Australian-Croatian runner completes epic 827km journey along Croatia’s coast

By Vesna Trokter

Australian-Croatian ultramarathon runner Aydan Marko Papac from Melbourne has completed the most demanding sporting feat of his career, one that few would dare to attempt, 827 kilometres along the Croatian coast, from the lighthouse in Savudrija to Punta Oštro on Prevlaka. It was a feat of endurance, unity and humanity, dedicated to his late grandfather Jandro and to raising awareness of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Aydan set off from Savudrija on 24 August at 5 am, with the ambitious goal of running the Croatian coast in ten days. Ahead of him were 827 kilometres, meaning more than 80 kilometres of running per day, the equivalent of almost two marathons every day, in the summer heat, through fatigue and pain, with minimal time for recovery.

As he approached Zadar, Aydan’s body began to show the effects of exertion beyond human limits. Due to severe dehydration and significant sodium loss from the sweltering heat, he had no choice but to stop and receive medical attention before he could safely continue, losing more than a full day of running in the process.

For most people, that would have been reason enough to give up.

For Aydan, it became just another obstacle he was determined to overcome in order to complete the ten-day challenge.

After passing through Dubrovnik on the final stretch, Aydan reached Prevlaka and Punta Oštro, the southernmost point of Croatia, on Thursday, 3 September. On his own two feet, he connected the north-westernmost and southernmost points of the Croatian coast and completed more than 800 kilometres.

At the finish line, the emotions, hugs, tears of joy and the Republic of Croatia flag best showed how much this journey meant to him, his family and the people who followed him.

For Grandpa Jandro – “moving for those who no longer can”

From the very beginning, there was a much deeper story behind the sporting challenge.

Aydan dedicated the feat to the memory of his grandfather, Jandro Bilić, who suffered from the rare and severe neurodegenerative Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease – CJD.

Aydan turned personal loss into a humanitarian mission: to raise awareness of the disease through running, support those affected and their families, and connect his Australian homeland with Croatia, the country of his roots.

Alongside him throughout this gruelling journey was his wife Georgia, his greatest personal support, as well as family, friends, coaches, filmmakers and members of the support crew: Jack Colletta – Team Lead, Ben Cherry – Physio / Medic and Ramsen Kunda – Logistics Lead. His journey was also followed by his mother Ana, originally from Tomislavgrad, his father Smiljan, originally from Stolac, and his sister Mimi. The journey was documented by Australian filmmaker Rhidian Scott-Towers of Fourth Lane Media, who will produce a documentary about this courageous initiative.

Dubrovnik Would Not Let Him Run the Final Kilometres Alone

A particularly emotional part of the feat took place in the Dubrovnik area, where local triathletes and runners joined Aydan.

A group ran an approximately ten-kilometre section with Aydan, from Zaton to the viewpoint above Dubrovnik: Željko Cota – Triatlon klub Dubrovnik, Zoran Ateljević – Triatlon klub Dubrovnik, Davorin Krešić – Hybrid Team Dubrovnik, Igor Krmek – Triatlon klub Dubrovnik, Marin Desnica – Triatlon klub Dubrovnik and Jasmin Husejnović – Hybrid Team Dubrovnik.

Zoran Ateljević did not stop there, he joined Aydan again and ran an impressive 25 kilometres with him, from the Franjo Tuđman Bridge to Cavtat. Elvis Jelčić and Vasily Belousov later joined the Australian team as well.

Alen Bošković, Secretary General of the Dubrovnik Sports Association and Director of Du Motion, played a major role in connecting Aydan’s team with Dubrovnik’s running community.

Following direct communication and a request from the Majestic Film organising team and ICAN representatives, Bošković helped gather and coordinate Dubrovnik athletes and runners so that Aydan would not be alone in the dark during the final kilometres.

It was a moment that showed, in the best possible way, what sport can mean – people who may not even have known Aydan before came out onto the road and carried part of his burden alongside him. Steve Ravić, Director of PR and Organisation for all requirements in Croatia, says: “When I witnessed it, I felt an emotion like from the film ‘Rocky’, when the city joins Rocky Balboa in full flight to lift him up.

In the final 30 kilometres, there were even moments when Aydan could barely walk. It was difficult to watch. When he set off again, a black dog appeared out of nowhere, joined him and followed him all the way to the very end.”

City of Dubrovnik – Congratulations from Mayor Mato Franković and an Official Reception

Dubrovnik was the last major city stop before the final stretch through Konavle towards Prevlaka. Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Franković greeted Aydan via video message, supported the organisation of the reception and congratulated him on completing the feat.

