Is the 30x Ironman the most brutal test of human endurance? Jurand Czabański

Jurand’s daily schedule: wake at 5:00 AM, coffee, then swim at 5:30. After swimming, breakfast, then drive daughter to school (when not on vacation). Then he does either cycling or running – on Mondays/Wednesdays he runs, on Tuesdays/Thursdays he cycles. Weekends are the hardest: he runs at least a marathon, often more, and cycles long distances. He also incorporates MMA training with Robert Karaś, which serves as a mental break and a different kind of conditioning. He used to have a coach but now trains solo or with Robert, who often designs the workouts without telling him what’s next to prevent anxiety. He also uses ‘zakładki’ (brick workouts) where they mix short intervals of bike, run, swim, and weights. He emphasizes that he doesn’t like running but does it because it’s necessary. He also does the ‘dumbbell challenge’ – holding dumbbells and continuously moving for 30 minutes without putting them down.

Jurand says that negative thoughts start as early as two hours into swimming. He copes by changing his thoughts, not dwelling on the pain. When nothing else works, he thinks of his daughter, Maja. He imagines that by suffering now, he is somehow taking future suffering away from her, which gives his pain a purpose. During the 10×, he asked his team to place a photo of Maja on a chair so he could see it while running. He also uses a daily distance division strategy: the team only tells him the distance he needs to cover that day, not the total remaining, to prevent mental overload. He says he doesn’t remember the pain after the race, like a woman after childbirth, which makes it easier to sign up for the next one.

Jurand believes that the brain is like a muscle that needs novel stimulation. He reads 300–400 books about brain function and applies the principle of neuroplasticity by deliberately doing everyday tasks in an unfamiliar way. He says that when you eat with your right hand for years, the brain goes on autopilot; switching to the left forces it to engage and create new connections. He also walks backwards on stairs to challenge his balance and spatial awareness. He drives with his left foot on the brake and right foot on the gas, which is unnatural but keeps the brain alert. He claims that this practice has contributed to his mental resilience in ultra‑endurance.

A sleep study showed that Jurand rapidly enters deep sleep and stays there for over 3 hours, while most people get only 40–60 minutes. He describes it as a complete shutdown – he cannot be woken, even by loud noises. He wakes up feeling refreshed and energized, and he loves the early morning solitude to read and drink coffee. He believes his body has adapted to this pattern over years of extreme training. He does not use an alarm; his internal clock wakes him. He warns that this is not a recommended protocol for others, as it is his personal physiology.

Jurand has a background in wrestling and MMA, where he weighed around 97 kg. His body naturally tends toward a more muscular build. For ultra triathlon, he needs to be as light as possible. He explains that in the final 3 months before a race, he drops all strength training and focuses solely on swimming, cycling, and running. He also restricts carbohydrates during the week to keep his weight down, although he allows himself desserts on weekends. He says that building muscle is counterproductive because you want to be efficient, not powerful.

Jurand’s approach to racing is famously simple: ‘koko jumbo do przodu’ (just go forward). He doesn’t calculate splits, doesn’t pace himself, and doesn’t ask about the overall distance left. His team is instructed to only tell him the distance for that day. He says that when people ask about his strategy, he has none. He gets into the water and just goes until he can’t. This extends to the 30×: he will swim as much as possible in one go, then bike 500–540 km per day, and run, without a detailed plan. He trusts his body and his ability to push through. He says that the mental battle is the whole point, and a strategy would dilute the experience.

Jurand’s wife, Ania, manages his nutrition during races. She blends various foods into a paste so he doesn’t have to think about what he’s eating. He says he loses control of what he’s consuming, and sometimes she tricks him – adding meat even though he usually avoids it. He describes specific cravings that emerge: during the Brazil 10× he suddenly wanted rice with strawberries, sausage, and cereal with milk. His team has a designated person with a car who goes to buy whatever he requests. He also eats sweets, like candy bars, and notes that Robert Karaś is even better at eating huge amounts of sweets during races. He emphasizes that in ultra racing, eating becomes a strategic necessity, not a pleasure, and the team’s job is to keep him fueled regardless of his appetite.

For the 30×, Jurand will ask his team to tell him only the daily bike distance (500–540 km) and the daily run distance, and they will subtract from that as he completes laps. He never wants to hear how many kilometers are left overall. He says that even the daily number is huge, but dividing it by 10 makes it seem approachable. He compares it to his 10× experience: he didn’t think about the total, just the next lap. This strategy is a core part of his mental toolkit.

Jurand describes his progression as a search for where he finally cannot continue. Each event – 1×, 2×, 3×, 5×, 10× – left him wanting more. He expected the 10× to reveal a breaking point, but it didn’t. He says, ‘I thought I’d be more tired, but it was like a good workout.’ This led him to conceive the 30×, and he persuaded the race organizers to make it an open event. He is convinced that if your head doesn’t quit, the body will keep going. He believes that the pain and fatigue are real but that the mind can override them, and he has never encountered a moment where his body truly failed. He plans to use the 30× to gather data on whether his limit finally appears, but he predicts it won’t.

He describes his sleep as a complete shutdown: he cannot be woken by any noise, and he likens it to being dead for the first few hours. He theorizes that this deep sleep is what allows him to regenerate despite the enormous training load. He also notes that he wakes up naturally, feels refreshed, and that sleeping 6–7 hours gives him a headache. He loves the early morning quiet, using 30–40 minutes to read a book and drink coffee alone before the day starts. He believes his body learned to maximize deep sleep out of necessity, but he cannot explain the mechanism.

Jurand explains that he eats soup with his left hand, writes with his left hand (he is right‑handed), walks backwards on stairs, and in an automatic car he brakes with his left foot and accelerates with the right. He says the goal is to constantly challenge the brain to adapt. He believes that the more new information the brain is forced to process, the more it develops. He mentions that initially it was difficult, but now he can eat soup with his left hand without spilling. He extends this philosophy to his entire life: he always seeks novelty and discomfort to avoid mental ruts.

Jurand argues that no substance on Earth can magically make someone run a 10× Ironman, especially at the pace Robert did. He points out that Masteron builds muscle mass, which is counterproductive in ultra‑endurance – he himself stops strength training and tries to lose muscle before races. He emphasizes that Robert’s genetics, work ethic, and mental fortitude are what allowed him to win, not some PED. He also notes that the amount was so minuscule that it had no performance effect. He says he has no vested interest in defending Robert; he simply knows the sport and the person. He also encourages people to judge by actions, not speculation.

Jurand describes how he helped a 60‑year‑old American record holder, Will Turner, who had assisted him earlier. After finishing his own 3× race, he returned to the course and ran 20 miles with Will to help him finish. He also shared a moment with a Brazilian competitor, Beto Steel, who wanted to quit; Jurand kissed him on the forehead and told him to think of his children. The next morning Beto thanked him. They remain friends and will both be at the 30×. He says that when you are completely exhausted, you can’t pretend to be someone you’re not, which creates genuine, lasting connections. He also mentions that teams cooperate, lend food, and share advice.