From 0 Kilometers to the Spartathlon Qualifying Standard

From 0 Kilometers to the Spartathlon Qualifying Standard: A Story About Limits That Exist Only Until We Move Them

This is not a story about a champion.

It was not written by the winner of a major race or a professional athlete. This is the story of a man who wanted to prove to himself that he could do more than he believed.

Only a few years ago, I was not a runner. I was a mountaineer who occasionally ran a few kilometers to prepare for climbs. In March 2022, I began running two or three times a week, usually covering between three and five kilometers. The goal was not a marathon, an ultramarathon or a record. The goal was Musala.

A few months later, I wrote a message in a Viber group:

“Does anyone want to run a 10K? I have already registered.”

Only one colleague replied.

And that is how it began.

Four weeks later, I ran my first half marathon. Then came my first trail races, my first vertical climbs, my first ultras and, finally, my first marathon. I was not chasing results or podiums. I ran to push my own limits.

The story of ultramarathons, however, had begun much earlier.

I first encountered the world of ultra distances while watching “Days of Giants,” a film by the Ultra Runners of Serbia team. I recognized some of my own struggles in parts of the film. At the time, I weighed more than 107 kilograms and often thought there was no way back to sport for me.

But the greatest ultramarathon of my life did not begin on a running track.

It began in 2004.

Six days after my twelfth birthday, my father died. My mother was unemployed, my brother was nine, and I had to grow up overnight. That was when I first learned that life rarely follows the planned route and that some races cannot be abandoned.

The years passed, but the desire to move forward remained.

The First Test

My first test and first 12-hour race came in October 2024 at the Vils Ultramarathon in Sarajevo. It was also my first road ultramarathon. Around two to two and a half months before Vils, I mentioned the idea of the race to my godfather. He enthusiastically agreed to support me, and that is how my preparation began.

I finished that race in second place after covering 108 kilometers, slightly more than my original goal of completing two marathons and one half marathon within 12 hours.

There is a funny story from after the race. My godfather and I went to Željo for ćevapi and tried to cross a pedestrian crossing in the middle of Sarajevo's chaotic traffic. He somehow managed to stop a Golf 5 so we could pass because I was completely stiff — my hips were not working and I was walking on wooden legs. As I limped across the road, the driver called through the window:

“Sorry, Tito, I didn't realize it was you!”

After the Vils race, once the experience had settled, I began wondering whether I could run farther than 131 kilometers, which was the Bosnia and Herzegovina record at the time.

The Road to Zagreb

In the summer of 2025, I registered for the Zagreb 12-Hour Ultramarathon. Preparation began by the end of August. My main training sessions took place on a loop around the University of Banja Luka campus. I chose a circuit of approximately 1,400 meters, the same length as the loop in Zagreb.

As part of my preparation, I ran the Banja Luka Marathon in just under three hours and finished second. That was certainly not something I had come close to expecting.

The main test before Zagreb was a six-hour long run on the campus, where I set up a small aid station to simulate race conditions. Fellow runners joined me throughout those six hours and made the time pass much more easily. I want to thank them for their support.

Zagreb 12-Hour Ultramarathon

The 6-hour and 12-hour races started at 8 a.m. on November 8, 2025. My goal was to cover at least three marathon distances — more than 126 kilometers — while the minimum was 120 kilometers, which is also the Spartathlon qualifying standard. Breaking the Bosnia and Herzegovina record was only my third priority.

The race went according to plan until roughly the seventh hour, when the competitors in the 6-hour event had already left the course. The rain had stopped in the meantime, and I became cold. My pace began to drop, which was expected.

Soon afterward, I put on my headphones and played the music I had prepared specifically for the race. That carried me through the crisis.

Around the ninth hour, colleagues who had completed the 6-hour race earlier came to help me. They brought hot soup and helped me change my shoes and shirt. At that point I had already covered more than 105 kilometers, exactly according to plan. I also took my longest break there — only three or four minutes.

In dry clothes, I continued toward the goal I had set.

During the final three hours, every calculation about carbohydrate and fluid intake disappeared. My body rejected gels and sports drinks designed to restore energy. From that point onward, my main fuel sources became crackers, Coca-Cola and non-alcoholic beer.

I finished the race at 8 p.m. with 133.16 kilometers completed. With that result, I set a new Bosnia and Herzegovina 12-hour running record and achieved the Spartathlon qualifying standard.

As always after a race, it was time to celebrate. The support crew and I went out for a substantial amount of beer to replace the calories we had lost.

The qualifying standard was achieved.

Sparta is still waiting.