Unfortunately, due to official commitments, the Mayor was unable to attend the reception in person. The City of Dubrovnik was officially represented by Deputy Mayor Velibor Puzović and Ana Hrnić, an official authorised to perform the duties of Head of the Administrative Department for Tourism and Sport.

Puzović congratulated Aydan, emphasising that such a feat requires not only exceptional physical fitness but also enormous mental strength and perseverance, and particularly highlighted the value of linking a sporting challenge with a humanitarian message and the memory of his grandfather.

The City of Dubrovnik stated that it was proud to have hosted Aydan during the final major city stage of his journey. Frano Soldo, a friend of Steve Ravić and owner of Hard Rock Cafe Dubrovnik, kindly hosted the team inside the Old Town.

Behind the 827 Kilometres Was a Major Organisational Effort

A feat of this scale was not only about running. Behind Aydan and his immediate support crew was an extensive, multi-day organisational effort that began even before his arrival in Croatia and before the official start of the project.

The team from Majestic Film and ICAN were involved from the very beginning and began organising and coordinating key elements of the feat in advance – communication with cities and local authorities, institutions, media and journalists, sports and running clubs, local contacts, and people who were to support Aydan along the entire route.

The Majestic Film team, led by Steve Ravić, CEO of Majestic Film and President of ICAN – International Croatian Artists Network, played a pivotal organisational, communications and media role.

Together with the team, Ravić worked even before Aydan’s arrival in Croatia to build the necessary network of contacts and support, coordinating communication with local authorities, cities, institutions, offices, media, journalists and other relevant partners along the route and even a massage table.

During the feat itself, that coordination continued day by day, depending on Aydan’s progress and changes to the route, and included organising media activities, support from sports clubs and runners, and official meetings, including the final communication and reception with the City of Dubrovnik.

I myself as part of the Majestic Film organising team and an ICAN representative, was involved in the project even before the run began and was responsible for coordinating with the media, runners, running and sports clubs, and local contacts.

It was through my communication in the Dubrovnik area that cooperation with Alen Bošković was established, after which Dubrovnik runners and triathletes joined Aydan for the final kilometres.

Petra Antolić, Sponsorship and Public Relations Manager at Majestic Film, was also involved before the feat itself began and actively worked on PR, the distribution of information and materials, communication with institutions and the media, and coordination of activities related to Aydan’s arrival and his world-record attempt.

In this way, Majestic Film did not act merely as media support during the run; from the very beginning, it was one of the main organisational and communications driving forces behind the project in Croatia, working on preparations even before Aydan’s arrival and continuing coordination all the way to his finish at Prevlaka.

Aydan’s mission also received support from the Central State Office for Croats Abroad and the Croatian Heritage Foundation, including their branches in Pula.

In Pula, after the first stage of more than 90 kilometres, he was welcomed by Barbara Buršić, Head of the Pula branch of the Croatian Heritage Foundation.

Special moral support also came from Steve Ravić, who delivered a video message from his friend, Croatia’s most popular singer, Marko Perković Thompson: “Warm greetings to you, Aydan Marko… You are Croatian, and only Croatians can do this. I wish you God’s blessing; may God give you even more strength to reach your goal. We are with you in our thoughts and prayers. Keep moving forward!” The message meant a great deal to Aydan and gave him additional strength during the feat, for which Thompson’s song “Moj Dida i Ja” (“My Grandpa and I”) became a symbol of the story.

More Than a Record

At the end of this journey, the numbers say a great deal: 827 kilometres, ten days of almost constant movement, on several occasions more than 100 kilometres in a single day, and the entire Croatian coast behind him.

But the numbers do not tell the whole story.

They do not speak of the pain and exhaustion. They do not speak of the kilometres when the body wants to stop and the mind must find a reason to take one more step. They do not speak of the wife waiting for him by the roadside, nor the mother who holds her breath until each time he gets back up, nor the family and team members, the proud father and sister who hide the tension they feel during the difficult moments, nor the people who run beside him or the strangers who cheer him on as he passes through their town.

Nor do they speak of the work behind the scenes – the calls, messages, emails, arrangements, media coordination and the people who, even before his arrival in Croatia, began building a network of support that followed him all the way to the south of the country.

And above all, they do not say enough about the reason Aydan set off.

For Grandpa Jandro.

The young Australian of Croatian heritage set off from Savudrija carrying a personal story, and arrived at Prevlaka carrying a story that connected Australia and Croatia, the diaspora and the homeland, sport and humanity.

Guinness statistics may determine who holds the record, but no one can take away the more than 800 kilometres of the Croatian coast that Aydan Marko Papac ran for his grandfather.

Well done, Aydan!

You can support this humanitarian initiative with a donation HERE