of the participants took a nap for a couple of hours. For myself, I decided to take a long break after 5 hours racing as my knee began to hurt. I raced from 9am to 2pm when I took my first break for just around an hour. At this point I was on the brink of surrender. I changed my clothes and got a little massage to relax my legs a bit before I started to race for another 5 hours. A short nap and some food helped a lot to refuel. My third break was around 1am which I kept super short. I was scared of getting tired, so I put warm clothes on and just kept going. If you start to freeze, you’re done! And as you can imagine that’s a bad thing in a 24-hour race.
What motivates you to do a race like this?
I was always curious about my limits. Not just physical but also psychological. For the most part, it’s actually a mental thing to do this race and you need to overcome yourself. Furthermore, I’m not a punchy rider and prefer long distances and a steady pace in a race. So without knowing I thought the race would suit me very well. Because it was my first time doing this race after a long break I had no pressure. I went into the race with only one mission: have fun on the board and do as good as I can.
What was the highlight of the race?
My highlight? There were plenty! First of all the great support by my crew – most oft he Longboardlove Crew came to Spaarndam this year - and friends which was phenomenal. They were there for me for all of the 24 hours. We made a plan and executed it in a perfect way. I always had something to drink, to eat and never had to care about the little things around the race. A good friend, Jule, who only came with us to support the crew especially did a great job and prepared everything for us.
I really enjoyed all the cheering by the spectators but also by other participants in the race. There was always somebody to chat to, to motivate you and to forget the screaming legs. Especially in the late hours when the hurt really kicked in, there was always somebody who suffered with me. It’s something special which you only experience in sports.
For sure it was overwhelming to finish the race. The relief felt awesome when I crossed the finish line and realized i managed to skate more than last year. I wasn’t able to hold back a few tears of joy.
Was there a low point of the race?
Absolutely! Three hours before the end of the race. I was done – toast – the man with the hammer hit me hard. Nothing left in the tank and I simply wasn’t able to climb that tiny hill. I had to stop in the middle of the climb and took a little break. I sat down on the side of the course for a couple of minutes and watched the other skaters doing their job. I felt a bit depressed but luckily I remembered those words on my trikot: 'Surrender is not an Option'. It’s kind of funny how much inspiration is behind these simple words. I got back on the board and finished.
Did you ever think of quitting?
Yes. During my first break, I was on the brink to give up. But... I came to Spaarndam to skate! I wanted to test, how far I could go after the accident. I had bad times in the race but quitting was never a real option. I enjoyed riding my board within this familiar community and was highly motivated to finish the race. That’s how I am - 'Competition' with friends is nothing desirable to me. But competing with myself... that’s it.
What will happen in 2017? Will you start there again? Any differences to last year?
Yes, of course I’ll be in Spaarndam this summer. For me, the dutch Ultra is the undisputed highlight this year. As a long time cycling-enthusiast it’s a nightmare, that just on the same
date the Tour de France will be in my town. But that’s life. I had to choose – and Skateboarding won the bid. In the last months I changed many things. Feels like 2017 will be a complete renewal for me.
Setup-wise or in general?
Both. A completely new board and a new partner will bring a lot of tailwind to my way of Skateboarding. But I also changed my training completely. I spend the whole winter cycling and running. Feels good. I just stopped smoking recently – one of those things that don’t really fit to endurance sports. We’ll see what happens next...
What are the 10 things learned from skateboarding for 24 hours.
Bringing it down to 10 things I learned during Ultraskates? There are so many things, but the major ones are:
What is the concept behind the 24-hour Ultraskate?
Ultraskates have a big history and tradition in the Long-Distance-Skateboarding scene. 24 hours of racing and the participants try to tackle as many miles as possible. You race on a circuit, in teams of 4 or 5 or as an individual. There are no real limitations. You simply skate as much as you can, reaching for your personal limits and records. The dutch circuit is 3.2km long and features 5m of climbing. The biggest challenge of the circuit is to climb the infamous hill.
Obviously 5m of altitude isn’t that much but imagine climbing that hill for 24 hours, again and again. You will get to know this nasty little drag pretty well, believe me 😀 Support is crucial to overcoming this physical and mental challenge. The good thing is that you receive this support by plenty of spectators who are cheering for you throughout the start/finish area, which is parallel to the hill. There is the camping area full of tents and people who are partying and relaxing while cheering on the participants passing by, making this part of the course an awesome experience. It’s helping to overcome to the gradual increase of pain.
