"I LOST MY FEAR AND WENT FOR MY DREAMS."
Ferocious, formidable, relentless. The wind was Vladmi Virgílio dos Santos’s dogged companion along the seemingly infinite stretch of beach. It tested everything he had, physically and mentally. But the ultrarunner did not bow under the wind’s pressure. For he shared the same qualities as the gale that roared around him, and more.
Vladmi was competing in the Extremo Sul Ultramarathon, a 226km beast of a course run entirely on the beach at the south end of Brazil. Starting at Rio Grande and Chui, and finishing at Santa Vitória do Palmar, in Vladmi’s home state of Rio Grande do Sul, competitors battle constant sand, river crossings, the changing tide, scorching sun during the day and freezing temperatures at night. Navigating around washed-up shipping containers and the carcasses of whales and turtles is par for the course.
Of the 41 runners who lined up for the event in 2019, 26 made it to the finish. Vladmi was among them. But not only did he
