Ultramarathon runner Szilvia Lubics was the guest of a programme series at Sándor Palace

Ultramarathon runner Szilvia Lubics was the guest of SP Talks, a programme series hosted by Sándor Palace. Szilvia Lubics was interviewed by President of Hungary Katalin Novák.

The President directed attention to Szilvia Lubics’s heroic and extraordinary achievements, which in her opinion can motivate many. She pointed out that Szilvia is not only an exceptional athlete, but also an exceptional human being. 

Ultramarathon runner Szilvia Lubics is the multiple-time winner of the Ultrabalaton and Spartathlon races, a dentist by profession and the mother of three children. 
Among other things, Katalin Novák asked the athlete what motivated her when she first stood at the start line, what were the major difficulties in her desert run and her run in Antarctica, and what motivates her to enter the various races. 

Szilvia Lubics recalled that she had started running in 2003. First she covered a stretch of 4 kilometres, which was later followed by longer and longer distances. She underlined that in running, it is possible to develop fast, but "do not have high expectations of yourself ", the point is to get started nice and slow. She added: rarely ever was she motivated by getting to stand on the podium, her aim was always to complete the whole distance, as one should always aim to improve on oneself alone. 

Recalling the run in Antarctica last year, she said it was very exhausting and challenging, but she has new goals, and now longs to enter more and more races. As she said: it is fundamentally important for her that there is something scary in the race, as that’s what inspires her to go the extra mile, that’s what drives her emotionally. She saw plenty of challenges in the desert run, too - she added. 

She also explained that she is always in love with the race she is preparing for, and this love inspires her to prepare thoroughly, both mentally and physically. Among her future goals, she mentioned a desert race in Jordan in November. 

Szilvia Lubics also mentioned that she applies various mental techniques as well, including practising how to focus, or self-encouragement while doing sports. An ultramarathon runner must be tenacious and goal-oriented – she pointed out. 

In the interview, Katalin Novák recalled that Szilvia Lubics’s book, written with her husband and entitled „Life is one and a half days long” was published in 2017, followed by her second book „Beyond the sand dune in 2020.