50km Through Belgrade in Near-40-Degree Heat
The Serbian 50km National Championship in Belgrade. Almost 40 degrees Celsius. Enormous humidity. A lot of athletes in the field chose not to finish.
Jovica Spajic won. First overall. First across every distance in the field.
He wore the Re.balance Infinity from start to finish.
Who Is Jovica Spajic
In 2016, Jovica Spajic ran 340 kilometres through the Indian Himalayas at high altitude, on the border of India, China, and Pakistan. He won La Ultra with a course record of 60 hours and 37 minutes. Only 19 people in history have finished that race.
The following year, he went to the Amazon rainforest. Won there too. Then Minnesota, in the depths of winter, where temperatures sat between minus 30 and minus 50 degrees Celsius. He crossed the finish line first.
Then Canada, for an 870-kilometre race through the Yukon wilderness in winter, pulling a sled with 27,000 metres of cumulative ascent. First.
Then Canada, for the Yukon Arctic Ultra, widely regarded as the toughest winter ultramarathon in the world. First again.
He is the captain of the Serbian National Ultramarathon team and an instructor in Serbia's Special Anti-Terrorist Unit, the SAJ. He has been doing this for 17 years.
The Race: Serbian 50km National Championship
"It was an extremely hot day, almost 40 degrees Celsius, with enormous humidity outside. A lot of DNFs in the field. I am super happy and proud with this victory because of all the external factors I couldn't control."
- Jovica Spajic
Why Photochromic Running Sunglasses Held Up for 50km in Direct Sun
Jovica got a pair of Re.balance Infinity a few months ago. He wore them for 50 kilometres in direct heat without taking them off.
The Infinity is our most complete lens system. The photochromic layer shifts from 69% visible light transmission down to 20% as conditions change. Polarised to cut road glare. Permanent anti-fog coating baked into the polycarbonate lens during manufacturing, unlike spray-on treatments that wear off within hours of heavy sweating. UV400 protection. 20 grams total frame weight.
In near-40-degree heat with extreme humidity, the permanent anti-fog coating is the difference between a lens that stays clear and one that fogs over within the first hour. Jovica wore the Infinity for the full 50 kilometres without removing them.
Next: The Divide 200
Jovica is preparing for The Divide 200 in Canada, a 200-mile mountain ultra trail race through the Canadian Rockies in August. He'll be wearing Re.
Follow his race at @jovicaspajic.
Tim Golubev
Founder, Re. (Re Your Run)
Tim built Re. after years of running in sunglasses that bounced, fogged, and ended up on his forehead. After discovering the UV damage that builds up without eye protection (even on cloudy days) and hearing the same frustrations from hundreds of other runners, he decided it was a problem worth fixing properly. With a background in Product across multiple industries, he approached it like any product problem: figure out what's broken, then build something that actually fixes it. He runs daily, co-founded Rose Bay Run Club, and Re. is his attempt to make one less thing that gets in the way of a good run.
