Faust skated 17028 km in 2019
Faust Nuñez, 61 years old, living in Barcelona, skated 17,028 km in 2019. This is approximately 100km every two days. Of all the long distance skaters who register their distances in Endomondo he was that year by far the best. His competitors had much less kilometers skated this year. Frank Lorenz from Germany, the winner of last year came this year not farther than “only 13,780km”. Also the winner of 2017 Adam from Poland could not keep up with Faust. The enormous effort he made raises two questions: “Why is he doing this” and “how can he do this”.
Why is he doing this?
You should know that he started with skating not earlier than 2014 when he was 56 years old. He had skied before but he became afraid of the speed and the risk involved. Therefore he decided to try skating. In Barcelona there are many groups that make tours in and around the town in the weekends and on Friday nights. He started to participate in these tours and learned in this way how to skate and he like it. The tours are not very difficult, it is done in a nice atmosphere. So it was a lot of fun. But he detected also that he preferred to skate longer distances. In 2015 he started to skate long distances on his own during the week and registered the number of kilometers he skated in Endomondo. At this system he met also other long distance skaters with the same passion and they started to compete with each other.
You should know that he started with skating not earlier than 2014 when he was 56 years old. He had skied before but he became afraid of the speed and the risk involved. Therefore he decided to try skating. In Barcelona there are many groups that make tours in and around the town in the weekends and on Friday nights. He started to participate in these tours and learned in this way how to skate and he like it. The tours are not very difficult, it is done in a nice atmosphere. So it was a lot of fun. But he detected also that he preferred to skate longer distances. In 2015 he started to skate long distances on his own during the week and registered the number of kilometers he skated in Endomondo. At this system he met also other long distance skaters with the same passion and they started to compete with each other.
2017
At the end of 2017 he knew that he was 200km behind a Polish skater and wanted on the last day to pass him. I liked his passion and we made an appointment that I would skate with him in the morning to give him some support. So we skated some kilometers, we made a picture at a famous landmark close to Barcelona and then he continued to try to make more kilometers than the Polish skater. In the end he failed by 30km. Faust and Adam liked the competition and he was invited in Poland to skate with him and his friends.
At the end of 2017 he knew that he was 200km behind a Polish skater and wanted on the last day to pass him. I liked his passion and we made an appointment that I would skate with him in the morning to give him some support. So we skated some kilometers, we made a picture at a famous landmark close to Barcelona and then he continued to try to make more kilometers than the Polish skater. In the end he failed by 30km. Faust and Adam liked the competition and he was invited in Poland to skate with him and his friends.
2018
With them he made a tour of 600km from the polish capital Warsaw to the Baltic Sea. It was a very nice experience for him even though they had problems to communicate with each other because they had no common language. But the skating language was enough to enjoy the trip. This experience motivated Faust even more to continue with long distance skating.
In the end of the year he was quite disappointed that he again became second, this time behind a German skater Frank Lorenz who skated 170 km more than him, even though Faust had skated 2000 km more than the previous year. An excuse was that in Germany there were very nice skate paths without crossings of high ways and traffic lights. In Barcelona and surroundings there were very few similar routes possible.
With them he made a tour of 600km from the polish capital Warsaw to the Baltic Sea. It was a very nice experience for him even though they had problems to communicate with each other because they had no common language. But the skating language was enough to enjoy the trip. This experience motivated Faust even more to continue with long distance skating.
In the end of the year he was quite disappointed that he again became second, this time behind a German skater Frank Lorenz who skated 170 km more than him, even though Faust had skated 2000 km more than the previous year. An excuse was that in Germany there were very nice skate paths without crossings of high ways and traffic lights. In Barcelona and surroundings there were very few similar routes possible.
2019
In 2019 he definitely wanted to win. So he planned to skate every day 50km. In that way he would skate 18,250 km in a year and he was sure that in this way he would win the competition. This time he indeed succeeded. He was far ahead of the others with 17,028 km. Frank was second with more than 3000km less. Faust was happy that he won but he was disappointed that he could not realize his plan to skate 50km each day. He got anyway his big reward for his incredible record.
In 2019 he definitely wanted to win. So he planned to skate every day 50km. In that way he would skate 18,250 km in a year and he was sure that in this way he would win the competition. This time he indeed succeeded. He was far ahead of the others with 17,028 km. Frank was second with more than 3000km less. Faust was happy that he won but he was disappointed that he could not realize his plan to skate 50km each day. He got anyway his big reward for his incredible record.
