Coen Cuijpers

Megalo Chorio, just before ten in the morning. I pour some coffee, give a hug to Zorro and tighten my shoelaces. Excited and ready for an adventure: to run across Tilos.

The sky looks a bit grey, but no rain. In the supermarket Eleftheria tells me there's a storm forecast in the afternoon. I take it in and let it go. At Mike's coffee - well, I call it that to avoid tongue twisters - I pick up the sidewalk chalk from one of the villagers. I can borrow it for my theatre performance on saturday. "Trécho, trécho", says Mike with a smile. And there I go.

I go downhill to Agios Antonios, a hamlet a few kilometers away, inhabited by the lucky few, including a renowned English writer. I figured the road is mostly flat - an exception on Tilos - so I can find my pace. I reach the sea. The tide is calm and peaceful, I take in the sound of the waves. I turn left towards Plaka Beach, and take in the first altimeters of the day. The views on the sea are astonishing. The roads are long and winding, and go up slowly.

This changes after I get closer to Plaka beach. I run across many sharp and steep corners, when the scenery gets more spectacular by the minute. I leave Plaka Beach for now, and go left to the Monastry. The hill becomes a mountain, as massive rock formations appear. The roads seem to dissolve in the unknown. I am in awe. I feel like a humble, tiny dot, immersed in a beautiful world.

Then it starts to drizzle. Drizzle becomes pouring rain, the wind blows merciless. I get myself together and push through. The rain fades as I approach the monastry. I feel so powerful, so alive! I am king of the mountain!

I am thrilled to go downhill, but then the mountain suddenly ends. The monastry blocks the path and I'm left with a silly, handmade road sign that says 'Eristos'. It points to the mountain, but I discover a small, rocky path next to the Monastry wall. It appears to be no running path, apart from a vertical pitfall full of rocks that in the far distance shows a road. Too trecherous.

I call it a dead end and turn around, back to Agios Antonios. On the way down I recall the story of Forrest Gump, where he basically just ran. After each sea or ocean he stumbled upon, he would say: "Since I got this far, I might as well run the whole…". With some goofy attemps I try to recall the lines and the way he talked. I absolutely love these silly things and send the message to some friends.

This gives me the opportunity to explore Plaka Beach. Before I enter, I spot a colored rock. I wonder if it has any meaning, other than being colorful and bright. The sea is clear, and some rocks have found each other at the coastline.

Back in Agios Antonios I ran about 16 kilometers and ponder where to go next. Because of the hills you can not just run across the whole island. You have to know where the paths are. Luckily Jen - the renowded English Writer - showed me lots of options.

I take the road to Eristos, as the sun really kicks in. At the beach I carry some water from the sea to wash my face. The sea is pretty wild, quite the opposite of Agios. I remember Jen mentioning a path to Livadia from here, while her dog Lisa was rabbit hunting in the scrubbery of the hillside.

I take the wrong path. I have two options. If I go left, I head to the Monastry again. So I head right, which takes me back to Megalo Chorio. It's a beautful dirt road, covered with some small rocks. Goats jump up and down. Tilos is like cat haven - seven stray cats wander around my house - but goats outnumber them by far. I can just keep going! The sun is burning and in Megalo I replenish my inventory with some fresh water and salty snacks.

It's around two in the afternoon, I ran about 25 kilometers. I look up and see nothing but the sun. No signs of a storm. I head out to Livadia, about 6 kilometers from Megalo. I ran here before to stick posters for my theatre performance and fell in love with the hairpen bends downhill. It's a long way up and my left foot burns like crazy. I take a small stop. I eat, drink and do some stretching and jumping. It's only a few minutes, but it gets me back on my feet again. I run straight to the hairpen bends downhill and feel incredibly thankful and delirious with joy. When I enter Livadia, I say hello to an old lady. She is doing some work around the house. The woman replies friendly and asks what I'm doing. "Running across the island", I respond. "Do you need to sit down", she says. I kindly decline the offer and wish her all the best. I run to the port and take a glimpse of the sea and the pier. It's so peaceful here. For a moment I think about coffee, but then I look at the time: almost half past three. It gets dark just after five. With a storm forecast and about six kilometer with lots of climbing I decide to go back.

Around four the skies get grayer. I take some water and food, when the drizzle hits in. I gather my stuff and start running again. Then lots of goats flee down the hill. Animals have incredible senses, they seek shelter. I know something bad is incoming, and increase my pace. The mood swings to sinister and pouring rain gets me drenched in less than a minute. The first lighting strikes a hill in the distance. I count. 15 seconds. That's like 4,5 kilometers away. I increase my pace again.10 seconds, I see the lights of Megalo Chorio in the distance. "Run, Coen, Run", I shout to myself. Then something magical happens: my feet just keep moving! I spot the first houses of Megalo Chorio. 5 seconds. I know I still have to go up the hill. The water floods down. 3 seconds, it's really close now! I take the final hill - the most foolish one with segments of 10% - and I am past my last legs. I struggle to get up and am home, just in time!

What remains are 37 kilometers of running with magical mountain views, goofy but succesfull attempt to unleash the Forrest Gump inside of me, an immense amount of positive vibes, the feeling of pushing through setbacks and boundaries, overcoming the thrill of thunder and lighting and the pure magic of running. But most of all: I absolutely looooooved to go out and play again, in an unforgettable adventure on the most beautiful island I've ever seen.

Tilos, I embrace you with all my heart!