"The run to the sun" – Running up the Haleakalā volcano in Maui
by Jakob Horvat, September 8th 2017, Maui/HawaiiA couple of days ago, I didn’t even think about doing such a crazy thing, let alone could I imagine that I was capable of achieving it. Then I met Sean, who’s running ultra-long-distances regularly and organizes races with his company Run Bum Tours. Running up the Haleakalā volcano – all the way from sea level to the top – appeared insane to me, yet I was completely drawn to that idea.
We started at 2:30AM at Paia bay at sea level. The moonlight lit the street as we slowly ran up the Haleakalā volcano, the highest peak on Maui. The last twenty minutes I cried, overwhelmed by deep emotions, extreme exhaustion and pumping adrenaline. After 3.000 meters of elevation, 56 kilometers of distance and 9,5 hours, I arrived on the summit. It took me 20 minutes to catch my breath while staring down into the crater and drinking a bottle of chocolate milk. Then, I sat down and recorded a video to share this message with you.