How could he do this?
Maybe you think that he could do this because he had no job. That is not true. He works for a company a bit outside Barcelona 8 hours a day and 5 days in the week. His time table is 2.30h – 22.30 or 8.30 – 16.30. He goes to his work on his skates and after finishing his work he starts to skate. During the week he normally skates alone. This has also its charm. He is free like a bird, he can go where he wants, he enjoys the silence around him and enjoy the beauty of night. Sometimes he skates till 6 a.m. in the morning. Then he goes to sleep till he has to go to his work again.
Maybe you think that he could do this because he had no job. That is not true. He works for a company a bit outside Barcelona 8 hours a day and 5 days in the week. His time table is 2.30h – 22.30 or 8.30 – 16.30. He goes to his work on his skates and after finishing his work he starts to skate. During the week he normally skates alone. This has also its charm. He is free like a bird, he can go where he wants, he enjoys the silence around him and enjoy the beauty of night. Sometimes he skates till 6 a.m. in the morning. Then he goes to sleep till he has to go to his work again.
The weekends are completely different. Then he makes tours with the many skating groups which exist in Barcelona. Depending on the level of the skaters they are making shorter tours of 30km or longer ones till 100km. The longer ones go outside Barcelona to other towns. These groups are not fast but Faust does not have to go fast. He can join different groups in a weekend and in this way he can make his kilometers. In this case he enjoys the company because these skaters like to stop for eating and drinking and have fun together.
An extra challenge
A problem for Faust is that he had skated all possible trips several times. Around Barcelona there are only a limited number of trips one can make without any danger and traffic. He told me that sometimes he felt like a “hamster in cage” skating up and down the same river (Besos) all the time. Therefore he needed new challenges. These he found in making unusual trips like going up the Monjuïc, a mountain where the sport accommodations were situated for the Olympic Games, the twice as high Tibidabo and the hill in Garaf where at the top is a Buddhist monastery. Going up these hills is certainly a challenge but going down from these hills is even worse..
A problem for Faust is that he had skated all possible trips several times. Around Barcelona there are only a limited number of trips one can make without any danger and traffic. He told me that sometimes he felt like a “hamster in cage” skating up and down the same river (Besos) all the time. Therefore he needed new challenges. These he found in making unusual trips like going up the Monjuïc, a mountain where the sport accommodations were situated for the Olympic Games, the twice as high Tibidabo and the hill in Garaf where at the top is a Buddhist monastery. Going up these hills is certainly a challenge but going down from these hills is even worse..
As a Dutch skater, accustomed to skate on flat surfaces, I would not dare to make these trips. He did them and told me that he only occasionally had small accidents, no serious ones. This extra challenge and the enjoyment of the views provided him with extra motivation to go on skating his kilometers and realize his aim to win the competition with his colleagues in Poland and Germany.
What now?
Now that he has reached he goal, he has decided not to try to win again this year but skate more relaxed than the previous years. He wants to participate in the tours that are made and skate in the night for his own pleasure but not for the record.
I told him about the many tours that are organized in the Netherlands for inline skaters in the summer time. Personally, I think the tours in The Netherlands are much nicer than the ones that are possible around Barcelona. The same is true for the nice skating routes in Germany close to Berlin (Fleming route) or in Vienna at the Donau Insel.
I wrote this story about this special skater so that people in other countries know that he is ready to pick up a new challenge in another surrounding. It is a pleasure to skate with him even when there are some language problems but he understands the language of skaters very well.
What now?
Now that he has reached he goal, he has decided not to try to win again this year but skate more relaxed than the previous years. He wants to participate in the tours that are made and skate in the night for his own pleasure but not for the record.
I told him about the many tours that are organized in the Netherlands for inline skaters in the summer time. Personally, I think the tours in The Netherlands are much nicer than the ones that are possible around Barcelona. The same is true for the nice skating routes in Germany close to Berlin (Fleming route) or in Vienna at the Donau Insel.
I wrote this story about this special skater so that people in other countries know that he is ready to pick up a new challenge in another surrounding. It is a pleasure to skate with him even when there are some language problems but he understands the language of skaters very well.