Swiss-Croat to run length of Croatian coast in August heat

Marko Piliškić (Photo: Hrvati.ch)

ZURICH, 14 August 2025. (Hina) – A 27-year-old Croatian from Lucerne in Switzerland is set to run the length of the Croatian coast this month in a remarkable feat of endurance.

Marko Piliškić will cover 800 kilometres from Istria to Konavle in just fifteen days as part of his self-titled “Project Croatia”, which begins on 22 August.

Piliškić, a sales manager for a construction company, only began running recreationally in January.

Inspired by a Swiss endurance athlete who completed a gruelling 257 kilometre marathon in Morocco, he started pushing his own limits.

Earlier this year he ran 100 kilometres near Bern in around ten hours, which spurred him to attempt something bigger.

“I love Croatia and I love running,” he told Hrvati.ch, explaining why he chose to take on the Croatian coastline in the height of summer, with temperatures currently reaching 39°C.

Running, he says, gives him a sense of freedom. “On the track you are alone, you can think. You are not on your phone, you are not stressed,” he said. What began as a struggle to complete five kilometres soon turned into the ability to comfortably run forty, which made this new challenge seem possible.

To complete the route in time, Piliškić will run more than 50 kilometres every day. He believes the challenge will be as much mental as physical. “In races, 20 per cent is the legs and 80 per cent is the head,” he said.

He will be supported along the way by his 19-year-old brother David, who will follow in a camper van stocked with food and supplies.

Piliškić plans to start each day at 5am, aiming to finish his run by lunchtime so he can rest and swim in the afternoon. He will share photos, videos and short stories from the journey on social media in the hope of inspiring others to embark on their own adventures.

“What started as a personal goal has become something people want to follow,” he said. “Now everyone is encouraging me to share videos, to show our Croatia.”

(Photo: Hrvati.ch)

The run will also serve as preparation for Piliškić’s next major goal – competing in the Marathon des Sables in Morocco next year, considered one of the toughest foot races in the world.