Tibi Useriu at the finish line of the +350 miles ultramarathon (photo FB Tibi Useriu)
Romanian Tiberiu Useriu (44, born in Bistrita Nasaud) won the ultramarathon Arctic Ultra 6633 for third time in row. Regarded by many as the toughest, coldest, windiest ultra distance footrace on the planet, Artic Ultra had 32 participants on the race, out of which 23 in the race of 350+ miles (560+ km). 174 miles (280 km) of them were on the Ice Road, a frozen river with extreme temperatures between -30C (-22F) and -50C (-58F). After the first day of the competition, eight participants dropped, among them 3 Romanians, Avram Iancu, Polgar Levente, and Florentina Iofcea.
"When I was reaching the checkpoints I was so tired that I couldn’t do anything. The Ice Road “ate me alive”," declared Tibi, being quoted by Business-Review.eu. According to 6633ultra.com, it took Tibi 6 days, 3 hours and 50 minutes to complete the race that he led from start to finish. In the six days he slept a little over 24 hours.
"This kind of performance is reached only with determination and sacrifices, and Tibi Useriu proved again that he is a fighter,” Romanian President Klauss Iohannis, on his Facebook page.
Amazing results! Congratulations to Tibi! He embodies for me perseverance, discipline, and courage. He is proof that the answer to the "How far can you go?" question is "You would be amazed!!".