Marcis Gubats has dedicated his Lakeland 100 podium place to his late grandad, whom he was unable to visit due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The INOV8 ambassador finished a superb second place in the gruelling ultra running race after an early battle with eventual winner Mark Darbyshire, who clocked an impressive 19hrs 10mins. Marcis completed the route, which incorporates around 6,300m of trail ascent in 20hrs 46mins, ahead of third-placed Rory Harris (21hrs 26mins).
Born in Latvia, Marcis moved to the Lake District, England, nine years ago.
“I dedicate my run at the weekend to my grandad, who sadly passed away last Autumn,” said Marcis, who works at Yewfield B&B, Hawkshead Hill.
“Because of pandemic travel restrictions I couldn't go home to see him last Spring as planned which I would normally do every year. Living away from the family in another country is sometimes hard as you cannot see them as often as you would like to and sadly I did not manage to see him before he suddenly passed away.”
Having finished runner-up in the same race in 2017 (20hrs 52mins), Marcis went on to win Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 in 2018.
Reflecting on this year's Lakeland 100, he added: “The weather for the race was nice all the way through and the full moon over Ullswater was absolutely spectacular.
“Considering I was falling asleep from Pooley Bridge onwards - and that I almost turned around in Fusedale to go back to Howtown to sleep or to drop out - I was absolutely delighted that I got all the way round back to Coniston. There were times during the race that I just couldn't keep my eyes open!
“As usual, the pure joy and happiness of crossing the finish line was later followed by some obsessive analysis. My mind works in a way that leads me to question my race executions and, in the end, I'm never really 100% happy with my performances. I know I can always do better and that's what I'll continue to strive for.”
Marcis wore the new TRAILFLY ULTRA G 300 MAX shoes with Graphene-enhanced foam and grip. These form part of our of ultra running shoes range. He wore them straight from the box after doing more than 800 miles of training in his first pair (see image above that shows a comparison of the two shoes). Marcis also used the popular RACE ULTRA PRO 5 VEST.
He said: “I wish I was more awake to fully realise the potential of the shoes in the later part of the race as my legs felt great at the finish!”
* Photos used with kind permission from Andy Jackson and Michael Holliday.
* Further reading: Top-10 Ultra Running Race Tips
