Course record in Thailand for Vlad Ixel

As one of the few contenders for the title without a sponsor, Vlad had to pay for his accommodation and travel. He planned to go off quickly in the early part of the day and gain a good position before the midday heat made things even tougher. At 5:00am Vlad was one of 2500 runners starting off and he settled in with the leading pack. At 30k he hit the front on a long climb and went out alone. The heat he had been expecting went beyond expectations and hit 37 C.

During the race he drank 12 litres of water and managed to retain his lead, stretching the lead to an amazing 1 hour and 45 minutes. Vlad finished in 8.35.39 which was also a course record.

A week later he was at the Hong Kong 100 km Ultra. Vlad gives the credit for the quick recovery to a quality vegan diet and told us about filling up on fruit in Thailand at low cost local prices. Despite the short recovery time he managed a third place in 10 hours 11 minutes 53 seconds. He was just over five minutes behind the second placed runner and just under ten minutes behind the winner, both Nepalese runners.

At 26 Vlad Ixel is still very young for an extreme distance runner and with his talent and determination we can expect more from the Aussie vegan.

Vlad's GVA profile