This weekend I did a 100k hike. Of all the things I set out for myself, this one was my biggest physical challenge so far.

Why I signed up for the hike

Before I describe the hike, let me start with the backstory of how I got into it. I got to know Philipp on 31.12.2023 at the New Year's celebration organized by my cousin Julia. Philipp and I got along great and directly connected over sports. He was big into hiking long distances and asked me a lot about my experience cycling long distances during my 2022 bicycle trip. At one point, I think we talked about what we look forward to in 2024, Philipp said he thought about doing a 100k hiking trip in 2024 together with a group of friends. I was immediately intrigued and told him to sign me up.

I did four training hikes before the 100k

Then we didn't hear anything from each other until the beginning of February, booked tickets for Megamarsch 2024 in Köln, and directly tried to organize our first training hike which didn't work out until the Middle of March for the Buntsandsteinweg, a 40k hike at the Main.

While I did suffer a bit (feet, lower back) on that first 40k, overall I was pretty confident that "you can just keep walking", no matter the distance.

Next up was the Drei Burgen Weg

While Johanna struggled a bit on the last km, I had a pretty good time, walking mostly relaxed, with a bit of stiffness in the lower back.

After I came back from Midsummer Sail, I picked up training again. The next training hike was the Hasenstabweg, a 70k Spessart track 0n 19. Mai.

Where the 40k made me think the 100k would be hard but doable, I doubted that starting at km 50 when suddenly everything hurt and I dragged myself behind Philipp, strictly preferring silence instead of the occasional chat here and there. The pain was intense on the day, but the day after was already looking quite good. No major issues with blisters or muscle soreness.

My final training hike, again 70k, was the beautiful Birkenhainer Straße, which is well-known among Mountain bikers.

I finished the Birkenhainer Straße hike even though I was in intense pain in my left foot from km 35 until around km 65. The last few km were a surreal high state where I didn't feel much pain anymore until the end. The ugly side of this was, that I was still doing a lot of damage to my left foot, which meant crutches for the first 5 days afterward and a slow recovery that took me around 3 weeks. The good news was, that I hiked in pretty new shoes, so there was a chance this intense pain was because I hadn't broken them in before, a rookie mistake, but at least some hope for the 100k.

Unfortunately, that and the other plans I had made for August and September meant I couldn't do another training hike before the 100k. Certainly not ideal, but since I knew the whole thing would be a struggle anyway, I was not too concerned with my (lack of) training.

Megamarsch 2024 Köln

Finally, the big day arrived. We started in the 12:15 group on the 21st of September, the sky was completely blue, and temperatures were well above 20 degrees Celsius.

The first few km were rather slow because the narrow paths didn't allow us to walk at our desired pace. But within the first hour, things got better and we were on our way with a pace of 5.8 kph, feeling strong. On the first station (VP1 = Versorgungspunkt 1) around km 20, our break lasted a bit longer than we hoped, because the water refill station was completely swamped with people, all waiting for dribbling water to fill up their 2l+ containers.

Afterward, we were on our way, strengthened by pickles, cheese bread, apple juice, and electrolytes dissolved in our drinking bottles.

We started out as a group of 4. Between VP1 and VP2, one friend dropped because of unusually big blisters. After VP2 (around km 40) we put on our headlamps which was also the time we met Marcel, a 31-year-old from Cologne who had started in a group of four but had seen his friends drop out after around 30k. From there on, we were a group of 4 again, making a strong pace, something around 5.7 and 5.8 kph until VP3 (around km 60). Between VP3 and VP4 (around km 80) we got noticeably slower at around 5.5 kph.

After VP4, we split up again, since Marcel and I didn't want to risk sitting around standing still any longer (which can make getting up and moving very bad), while Julius and Philipp were finishing preparations. The plan was that they catch up to us. The first few km were incredibly slow for Marcel and me but at some point, things just flowed and we got part of a group going strong with a pace over 5.5 kph. I mostly dropped into silence for the last 10 km or so and concentrated on walking, just walking.

And then, suddenly, we made it: Marcel and I arrived at 7:12 at the finish line, which makes it 18 hours and 57 min for me. Finisher photo, a medal, a certificate, a huge relief to have made it - things went by me like in a movie.

A bit later Philipp and Julius arrive just as done and equally happy at the finish line.

I am totally done right now. My feet do not even look too bad, but I am walking like an 80-year-old with two fresh knee replacements. Fingers crossed I get out of bed tomorrow.

Huge shoutout to you again, Philipp! Without you, I would have never signed up, let alone trained, and finished the hike. Looking forward to our next adventure!