To run 600 kilometres in just 96 hours: that was the stated goal of Arda Saatçi, an extreme athlete and native-born Berliner, who took on the seemingly impossible challenge as part of a livestreamed endurance sport spectacle.
In the end, it took more than five days, but after 123 hours and 21 minutes, Saatçi arrived at his finish line at the Santa Monica Pier where he was greeted by a crowd of cheering fans and his mother -- with whom he went to get ice cream after the event ended.
The endurance of a 'cyborg'
To run 600 kilometres is equivalent to running more than 14 back-to-back marathons.
Adding to the difficulty of the task was the route Saatçi chose, which ran primarily through the hot, dry deserts of Southern California, and also included a total elevation gain of 6000 metres.
The course began at Badwater in Death Valley, the lowest point in North America. From there he ran through the desert toward Los Angeles, where he finally completed the event on Sunday 2:30pm local time.
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Saatçi had to battle heat, muscle pain and sleep deprivation, but continued running relentlessly for days on end.
The feat was sponsored by Red Bull, and promoted under the title "Cyborg Season". Red Bull also organised an online livestream of the event which was seen by millions of viewers across different platforms.
A huge team was involved in the run, including runners who took turns filming, a physiotherapist, and friends for moral support.Â
Home grown hero
Arda Saatçi was born in Berlin in 1997 and grew up in Lichterfelde and Charlottenburg. His parents have Turkish roots, and most of his family lives in Istanbul.
According to his Wikipedia page, Saatçi originally wanted to be a professional footballer. When that dream didn't work out he eventually turned to extreme endurance sports.
The "Cyborg Season" spectacle was not Saatçi's first massive running project.
Two years ago, he ran over 3000 kilometres in a 74 day effort which began in Berlin and ended in New York. The project was interrupted by a stress fracture in his leg.
Last year, he jogged 3,028 kilometres down the entire length of Japan in 43 days.
Through attention grabbing ultra-marathon events like these Saatçi has managed to make a career for himself as an endurance athlete and influencer.
Most of Saatçi's videos naturally show him engaged in endurance sports, but he has occasionally offered a glimpse into his life in Berlin -- such as this one where he shares his favourite local pizza shops (in German).
On May 15th, Saatçi is expected back in his home city.
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