Was there time to sleep?
Sleep is a big topic in the race. You have to choose if your body needs a break or sleep. There are no official rules. It’s really challenging to find a balance between rest and racing.
Many of the participants took a nap for a couple of hours. For myself, I decided to take a long break after 5 hours racing as my knee began to hurt. I raced from 9am to 2pm when I took my first break for just around an hour. At this point I was on the brink of surrender. I changed my clothes and got a little massage to relax my legs a bit before I started to race for another 5 hours. A short nap and some food helped a lot to refuel. My third break was around 1am which I kept super short. I was scared of getting tired, so I put warm clothes on and just kept going. If you start to freeze, you’re done! And as you can imagine that’s a bad thing in a 24-hour race.
What motivates you to do a race like this?
I was always curious about my limits. Not just physical but also psychological. For the most part, it’s actually a mental thing to do this race and you need to overcome yourself. Furthermore, I’m not a punchy rider and prefer long distances and a steady pace in a race. So without knowing I thought the race would suit me very well. Because it was my first time doing this race after a long break I had no pressure. I went into the race with only one mission: have fun on the board and do as good as I can.
What was the highlight of the race?
My highlight? There were plenty! First of all the great support by my crew – most oft he Longboardlove Crew came to Spaarndam this year - and friends which was phenomenal. They were there for me for all of the 24 hours. We made a plan and executed it in a perfect way. I always had something to drink, to eat and never had to care about the little things around the race. A good friend, Jule, who only came with us to support the crew especially did a great job and prepared everything for us.
I really enjoyed all the cheering by the spectators but also by other participants in the race. There was always somebody to chat to, to motivate you and to forget the screaming legs. Especially in the late hours when the hurt really kicked in, there was always somebody who suffered with me. It’s something special which you only experience in sports.
For sure it was overwhelming to finish the race. The relief felt awesome when I crossed the finish line and realized i managed to skate more than last year. I wasn’t able to hold back a few tears of joy.
Was there a low point of the race?
Absolutely! Three hours before the end of the race. I was done – toast – the man with the hammer hit me hard. Nothing left in the tank and I simply wasn’t able to climb that tiny hill. I had to stop in the middle of the climb and took a little break. I sat down on the side of the course for a couple of minutes and watched the other skaters doing their job. I felt a bit depressed but luckily I remembered those words on my trikot: 'Surrender is not an Option'. It’s kind of funny how much inspiration is behind these simple words. I got back on the board and finished.
Did you ever think of quitting?
Yes. During my first break, I was on the brink to give up. But... I came to Spaarndam to skate! I wanted to test, how far I could go after the accident. I had bad times in the race but quitting was never a real option. I enjoyed riding my board within this familiar community and was highly motivated to finish the race. That’s how I am - 'Competition' with friends is nothing desirable to me. But competing with myself... that’s it.
What will happen in 2017? Will you start there again? Any differences to last year?
Yes, of course I’ll be in Spaarndam this summer. For me, the dutch Ultra is the undisputed highlight this year. As a long time cycling-enthusiast it’s a nightmare, that just on the same
date the Tour de France will be in my town. But that’s life. I had to choose – and Skateboarding won the bid. In the last months I changed many things. Feels like 2017 will be a complete renewal for me.
Setup-wise or in general?
Both. A completely new board and a new partner will bring a lot of tailwind to my way of Skateboarding. But I also changed my training completely. I spend the whole winter cycling and running. Feels good. I just stopped smoking recently – one of those things that don’t really fit to endurance sports. We’ll see what happens next...
What are the 10 things learned from skateboarding for 24 hours.
Bringing it down to 10 things I learned during Ultraskates? There are so many things, but the major ones are:
- You have to start somewhere (meaning preparation)
- “Steady pace makes the race”
- Take a break, but do it in the right time
- Don’t try new nutritions on race day
- Support is crucial
- Suffering is not bad if you understand it rightly
- Skateboarding reveals my character
- Surrender is never an option
- Skating allows me to inspire myself (& others)
- I love life on four wheels