Manu Pastor is a renowned trail and hill runner from Burgos, Spain.
After running – and help organise – some of the most grueling stage races in the world, Manu decided to set up a new race concept in his own neighborhood.
The Way Of Legends is a 218km, 6-day fully-catered boutique stage race through the Burgos province of Spain. Taking in the region’s best mountains, trails, and part of the Camino de Santiago, it attracts a strong crowd of international stage racers – and many repeat runners!
In this article, Manu shares the philosophy behind starting the event.
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.
The ultrarunner should always embrace this famous Buddhist saying; after all, the inevitability of feeling pain in the latter part of an ultramarathon, however well you have trained for it, is part and parcel of the experience.
However, how well you are able to transcend that pain and go beyond it will determine how well you finish the race and, thus, the satisfaction that you gain from it.
In multi-stage races, the importance of this is even greater, especially as the pain and weariness accumulate after days of the ongoing onslaught on your body.
To make matters worse multi-stage races tend to be extremely deprived of comforts in the evenings and nights between each stage.
Many are self-supported, meaning you have to survive only with what you can carry yourself as the organization simply provides water and an open tent for people to sleep in.
Other races carry your gear for you, some may provide a little basic food, and sometimes you may even get the pleasure of a swim in a river or a cold shower.
This generally means that during the stage, you will certainly feel the pain, and afterward, you will inevitably suffer the uncomfortableness of the harsh austere conditions.
This, of course, is part of the attraction of these races, as you get to experience life in its minimalist form away from the comfort of modern living standards, and this deep plunge out of your comfort zone makes you appreciate life all the more when you get back to normality.
However, once you have been pushing your limits with longer, harder, more extreme races for many years, there probably comes a time when you still want to participate in these types of experiences, put your body and mind to the test, and enjoy the camaraderie and overall experience, but youยดd rather not have to eat dehydrated food and sleep in a dirty sleeping bag for seven days.
This is the perfect time to register for The Way of Legends.
In this race, the rigors of a truly tough course will certainly make you feel the pain of a multi-stage ultramarathon, but the comfortable camps with beds, showers, massages, and above all, extraordinarily good food will eliminate all that unnecessary suffering.
The team of The Way of Legends has created an unforgettable experience where you can surely live by the Buddhist saying and get back home feeling renovated, renewed, and ready to see life through new eyes.
Join us for the 5th edition of The Way of Legends, Burgos Ultra Stage Race, from May 14 -22, 2024! You can click here to register now.