Running Wild on the Karpaz Peninsula!

Last weekend, I ventured out to the Karpaz Peninsula in Northern Cyprus for a two-day, 95 km (60 mile) trail run to the very tip of the island. I’ll give the details below, but the short story is that I ran 43km (26.7 mi) the first day, got really sick that night, and ended up having to sit out most of the second day. I was pretty bummed about not being able to complete the run, but the first day was a lot of fun and I’m glad I got to participate in some regard.

To give some background, this run was hosted by Wildside Cyprus, a company that specializes in affordable, supported, and tailored group trips for trail running and sea trekking. They are also the main organizers of the Cyprus Trail Runners group, who organizes the Two Castles Mountain Ultra (which I am training for!) and Buff Troodos Mountain Ultra, as well as many other trail runs in Cyprus. They are a great group to work with and their services are top-notch!

This particular run was acting as a ‘farewell’ to one of the Cyprus Trail Runners members, Zed Muir, who will be departing Cyprus very soon and returning to the U.K. to complete his military service. Zed is a strong runner who has had great success on the trails of Cyprus, as well as a generally fun guy to be around.

The two-day run started at Kantara Castle and went all the way to Cape Zafer at the very end of the Karpaz Peninsla (and the termination point of the 244-km Besparmak Trail). There were four stages on Day One, an overnight at the Oasis Hotel, and then two stages on Day Two. Since I didn’t complete Day Two, there won’t be much to say about it!

Below is a map of the entire route, broken down by stage:

  Day One

Stage One: Kantara to Yedikonuk – 13.5km/8.4mi

We began the run at Kantara Castle at about 8:30am on Saturday morning. The first bit is mostly downhill, so we were going at a good clip and everything was peachy. We came into the first little town of Yedikonuk about 13.5km where we met Chris & Bryan for our first checkpoint. By then, I think I had already made an error in my training: I hadn’t eaten anything yet. I got a bit wrapped up in talking to the guys, moving quickly, and keeping a good pace that I didn’t have a gel or anything for this whole period. I should have known better, as I usually train to take in 150-200 calories per hour, but I neglected to do so.

I also didn’t pack much for food because they had fully-stocked checkpoints every 8-12km. This was also a poor decision on my part because while the things they had at the checkpoint were just fine, they weren’t what I was used to consuming on my long runs. I usually take gels, blocks, almonds, protein bars, and a pb&j sandwich or two. At the checkpoints they had dried fruit, bananas, banana bread, coke, and water–all delicious, but foreign to me as running food. When we stopped, I ate way too much as I overcompensated for what I thought I had “missed” in the previous 13km. I felt fine departing the first checkpoint and had a nice run to the second checkpoint which was another 11km away.

Stage Two: Yedikonuk to Balalan – 11km/6.8mi

This part of the run was super scenic! We went through rolling hills and fields of tall grass. It was completely remote and we saw no one else out there except for the occasional farmer. The weather was fantastic and beginning to warm up, which was great to run in.

The second checkpoint obviously had all the same food as the first. Not taking care to monitor my intake, I stuffed my face with banana bread, dried apricots, and figs while washing it all down with coke (which I never drink during a run). At this point, my legs were starting to feel a bit heavy, which seemed odd as I was only about 23km into the route. Maybe the pace was too fast? Hard to tell.

The town of Balalan was small and quaint. Apparently it’s where all the hot-shot lawyers of Nicosia used to reside before the invasion in 1974 when they were pushed out. There is a giant poster hanging in the town square with a photo showing some of the original townsfolk from the 1950s. It seemed like not much had changed in the last few decades!

I popped a salt tab and headed back off with the crew for another 10km toward Adacay.

Stage Three: Balalan to Adacay – 10km/6mi

The beginning of this section started with a long uphill ascent on the main (tar) road before hooking back up to the Besparmak Trail and meandering through more remote valleys. It started to rain a bit, but it was just enough to cool us off without getting our clothes completely soaked.

 

By now, my legs were feeling pretty dead. I was using my trekking poles full-time now instead of just on the hills, and I was beginning to suffer a bit. I knew I would make it to the end of the day, but it was a bit rougher than I expected.

 We ended at a picnic area where we could rest for a few minutes while taking in some more solid foods (bread, hummus, more dried fruit). I wasn’t feeling great here as all the sloshing around was starting to get to me, but I knew I’d be able to finish the day and had no indication that my sickness may affect the next day’s run.

Stage Four: Adacay to Sipahi – 9km/5.5mi

The last bit was a slog. By now my stomach was in knots from whatever I had been eating all day and I could feel it with every step. I maintained a decent pace throughout this section, but it was a bit painful. My legs were all but shot at this point as well, so I was glad to see the end when it finally did come.

