Ablauf/ Route:

Savas ran once across the country of the Incas with an average of 60 km/day (ultramarathon). The first stage started in Lima. He first ran south, along the coast - first to Pisco, then to Ica. The climate on the coast is desert. On this section of the route, the main thing was to stay well hydrated. The trails are still fine at this point, but the real challenge awaited him off-road in the Andes. From Ica, he ran even further south to Nazca, past the famous lines in the sand. The southernmost point of his tour, on the border with Chile, was Tacna. 
From there, his journey continued northeast, to Puno on Lake Titicaca. At the largest inland lake in Latin America and the highest in the world, he ran along for a bit, then continued his way northeast. From then on it became difficult, due to the political unrest in the country he was repeatedly delayed or hindered, but he still managed to complete his ultramarathon every day. Then he continued off-road, at the foot of the Andes in the middle of the Peruvian rainforest. In the rainforest, he often had no cell phone reception. He had to be prepared to be unreachable or not well reachable for days. From the rainforest, he continued northwest toward Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas. Here he wanted to walk to Machu Picchu in any case - the ruined city and ancient Inca fortress that has left a lasting mark on Peru's image, especially abroad. Due to political protests and unrest, access to Machu Picchu was closed. 
It took about 14 days to cover the distance and then a good ten more days to reach Ayacucho in the west of the country and already in the middle of the Andes. The city is relatively isolated, there are hardly any paved roads. He had saved one real challenge for last. His wish was always to run through the highest parts of the Andes, the summit of the Cordillera Huayhuash, which belongs to the central cordillera. In this part of the Andes is also the highest mountain in Peru, the Huascarán. In this part of the Andes he reached a height of over 5000m. He trained for this in an altitude chamber in Hamburg to simulate the oxygen content at high altitude.

But he knew it would not be easy. Weather conditions at this time of year in the Andes are very volatile. In the rainy season, rivers fill up so much that they overflow their banks, often flooding large areas in the mountains. This could be dangerous and he has to pay close attention. In order to be able to assess weather changes, Savas also had to regularly ask the local people for news about the weather and situation in the mountains. He spent about 2 weeks in this area and has reached his limits mentally as well as physically. It often happens that he only gets enough food or any food at all on some days. Here he learns what renunciation means. The last stage leads Savas from the Andes back to Lima. It took him less than 1 week of running time.

Goal:

"I want to show that you can do , hat you can do anything if you just work hard for it and never lose heart. I strongly believe: You will always get what you are asking for. If think about injuries, you will hurt yourself. If think about giving up, you will give up. All I think about is that I'm going to make it."

Bio:

Savas Coban, 30 years old, German
Grown up in Bremen, Savas lives with his sister. He doesn't have a normal job, he trains all day. He sleeps at a friends place in Hamburg or with his sister in Bremen. „You are too good - there is no grade in sports for you“ according to Savas’s Sport teacher. Sports always played a big role in Savas life. Whether football as a child, kickboxing as a teen or running as an adult, the disciplines are varied and "mainly outside his comfort zone," says Savas. Growing up in a very poor family, without a father, as a little brother he always has to justify that he wants to make a living from sports.He learns to become a personal trainer, but this is not enough for him. Savas wants more, even if that means not being able to lead a normal life and a family life. 

In 2020, Savas went by bike 3247 km from Hamburg to Seville, southern Spain. In 2021, he ran a daily ultramarathon 2248.21 km from Munich to Istanbul. 
Running gives him a sense of freedom. "You can creatively design your route and fully push your limits.“ The adventure and the feeling of doing something unique is very exciting for Savas. For him it a big motivation to inspire other people with his athletic actions. Boundaries shift with each trip. Thus, he will plan some even bigger projects in the future. Whether it's running or something else, Savas is always looking for the challenge. Knowing that everything is mental, it gives him trust and the belief to be able to do anything.