About Us

Since 2012, GlobalLimits has committed to organising multi-stage races (6 stages, 200+/- km) that everyone has the opportunity to shape their own race the way they want to enjoy/endure it. 

We are here to provide the meticulously selected running trails, spectacular cultural backdrops, safety measures and the opportunity to meet like-minded people. And of course, unforgettable experiences. 

You do not need to carry your supplies. Focus on the trail and the experience. We carry your supplies from campy to camp. We organise, you run.

Our races are committed to the 3S principles: Sustainability, Social commitment and Sportsmanship exchange. 

Sustainability

GlobalLimits is a company that supports sustainability. Our small and professional team ensures the minimal carbon footprints and in setting up races aboard. We also facilitate and encourage our participants to learn about local cultures and its people. 

Social commitment

We engage with the local communities, work with the local service providers and employ locals to bring direct economic impacts to the communities. We also support various social program that bring positive impacts. 

Sportsmanship exchange

We have a program to inviting local running talents to participate in all our race locations. Through this program, local athletes could experience first hand endurance races, showcase their talents and exchange both sports and cultural experiences with our participants. 

Join our races - with our four race locations, you are going to find a challenge that you want to shape. We have no Limits! 

 

Stefan Betzelt/Germany - Founder and CEO of GlobalLimits

Stefan was born and lives in Wiesbaden/Germany. He founded GlobalLimits in 2012. Stefan has a wealth of extreme racing experience, having participated in many of the most gruelling ultra races around the world.   He also participated in about 20 city-marathons (PB 2:46) and successsfully climbed the Kilimanjaro and the Mount Aconcagua.

Stefan has visited more than 98 countries and learnt a great deal about different cultures and people. He now makes use of this experience to select outstanding and unique locations for the GlobalLimits races.

Stefan has worked as a managing director for some of the leading global financial institutions before he retired in 2004 to become a self employed financial and personnel consultant.

Stefan is also a member of the Curatoship of the Institute of Sports Medicine in Frankfurt/Germany.

Mario Machado, Lisbon/Portugal - Course Director

Mario, a physical Education teacher and international athletic coach, is the technical director of the Lisbon Half Marathon (30.000+ runners), the Portugal Half Marathon, the Lisbon Marathon and the organizer, technical director and controller of the race of various other high profile road races in Portugal and international trail races.

Since 2009 he is also the "Controller of the race" of the Marathon des Sables in Morrocco.

Mario is the publisher and director of "Spiridon-Portugal" running magazin since 1978.

He is also a very experienced runner himself. He just finished his 100th Marathon/Ultra at GlobalLimits Cambodia 2017.

Mario already served as a course director at Albania 2018 + 2019 and volunteer for the inaugural race in Albania in 2017 and Cambodia 2018. He is also our designated course director for the race in São Tomé.

Dr Risa Garcia, Albuquerque/USA - Doctor

Dr Risa Garcia is an Emergency Medicine physician from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She attended Saint Louis University School of Medicine then completed her Emergency Medicine residency and Fellowship in Wilderness and Austere Medicine at the University of New Mexico. She also holds a Diploma in Mountain Medicine. She currently works for Presbyterian hospital in Albuquerque. Although she is not a runner herself, she has experience providing medical support for several staged ultramarathons. She loves supporting athletes in remote and interesting locations.

She is a great lover of the outdoors and you can usually find her mountain biking, backpacking, or climbing on her days off.

Rhonwen Mansfield Thomas/Great Britain - Race Doctor

Rhonwen is a Paramedic from the UK. She has been working for the Ambulance service in Kent for five years and has recently completed a post graduate diploma from St Georges University to qualify as a Paramedic Practitioner. She has volunteered at twice at the Jungle marathon in Brazil and for GlobalLimits in Albania, 2017 + 2020 and GlobalLimits Sao Tome 2020.

While she is not a runner she loves the outdoors. When she is not at work she is often hiking in the welsh mountains, surfing in Devon or riding a mountain bike down a trail.

Geert Meese, Tielt/Belgium - Volunteer

Geert is a Belgian medic who decided to work a little bit less and spending  more time doing his passions: multi stage racing ( 100 km del Sahara, Marathon des Sables , Grand to Grand ….) , marathon racing , or volunteering in multi stage races ( Spain, Portugal, Oman …). a passion he sheares with his wife.
If not working or racing , his time is spend abroad with a high preference for unbeaten tracks in Asia or South America.  Always enthusiastic  to help participants to make their dreams come true.

Geert already served as a volunteer for GlobalLimits in Cambodia 2015 + 2016 + 2019, Bhutan 2016 + 2017 + 2018 + 2019 and in Albania 2017 +2018 + 2019 + 2020 and Sao Tomé 2022.

Anne Ver Hoef, Anchorage, Alaska, USA - Volunteer

Anne is an enthusiastic outdoor trail runner, hiker, backpacker and traveler. Anne finished the Global Limits Albania race in 2018. Having extended independent travels in the north of Albania after the race, Anne speaks highly of both this race and Albania.
Most of Anne’s racing accomplishments have been on the snow in the remote parts of Alaska. Anne still holds the women’s record for a runner on the 350 mile distance of the Iditarod Trail Invitational in Alaska. When not adventuring outdoors, Anne is a speech-language pathologist working with adolescents and adults with communication, cognitive and swallowing disorders. She continues a 36+ year career in this field.

 

Atsuko Oku/Japan - Volunteer

Atsuko is a passionated trecker and runs marathon from time to time. Her husband Koji is running this race in Albania. Atsuko is looking forward to not just support her husband but all the other runners as well.

Michal Alshech Ben Dan, Tel Aviv/Israel - Volunteer

Michal lives in Tel Aviv with my husband Eilon Armon who will participate at the race. They have two boys and a dog.

She is the CEO of a business that is dealing with the kitchen top industry in Israel that is selling granite slabs, Caesar stone slabs, tools and machinery.

She loves to run, swim ad do yoga.

She has volunteered in various ultra running events around the world and is now looking forward to the challenging event in Albania.

Olga Nozdrina, Tomsk/Siberia - Volunteer

Olga is an associate professor in sciences. Although most of her life is connected with universities, she is an adventurer and enjoys various type of activities, especially trail running. She believes that "Run is like a meditation. Running long trails is like a fight with yourself and all the time you can win."

She has broken her leg this year but nothing is going to stop her! 

Vladimir Dedndreaj/Albania - Logistics & Infrastructure

Albania Adventure is a specialized and licensed agency in the organization of quality tours with appropriate guides in Trekking, Hiking, Kayak, Diving, Rocky Climbing, Ski Mountaineering, Off Road, Outdoor sports and Extreme adventures, all this thanks to the ground teams and professional guides.

This agency was created in 1998 by Vladimir Dedndreaj, who loves the outdoor life and loves sharing with others his passion and desire of exploring Albania’s beauty, always guided by the spirit of adventure. He was soon joined by other friends, professional guides too. During these years their adventures took them from east to west, from north to south, and they soon would know the inhabitants of the different regions and cultures of the provinces where they stepped. Throughout all these years of exploration, they came to know the Albanian territory better than anyone else. This passion for nature was shared in years with thousands of tourists from around the world, who chose to visit Albania and to live the Albanian adventure.

Throughout the years, Albania Adventure guides are constantly trained and professionalized, this also due to the support and training provided by their European partners. Members of Albania-Adventure are regularly trained in order to be always updated and fully fit. Our guides also speak fluent English, Italian and French. Adventure Albania staff is composed of 8 terrain adventure guides and 3 office operators.