Hike for Lithuania

February 17, 05:47 AM, Hong Kong (February 16, 23:47 LT time)

- Guys, we’ve got 2.3 km to go and 13 minutes left.
- We can run.
- Let’s do it. For Lithuania!!!

And we did run. It was the hardest run ever. But the idea that we are so close to the goal — 104 km in 24 hours- kept us moving.

540 meters and 3 minutes left. I couldn’t run anymore, my legs and whole body were already dead 20 kilometres ago. I gave the phone to Justinas and he sprinted. He ran back to me. The time on the phone showed 6:00. Through insane rain and wind, I tried to unlock the screen. My hands were shaking and fingers were freezing. Finally, we saw that the goal had been reached! Historical moment, though at that time, still incomprehensible.

When I first proposed this idea to celebrate Lithuania’s Independence Day with a 104 km hike, it felt like a bad joke. But crazy people Justinas (LT) and Nathanael (UK/DE) took it very seriously. We started preparing 3 weeks before the day. Morning runs and a few longer hikes made us even more motivated. More friends — Vlad (Romania) and Cynthia (France/Japan) joined the project.

Historical moment

Preparation

The big day

This hike was THE hike. We’ve been talking about it all the time. Probably that’s why I felt so desperate when 2 days before it I got pretty severe food poisoning and couldn’t do anything but lie in bed. In the evening, February 15, I was sure I cannot do the hike. I went to give the historical Lithuanian flag (thanks to Alminas for lending) to Justinas and wish them good luck. However, slowly walking back to my dorm, I realised I’d be sadder if I didn’t try. “That stomachache isn’t that bad”, I said to myself.

I prepared tons of candies, eggs, and protein bars. Set the alarm to 4:20 and tried to have some good rest. Though I couldn’t sleep properly. Maybe the excitement or too much sleep the previous days played a role, but I kept waking up and checking the time on the phone. 23:04, 01:22, 3:10, 4:17. Ok, great, time to get up.

With sleepy eyes, I found a lovely surprise from my flatmates Apolline (France) and Sofia (Scotland). They were a huge part of the project, encouraging and cheering for me. And the Tinginys left in the fridge gave me even more energy to hike!

Thanks to everyone who supported!

We arrived at Tuen Mun, the endpoint of the MacLehose trail, a few minutes before 6 AM. We did a picture and started. It was a great feeling. Walking in the early morning, listening to birds singing, and watching a sunrise in my beloved mountains.

The hike wasn’t easy. In fact, after 60 km it became horrible. The energy was gone and legs hurt very much. I was genuinely thinking that I’m enough. After 70 km (!!!), when Cynthia was leaving home, I wanted to join her more than anything. However, the team spirit from the guys, the set goal, and 2 cans of coca held me in the trail.

After 80 km, it became unbearable. We were silent, we were screaming, we were swearing. I wanted to cry but I knew it wouldn't help. And the thing is — there was no way back. We were in the middle of the mountains in the middle of the night. I wanted to get to the warm bed and the only way to do that was to keep going. I very well understood I had not been prepared enough and scolded myself “I shouldn't have done this much”.

When we stopped to have a quick rest Vlad texted and encouraged us not to stop before the end. “You can easily do 10.3km in 2hrs, BROS YOU GOT THIS, IT’S THE END”, he wrote. However, at that moment those 10 kilometres for us seemed like a huge deal. Every step hurt. Every.

- Every kilometre for each year of Lithuania.

And we walked. The huge storm broke out. We were drowsy and helpless. The last 6.2 km were fast walking in complete silence, fighting as much as possible. That’s why the run at the end was the hardest run ever. But it was also amazing. Seeing Lithuania’s flag fluttering and realising that our hike is over.

Every little thing counted for this project to happen.

The biggest respect goes to our foreign fellows: Nathanael, who was singing “Ant kalno mūrai, joja Lietuviai” and almost learnt the whole anthem of Lithuania, and Cynthia, who did incredible 70 km.

We did 104 km and 4684 m elevation gain in 24:00 hours. And, as Justinas suggested, we will do 105 km next year with even more friends.

Wish you all a happy Lithuania’s birthday!

Value what you have :)

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