Effective on marathon routes, a year ago he would not have thought that he would ever stand at the starting line. He dreams of the “big six” of the most prestigious races in the world, which even professional runners describe as the crowning achievement of a sporting journey at the royal distance. What are 42 kilometers compared to the tasks that a programmer faces on a daily basis – reveals Jacek Martuzalski from Sii, the fastest Hero of the 10 Magnificent Olivia Business Centre.

Will you take part in the World Half Marathon Championships in March in Gdynia?

Yes, and I’d like to make it to the finish line under 1:35.

A special training plan?

Preparing for a specific race, I run up to 6 times a week. At my peak, I cover about 100 – 120 kilometers a week.

Under the guidance of a trainer, does experience allow you to create a cycle of preparation on your own?

I started last year (laughs). In the spring, my wife took me out on my first running paths, and a moment later, literally a month after my first start, an e-mail appeared in the company’s inbox about the #siiruns40wm campaign. As part of the Passion Sponsorship Program, which strongly supports a large group of runners on a daily basis, Sii was looking for 40 volunteers to take part in the 40th Marathon Marathon. PZU Warsaw Marathon: 40 people for the 40th edition of the run, who will collect 40 thousand for the Rak & Roll Foundation. I applied, again at my wife’s urging, although at first I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it.

Do you have a sporting past?

No. I’ve always tried to stay in shape, but I’ve never done any discipline on a major scale. I think running is in my blood, because I can see that I’m doing quite well.

How long did it take you to start for the first time?

I started running in March, and the marathon was on September 30th. This year I’ve really taken off – there were marathons, a few half marathons and “nozzles”.

At what time?

It takes me 45 minutes.

Talent was born!

Without exaggeration, it’s still a long way from the professional level (laughs).

So what time would satisfy you at this distance?

I don’t have any plans, I’m just concentrating on running a sub-3 hour marathon. The last one, which I ran in the spring, I finished with a good time of 3:43 – I think it would be a bit better at the moment, but I didn’t decide to start in the fall, so I’ll test myself next year.

Is a marathon the crowning achievement for a runner?

For some, it certainly is. There are many shorter and longer runs, but I feel like the marathon distance is magical. You need to prepare for it, and just as a half marathon is within reach for someone who regularly runs tens, you need to undergo reliable training up to 42 kilometers.

Did you prepare for your debut with your coach?

Yes, the Sii company I work for provided us with a professional trainer. Bartek Olszewski, known as a Warsaw runner, and his wife, Kasia Gorlo, from the Run the World blog, took up the challenge. Two really cool and experienced trainers have a lot of successes on running routes. Bartek won “Wings for Life” and has a world record to his name, so he knows a lot about running! Kasia too.

Did you train in Gdansk?

Kasia and Bartek are from Warsaw. That is why the supervision of the preparation cycle was possible mainly online, because each Sii branch fielded several players, so it was difficult to organize regular and joint trainings, although two such trainings took place in Warsaw anyway. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take part in them, but my colleagues from work told me when I came back that it was fantastic.

How large was the representation of the Gdańsk branch of Sii?

If I remember correctly, 5 runners at the start.

Were you a diligent student? Have you taken your workouts seriously?

From the very beginning, I understood that 42 kilometers is no joke. I tried to implement all the coach’s tips, even too zealously at first – I trained too hard and ended up with an injury and exclusion from training for 3 weeks. Luckily, I managed to come back and finish this marathon in less than 4 hours – probably quite good for a debut (laughs).

Has a new, great adventure begun?

Yes, and it quickly turned into a passion. The feelings at the finish line are hard to describe. There is a great deal of fatigue and incredible joy. Initially, you don’t have to keep running, but when you cool down and catch your breath, you start to believe that there are no limits and you can do anything. Look, 4 hours of running for someone who sits at a desk is half a day’s work.

Did you have any moments of doubt on the road?