When we finished, we sat and had a picnic in the field pictured above. We ate lots of the same food with some additional goodies like cheese, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and spreads. I wasn’t feeling too great but choked down some food anyway, knowing that I needed to replenish some of the 2,500+ calories I had burned throughout the day.

From there, we hopped into the car and headed to our hotel for the night, which was about 30 minutes away. All the way there, my stomach continued to bother me but I figured it would go away.

In the evening

Finally back at the hotel, I showered and laid down for a few minutes to rest. When I got up about half an hour later, my stomach pains had worsened. I couldn’t seem to get comfortable in any position. I swallowed a couple of Pepto Bismol pills and hoped they would alleviate the issue, but they did nothing. After about half an hour of increasingly intense pain, I began to feel incredibly nauseous. I made my way to the toilet and promptly threw up everything I still had left in my stomach. A few heaves later I felt a bit better–but the feeling would only be temporary.

I went to up to the restaurant to sit with the group and their families who had joined for the weekend adventure. I ordered a chicken salad, thinking it would be a safe option and something I would be able to keep down. I also ordered a soda water to see if that would calm my stomach, but it didn’t. When my salad did eventually come, I could only eat a few bites. I just couldn’t stomach anything. Feeling nauseous again I excused myself, explaining I wasn’t feeling well, and headed back to my room for the night.

What ensued was a rather awful and sleepless night ahead. My stomach hurt the most when I laid down, so I spent most of the night sitting up in bed dozing off occasionally. I also couldn’t keep anything down, which caused a good bit of dehydration. I drank what I could, alternating between dozing off in an upright position, taking in a few sips of water, and dry-heaving for most of the night. Luckily there was decent WiFi available and I could stream some Netflix to keep me company.

 Day Two

 The group was meeting at 6:30am to head out for the next leg of the run. I was already awake, as I had been most of the night, and went out to meet them to say I wasn’t going to make it. I was exhausted and still felt crummy, so I said I’d meet up with them when they got back (the plan was to return to the hotel after the first section and then continue on). They went off and I went back to bed. I was able to sleep a little better but I still wasn’t in great shape.

Stage Five: Sipahi to Oasis – 24.5km/15.2mi

I understand this was a nice section with lots of scenic views and quite a bit of rain! I woke up again at around 9 and went to the restaurant for breakfast. I wasn’t feeling 100%, but I thought if I could hold down some food then I would be able to do a bit of the next section of the run. The breakfast was typical Mediterranean fare–olives, cheese, bread, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I was able to eat most of it and felt a little energy coming back to me. I decided to head back to the room, pack up, and change into my running clothes.

Stage Six: Oasis to Cape Zafer – 25.5km/15.8mi

Feeling somewhat rejuvenated, I headed off with the crew for a piece of the last section. There was a checkpoint 7km/4.5mi in, and I thought I’d see how it went for that first part to determine whether or not I’d keep on after.

It was a very easy track, but as soon as I started running I immediately felt nauseous and knew that I wouldn’t be doing any more than this section. It’s really too bad, because my legs felt fresh and I know I could have pushed through to the end from there if only my stomach was settled. I put my head down and tried to just grind out these few kilometers.  My pace was deathly slow, but the others were nice enough to take it easy and even run with me most of the time. It wasn’t necessary for them to do that, but it was very kind. When I finally did make it to the checkpoint, I threw in the towel. I spent the next hour or so feeling pretty queasy, but it eventually resolved to just a slightly less painful knot that persisted throughout the day.

Finish

I rode with one of the families to the end of the trail, where the runners were not far behind. We took some pictures, enjoyed the fabulous view, and celebrated the weekend’s victory with another picnic. I still wasn’t hungry at this point but took in what I could and patted everyone on the back for a job well done.

We eventually climbed back into our respective vehicles and made our way back to Nicosia, feeling tired but accomplished. Although I didn’t run the entire route as I had intended and hoped for, I was very happy with my performance on Day One. The first four stage

Brandon Chase

Brandon Chase is a writer, endurance athlete, and guide based in Maine. He is a former Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State and spent nearly a decade overseas serving at embassies in Egypt, Cyprus, and Pakistan.

Along with a 98-day thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, he has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, hiked the West Highland Way, fastpacked in the Himalayas, and trekked around New Zealand and South Africa. He also regularly competes in ultramarathons at the 50k, 50-mile, and 100-mile distances. He is a Lead Guide for Andrew Skurka Adventures and the New England Outdoor Center.