23 Days on the Road: Sergio Turull on Running Across Spain

Professional Catalonian ultra-runner Sergio Turull recently ran the length of Spain in 23 days, on a 1,500K challenge to raise money to fight children’s cancer. In a chat with Fabienne Lang, Sergio shared his experience, what kept him going, and what’s next.

On July 30th, while the eyes of the sporting world were turned towards Paris, further south in Europe another sporting challenge was taking place. The crowd was much smaller than the millions who watched runners race around the Stade de France but it was as jubilant in its excitement as Sergio Turull ran across the finish line, tears rolling down his cheeks, of his 932-mile / 1,500-kilometer challenge.

The Catalonian ultra-endurance runner ran from Tarifa in the south of Spain, along the Mediterranean coast of the country, up to Cap de Creus in the north in 23 days. Sergio ran on average 37 miles / 60 kilometers a day, and burned a total of 136,983 calories and moved for 135:35:12 hours across his run. He also raised more than €50,000 ($55,000) for children’s cancer, specifically for Fundación Juegaterapia, an organization that works with children hospitalized due to cancer, creating recreational spaces where they can play and, together with their families, can better cope with this difficult process.

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“Every summer I run a solidarity challenge,” Sergio explained a couple of weeks after his run. In 2018, he ran the entire 115 miles / 185 kilometers of the Camí de Cavalls in 38 hours on the island of Menorca to raise awareness and funds for fibromyalgia research. “Previously, I have also run from Paris to Barcelona, 745 miles / 1,200 km in 21 days (+34 miles/day / +55 km/day). And the length of the Camino de Santiago, 497 miles / 800 km, in nine days, averaging over 53 miles / 85 km per day.” This year, he chose to run the length of Spain.

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“This year’s challenge would have been impossible without the help of my support team who accompanied me every day with a van to provide me with water, Vitamin Well [Sergio’s sponsor] and food. We slept in hotels along the way and got back on the road early each day,” Sergio explained.

As with any ultra-endurance challenge, some days are harder than others. For Sergio, that runner’s ‘wall’ built itself up on Day 18, after 683.5 miles / 1,100 kilometers of relentless running.

“Exhaustion. Every kilometer weighs heavily and there are moments when the body and the head struggle to keep going. The fatigue after 18 days and 1,100 km is felt in every stride. But behind this fatigue there is a cause that is worth everything: the fight against childhood cancer. And we have already managed to raise more than 26,000 euros for Juegaterapia,” he shared on his social media platforms. “As I go along, I think of the little warriors who fight every day with a smile on their faces. They are my inspiration and my strength to keep going. Every donation and message of support reminds me that I am not alone in this challenge and that together we are doing something big and beautiful.”

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Using this type of motivation to find strength – both mentally and physically – is something ultra-runners know intimately. “My basic rule was: don't complain,” he explained after his run. “So I put the focus on all the positives, how many people we were inspiring and how we were raising money for childhood cancer. That's what kept me going. And when you've been running Ultras for many years, you learn to manage your mind.”

Sergio is no newcomer to sports, having been involved in them from a young age, from playing hockey and football to swimming and doing gymnastics. He started running in earnest in 2012 and has been regularly lacing up his running shoes ever since.

When discussing his training for his most recent challenge, Sergio doesn’t see it as a specific, one-off preparation: “I always say that I have been training since the first day I started running. This type of event is not prepared in weeks or months but in the accumulation of kilometers over years.”

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And he is richly rewarded thanks to his ongoing training and challenges: “One of the most incredible moments during my recent challenge was the arrival in Barcelona, the city where I was born. There were more than 400 people creating a corridor to welcome me and run with me for the last five kilometers of the day,” he happily recalled. “And the last kilometers of the challenge were magical. I was accompanied by dozens of people, who stopped at the final kilometer so that I could reach the Cap de Creus lighthouse on my own. It was a very emotional moment. I couldn't hold back the tears. This experience has marked my life.”

Sergio may feel that warm glow and those streaks of tears on his cheeks again soon, as he will be competing in another exciting challenge on September 28. Heading east along the Mediterranean, he will run 253 miles / 246 kilometers from Athens to Sparta in under 36 hours in the Spartathlon Ultra Race. “It is one of my biggest sporting dreams,” he shared.

The pursuit of the extreme – coupled with the ambition to run for good causes – are what drive Sergio to reach his goals and cross his finish lines. As does another ambition: “I hope that people will be encouraged to run, to lead a healthy and active life, and to help those in need. Together, we can make a better world. I encourage everyone to seek new goals and to improve themselves. Never give up!”