In the news of the 24-hour mileage record set by Aleksandr Sorokin last weekend, there are at least two stories: the first is that of the record itself and the second is that of the story of the person who set it.
To better understand the context, we are talking about a record that stood for a full 24 years, that is, since that 1997 when Yiannis Kouros ran 303.5 kilometers, covering a distance that many considered unsurpassable. What happened instead was that last Sunday Lithuania’s Aleksandr Sorokin managed in Poland to run 309.4 kilometers in the same time, beating the Greek Kouros, also known as the God of Running, by as much as 6 kilometers.
The 24-hour distance is one of the most coveted because it measures human limits and always moves them further. Yet until a few days ago it seemed that those limits were impassable: in November 2020 Kilian Jornet had also attempted to cross them, only to have to withdraw due to physical problems. Yet it is clear that this is a race-however or perhaps precisely because it is extreme-that solicits the imagination and challenge of the strongest ultrarunners.
The story of Aleksandr Sorokin
As I said earlier, there are two stories in this news story, and the second and more inspiring one is perhaps that of its protagonist. Aleksandr Sorokin in fact, until less than 10 years ago, could never have predicted what the future would hold for him. Indeed, his lifestyle would have presaged diametrically opposite developments: a smoker, drinker, and out-of-weight, Sorokin was more likely a candidate for the cardiology department than the athletic track. Instead, something clicked in his head and he suddenly decided to give up all bad habits and turn them into a new addiction, but a good one: that of running.
The year 2021 has spoken well to him so far. In addition to the extraordinary 24-hour record, Sorokin set two other stellar records last April: he covered the 100-mile distance in 11h 14′ 56″ and, while he was at it, he also set the 12-hour world record by running 170.4 km.
How did he do it? Certainly thanks to a granitic physique and will, but also thanks to a training regimen that, given the distances involved, you can imagine to be quite robust: Sorokin in fact trains twice a day for a total of 260 km per week, interspersing pure running sessions with sessions of interval training.
Will we have to wait another 24 years to see this record broken? Perhaps Sorokin himself will be the one to “fight” in the near future. After all, he is a specialist in surprising.