Amazingly, the first marathon went smoothly. I felt tired, but I didn’t experience the so-called wall during my debut.

When did you face it?

During the next race, for which I didn’t prepare so thoroughly. I now know that this was a mistake that I will not repeat in the future.

What happened?

A trip to the marathon in Stockholm was also organized by Sii. More and more people are showing interest in being active, so the company is trying to implement a wide range of opportunities for runners – proposed by them. For several years now, the Passion Sponsorship Program has been in operation, under which since last year a list of races in Poland and abroad has been kept, for which Sii buys packages for employees. As part of it, I had the opportunity to run a marathon and a half marathon in Sweden. There are more of us: nearly 70 runners are going to the aforementioned Half Marathon in Gdynia in March 2020! We are the largest corporate representation to date.

How long did you close this marathon with a crisis?

4 hours, and in the meantime in Poland I did a personal best – 3:43. Now I think I haven’t thought about the starts. In April, I was preparing for the Gdańsk Marathon and after it I completely gave up, convinced that I would be able to cope with the form I had done in June. It turned out that it was too long a break in training, because I ran far below the assumptions. At the 36th kilometer my legs stopped cooperating, after a few hundred meters I had to slow down and switch to walking. It wasn’t until I saw the marker that there were less than 5 kilometers left that I believed that I would be able to run further.

The finish, where the body refuses to obey and there is a fight with the head, seems longer?

It is said that the magic limit is the 32nd kilometer and after that, the problems begin. I’ve only hit the only wall so far at the 36th kilometer, so I guess it’s an individual matter.

Why 32?

It seems to me that there is a crisis after three-quarters of the distance. In the same way, in the ten runs, the last two kilometers are the most difficult, in the five kilometers before the finish line – the end is the most difficult to overcome at each distance.

How do you reconcile such demanding workouts with work?

I think that’s the hardest part! On the one hand, there is self-denial, on the other, there is time expenditure, because training is at least one hour taken out of the day. I try to run in the evening and more and more often instead of concrete there is a forest. I bought a headlamp plus my dog has grown up enough to become my companion.

Can it handle such a distance?

I run about 5 – 6 kilometers with my dog. When I have longer runs, I do them myself.

Longer, i.e. the full distance of a marathon?

No, it doesn’t make any sense in training, because you get too tired. No school recommends running the whole distance, up to 32 kilometers is enough, of course not every day (laughs). I try to do a maximum of 27 kilometers.

When you run, do you think about work?

It happens when I have a problem and there have been times when I have solved it in the middle of a run. I’m a programmer, so the collision of these two worlds is conducive – it completely unlocks the head, allows you to go into a slightly different dimension, which then translates into effectiveness in action.

The gentleman behind the desk becomes a marathon runner: family, friends very surprised?

My life hasn’t changed that much, except that I have to find time to train. The proportions are similar – there is family, home, work and friends, and in my free time I run. A novelty are the starts, which require travel. That’s when the weekend falls, but luckily I’m often accompanied by my family, so I don’t feel a sense of loss. Recently we were together in Krakow, now we are planning a trip to Italy and Prague, so it promises to be interesting.

Do you have a sporting dream?

There are the big six: Berlin, London, Tokyo, Chicago, New York and Boston, described as the crowning achievement of the marathon journey. It is difficult to sign up for these races – the easiest way is to report to the organizer, who provides the entire trip. The second is to participate in a draw or prove that you have a good time. The requirements are quite high, really out of my reach. There is one more loophole, which is participation in a charity event and a fundraiser for a given organization, which then allocates one of its packages, and this in turn requires time to collect a predetermined amount during the fundraiser. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the plan I’d like to implement without pressure. I started from London, unfortunately I didn’t manage to get on the start list. I’ve got a draw to Berlin ahead of me, so I’m counting on your fingers to help me make my biggest dream come true there. After that, I think it’s going to be downhill (laughs)!

Interviewed by Dagmara Rybicka, Olivia Business Centre