INFINITE TRAILS — 100K AS A TEAM.

Some races don't just change you as an athlete — they change you as a person. The Infinite Trails relay in the Austrian Alps was one such race. Three runners, 100 kilometres, over 8,000 metres of elevation in total. Dr. Alexandra v. Strempel, coach at runningsociety, looks back — and explains what experiences like this really mean.

The race: Infinite Trails in numbers

Infinite Trails is one of the most spectacular trail running events in Europe. The relay format makes it possible to cover distances that would be nearly impossible alone in a single day — and at the same time, every runner is entirely on their own once they're out on the trail. No pacing, no handoffs mid-leg. Just you, the mountain, and the clock.

Alexandra's team: herself, Celine, and Axel. Three runningsociety athletes, three different strengths, one shared goal.

Alexandra's leg: roughly 45 km with over 3,000 meters of elevation gain.

For comparison: a normal mountain marathon is 42 km. So Alexandra's leg wasn't just a "contribution to the relay" — it was a full-fledged ultra race in its own right.

What really happens in the mountains

There's a moment in every long mountain race that's unavoidable. Your legs stop burning — they stop feeling like anything at all. Your head takes over. And then it asks: why am I here? Can I stop?

Alexandra describes this moment as the most decisive one of the race — not because it was difficult, but because it showed her what actually works: "The mountains throw one blow after another at you. What helps isn't having more strength — it's remembering why you're here."

For Alexandra, part of the answer was her crew. Celine and Axel were waiting at the relay handoff point. The certainty that someone is waiting — that your own perseverance has direct consequences for others — is a powerful motivator. Stronger than any amount of inner discipline.

The role of nature in extreme effort

What does it do to a person to run for hours through high-alpine landscape? Physiologically, it's an extreme strain. Psychologically, it's often the opposite: a state of deep clarity.

Research on stress reduction through exposure to nature shows that high-alpine environments effectively interrupt cortical overactivation — the constant ruminating, planning, controlling. Attention shifts entirely to the next step, the next bend, the next meter. What therapists call "mindfulness" emerges naturally in trail running.

That explains why many ultra runners report feeling mentally clearer after long mountain runs than before — despite, or precisely because of, the physical exhaustion.

Ultra mindset: what the long road teaches

There's a parallel that keeps coming back to Alexandra: the structure of an ultra run and the structure of an academic PhD are eerily similar.

Both take a long time — much longer than originally planned. Both have phases where progress is invisible. Both have low points that feel like the end, but aren't. And in both, the same rule applies: you don't reach the finish by being faster. You reach the finish by refusing to quit.

Alexandra has seen both through — the race and the dissertation. And she says the experiences in the mountains helped her get through academic crises more than any productivity technique ever could. She knew she'd already finished harder things.

What to take from this story

You don't need an ultra on your calendar to benefit from the ultra mindset. The ability to keep going consistently through a long, uncomfortable process — at work, in sport, in life — is a skill you can train. And running is one of the most accessible training grounds for it.

Whether you're starting with a 5k loop or eyeing a relay ultra: the path is the same. Start, make progress, get through setbacks, keep going.

The runningsociety community is with you on this path — in the city and in the mountains. Come join us.

June 4, 2026