Poland 1 km Highline Competition

Since I began to highline, I had heard of the 1km lines that some of the top highliners would rig and walk. I dreamt of someday being capable of crossing a line like that. After putting in the work for a year and a half some people told me I was ready and I longed for the opportunity. I was almost a part of a couple projects but they all fell through for various reasons.

I found out about a 1km race in Poland, two days before the submission deadline. I didn’t have access to a line of the specified length to submit a qualification video (180-220) but there was a 70 m rigged at my home spot. I had my friend take a video of me crossing 3 times to equate the distance. I thought it was at least worth a shot. I sent in my video and begged them to consider me. A week or so later I discovered that I had made the cut and was allowed to participate in this competition. It was like signing up for a marathon when you’re a casual runner. So with two months to prepare, it was time to kick training into high gear!

In Salt Lake City, we unfortunately don’t have a long perma line (a line that stays up) but only a 67 m line that is normally rigged. My one friend who is stoked on speed is in school so he didn’t have much time to help me establish or find a better training option. I tried to get people to help me but the majority of the SLC crew is only stoked on freestyle, a different format of highlining that involves bouncing and doing tricks. I got a friend to help me scout one day and we spent the entire day looking for different options. What we found however, would be too high and require a visibility line and lights- making it not ideal to leave up. Our old perma line spot was chopped and we debated setting it back up but the webbing my friend offered up needed an extension and connections and getting a team to help me put it up fell through time and time again. 

One weekend I drove to Colorado and spent the weekend sessioning the 200 m line they leave up permanently. It really made me want to move there as the accessibility is insane. The fact that they have at least 3 200 m lines up at all times is insane. I sessioned my heart out and after a day I got my 200 m time down to 5 min. I only wonder what I am capable of with easier access to that kind of line. I did 2 km a day for three days before I had to make the 8 hour drive back to SLC, but that weekend was huge in my training. 

It was sad to go back to my 67 m line and my attempts at getting help to rig a longer line kept falling through. We got a 125 m up for a week and half and I went up there daily. Exhausted from training so much but knowing I needed to take advantage of the opportunity to have a longer line. I went to a women’s gathering the week before leaving and continued to shoot for my 2km / day, doing laps on the 90 m line there. 

I trained my body as much as I could but also focused on a lot of mental aspects as well. I read a book by Craig Manning, “The Fearless Mind” that focuses a lot on the psyological and mental aspect of sports. It was very insightful, lots of stuff that one already intuitively knows but with practical advice and tips to bring to the front of the mind. Some of the most important things I took from the book were the following: It’s always better to have a task orientated mindset, to be focused on the exact task in any given moment vs trying to arrive at a specific outcome (winning). So for me, focusing on taking strong, stable, consistent steps and controlling my breathing. That is what is within my realm of ability to control, not the outcome of coming in first or achieving a certain time. It’s important to acknowledge where there is room for improvement but more important to focus on your strengths and what you are doing well. Manning talked about the importance of believing in yourself, telling yourself repeatedly that “I can do this” to leave no room for doubt to creep in. He talked about the Law of Attraction and how if you think about what you don’t want, you unknowingly invite it into your life. So in my case, not thinking “I don’t want to fall” but rather focusing on the outcome I do want, “I want to keep moving, I want to keep taking stable steps”.

My anxiety about finding an adequate training line turned to calmness as the completion approached. I had done absolutely everything in my power to prepare myself and now I was resigned to my fate. There was nothing more I could do at that point except visualize the outcome I wanted. I thought about what seeing the line would feel like or be like. The feeling of walking it and getting to that flag. I envisioned myself taking large quick steps over and over again, flying through the air. 

I spent a few nights in Krakow before making my way to the competition.

I arrived on Wednesday and slept terribly that night. I had caught a cold in Krakow and spent the night coughing, sneezing, sniffling and lying awake for hours. Thursday morning I watched Mia and CeCe do their runs, Mia clocked an incredible 21 minutes, setting a world record for women speed distance (without doing any training 😭) an absolute legend. And CeCe came in at 26 minutes. Both of these ladies mainly do freestyle and don’t train for speed lining. My run was supposed to be on Friday but with the forecast predicting windier and windier conditions every day, the judges thought about pushing people’s time slots up. I initially chose to still go on Friday, just earlier in the morning but after I took a nap, I thought I might go that evening if there was still time. 

The line was actually 1.6 km , 1600 meters or 1 mile. The racing segment was 1000 m. Initially I was going to start from the other side, warm up with 600 meters then do the 1000 m race. With the changing around of things there wouldn’t be time to go to the other side. So I would start at the beginning, walk 1000 meters to the starting flag, then turn around and race back to the observation tower.

I took the gondola up the ski hill and climbed the staircase to the top. The judges told me Benoit and Vidal were going but I could go after them. It was already 5 pm and the sun set at 7:15 but it was pretty overcast. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go or what was best but I thought I’d at least get my stuff and be prepared. I made the journey back down the ski hill, got my harness, knee brace, shoes and hydration pack and made the journey back up. I told myself if the boys were done by 6, I would go, but any later than that and I’d be risking walking back in the dark. 

