ArcelorMittal Ostrava represented at legendary Vassaloppet

Vassaloppet is to cross country skiers what Mount Everest to mountaineers: a dream that every cross country enthusiast wants to fulfill. This year Jiří Čech, a colleague of ArcelorMittal Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, rose to the challenge and took part in this, the world famous and longest cross country race.

The Swedish race Vassaloppet, dating back to 1922, is held every first Sunday in March and the number of its participants amounts to 15,000 skiers.

“I had trained regularly for about half a year to give good performance. My objective was clear: to survive, reach the finish line and make it within less than 8 hours.”  Did he achieve the aim?

Yes! After 6h55min of enormous strain and undying will to complete the 90 km long race, Jiří finally reached the finish line, taking an overall 4,945 place and leaving behind good 10,000 competitors. Fortunately, along the way 7 refreshment stations helped him replenish energy and even try some Swedish specialties as blueberry soup – blåbär.

“It was exhausting but the feeling of achievement can beat anything. I’m happy that I fulfilled my longtime dream and got to grips with this challenge. It was an extraordinary experience to take part in Vassaloppet; it was worth all the pain and struggle,” adds Jiří.

Congratulations for this bold achievement, Jiří!

If you feel motivated by this success story and want to put your stamina to test as well, contact Jiří by leaving a message below – he will be happy to share more details of his experience with you.

Collaboration: Ivo Štěrba, Vladimír Raszka, Communications, ArcelorMittal Ostrava