Janosik XTri 2023: Patrik's Photoreport

On the day of the Janosik 2023 Extreme Triathlon, I decided to face one of the biggest challenges of my life. One of the toughest triathlons in the world with a 3.8km swim at midnight in the Orava Dam, followed by 180km of cycling in the Orava hills and a marathon through the hills around Terchova where we overcame the Ťiesňavy, Boboty, Jánošík's Hole and Veľký Rozsutec.

This was an incredible but challenging experience from start to finish. Swimming at midnight was a different world, full of darkness and secrets of the depths of the Orava dam. Cycling the challenging Orava hills required good technical and physical fitness, and when I finally made it to the marathon, I was ready to face the next challenges the route presented.

Throughout the race I was committed to my goal of making it over the line, which I made in a time of 14 hours, 45 minutes, placing forth, which was a great accolade for me.

Throughout the entire journey, I was aware of the importance of proper nutrition and hydration. My support team took care of me and supplied me with 10 bottles of Maurten drink, almost 15 Maurten gels throughout the race and I also got my energy from ten waffles and Clif bars.

As Janosik 2023 came to a close, I realized that overcoming this incredible challenge was not only a personal achievement, but also an opportunity to strengthen our support for the athletes and volunteers involved in competitions like this. Our communities need more initiatives to help them share their passion for triathlon.

Thanks to Janosik 2023, I realized that there are life challenges that can connect and inspire us. I am grateful for this experience and am ready to continue my journey towards my own dreams and goals. May this be just the beginning and may our accomplishments serve as an example for future generations of athletes and volunteers.

I thank everyone who has supported me along the way, and I look forward to the future challenges that lie ahead. Together, we can achieve great things and do more for the athletes and communities we love.

If you're interested in learning more and want to dive more into the atmosphere of this race, be sure to check out our videos on our (Slovak) YouTube channel. There you will find a wealth of content from this race, including exclusive footage, interviews with participants or race report!