By the time I was walking up the staircase is was 5:40 and Benoit was almost across. Vidal was no where in sight so the judges told me to get ready. I hurried to gear up and Vidal still was not present by the time Benoit got off the line so I hopped up to the banister and started to tie in. There was no time to think or to be nervous, it was show time. Vidal made it up just as I finished tying in but it was too late, it was my turn. I felt bad as Vidal is a world champion and could cross the 1km in 20 min or less so could do both ways in probably 40 min and it would take me much longer. But it wasn’t my call and what’s done was done. 

I scooted out on the line and stood up and started walking. I focused on my breathing and taking consistent strong steps. Strong, stable, consistent, quick was my first mantra. I tucked my hat down so I could only see a couple tapes in front of me. I refused to look at the whole line and chose instead to focus on what was right in front of me. My clogged nose luckily still allowed me to breath through it and I tried to match up my breathing with my steps. 

Thoughts would try to creep in of taking Vidal’s spot but I shook them away and stayed focused on what I was doing. This is what I came here to do and I am doing it. This is it, this is the moment. After a few hundred meters I thought of how cool it would be if I didn’t fall but I pushed that from my mind too. Ultimately it didn’t matter and no one would care. It wouldn’t count as a line send since it’s only a fragment. And in this moment it’s the time not the falls that counts. I had a couple saves where I refused to fall and then I made myself continue taking steps. One at a time, keep breathing, keep moving. After a while I peaked up to try to see the starting flag but it was no where in sight. I thought it would be at the end of the orange webbing and the beginning of the black but it was no where to be seen. Surely I’ve walked a km, I thought. I started to worry about if I missed the flag and ended up walking more than what I was supposed to. I wanted to radio to the people but knew that would cause me to fall. I almost fell as my mind got carried away in anxiety but I stayed strong. I kept peaking up and eventually saw the flag in the distance. Relieved, I kept going, thinking it was so cool that I hadn’t fallen and making sure I stayed focus. I tapped the flag with my foot and sat down. I was surprised at how dark it got on that crossing, I checked my watch and it was now 6:40, I started at 5:55. So that crossing took me 45 min- oof, 15 min longer than my goal. 

I knew I would have to pick up my pace if I had any shot. It was also getting darker by the minute so a fast pace would help me get the hell off this line. I radioed that I made it and would take a minute’s rest. They initially didn’t answer and I had to go to a different channel to get someone’s attention. I felt truly alone in this abyss. I took the opportunity to look all around me at the beautiful rolling mountains and monstrosity of this line. They gave me a 15 sec countdown when I told them I was ready and then I was off! 

It was a very shakey and slow start but then I fell into a pace that was much quicker then coming out. I kept it strong for a couple hundred meters then lost my focus for an instant and fell. Luckily, I caught the line but I was very shaky and it took me at least a minute to get back on my feet again as the webbing was slippery from the rain that was beginning to fall.

After that I slowed down and walked a more conservative pace. The rain picked up into a steady sideways drizzle and the back up loops fluttered in the increasing wind. Fear started to creep in and take control. I remained calm and confidant and was reassured by the sight of the observation tower getting closer and closer.

I had one more fall and catch of the line but was able to get up a bit quicker this time. I let go of my falls and focused on the task at hand. Taking one step at a time and getting to where I needed to go. 

The darkness kept threatening to engulf me. The orange webbing turned black for a section and it felt like I was walking on thin air as it blended in with the dark trees below. I could feel the water sitting on the webbing. It allowed me to slide my feet a bit but didn’t make it any harder physically at least. Mentally the rain and the wind caused me to tighten up and not push as hard as I would have liked to. 

The observation tower was growing but it was still deceivingly far away. I made myself look just two tapes ahead as beyond that was too blurry to focus. The line started inclining greatly upwards and I was petrified to fall on that steep slippery slope and have to stand up again. I think I slowed down even further in these last 100/200 meters for fear of falling. This slower pace made me feel a bit more unstable as well but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Keep moving I told myself, I can do this, I can do this. 50/100 m from the flag I almost fell and had an impressive save. Screaming “no!!” And shouting to myself out loud that I am strong and I am stable, I am strong , I am stable. I pushed through the instability and kept stringing my steps together. I was so close and would be so relieved to be back and to be done. 

I shakily approached the flag and crossed the finish line. I walked in 30 more meters then came in. Vidal and his girlfriend Alice had stayed and there was a couple polish judges. We exchanged hugs and congratulations as my eyes filled with tears. They told me my time and the other girls time. I did 34 minutes which was the slowest of all four of us ladies but it didn’t matter much. I had done what I came here to do. I did my first kilometer and then I turned around and did my second one. I trained so hard for this moment and the moment was over. I was so happy and proud of myself for committing to the goal and the process and sticking through with it. It was a glorious moment. We all went down and I was content and rather relieved to be done.