Katalin Novák hosted Szilvia Lubics as part of SP Talks at the Sándor Palace, whom she considers not only an exceptional sportsperson, but also an exceptional person.
Szilvia Lubics is an ultramarathonist, multiple winner of the Ultrabalaton and Spartathlon, a civilian dentist, and the mother of three children.
Among other things, the President of the Republic asked the athlete what motivated him in his very first run, what were the biggest difficulties of his desert and Antarctic runs, what motivates him to start the various competitions.
Szilvia Lubics recalled that she started running in 2003, she covered 4 kilometers for the first time, and this was followed by increasingly long distances. He emphasized that you can improve quickly in running, but "we shouldn't have high expectations of ourselves", you just have to start slowly. He added: he was rarely motivated by standing on the podium, the main thing for him was always to complete the distance, you always have to compare it to yourself.
Recalling his Antarctic run last year, he said that it was very tiring and difficult, but he has new goals and wants to go to more and more competitions. He put it this way: it is essential to have something terrifying in a competition, because it encourages you to put extra energy into it, it gives you an emotional charge. He also saw many challenges in desert running, he said.
He also said that he is always in love with the competition he is preparing for, this love is the impetus for him to prepare thoroughly both mentally and physically. Among his future goals, he mentioned a run in the Jordanian desert in November.
Szilvia Lubics also mentioned that she uses mental techniques, such as practicing focusing or encouraging herself during sports. An ultra runner must be persistent and purposeful, he pointed out.
In the conversation, Katalin Novák also recalled that Szilvia Lubics's book Half a Day is Life, written jointly with her husband, was published in 2017, and her second work, Beyond the Dunes, was published in 2020.
MTI
