An athlete tells trivia and the benefits of reverse racing

Have you ever heard of reverse running? Is it running backwards? Seems difficult, doesn’t it? The answer is Nivaldo McCali, who calls himself “the only Soteropolitan to climb the slopes of Salvador (BA) backwards”.

Search for Street Racing Blog To talk a little bit about your running style. And on top of that, he still loves to do it on the slopes. The highest mountain actually climbed is Ladeira da Barra, with a height of 860 meters.

I talked to him to understand more. see below:

– Since when did you start this sport?
“I have lost count, but I definitely have been doing this method for 7 years and I usually call it reverse racing. I started when I was 57, today I am 62, in the meantime I have taken a few breaks due to health issues, after a herniated disc, nerve My hip is in critical condition,almost 20 days or more from bed without being able to sit or walk,I’m back!Doctor ordered surgery.They presented me to a chiropractor, and with only 5 treatments I was good enough to start training again other”.

– Why did you choose the march?
“Indeed, it was the reverse walk that found me, I was walking down a slope here in Salvador when, suddenly, a young man of medium height, strong, running backwards, came up in the opposite direction with splendid elegance. I was looking and thinking how a person could rise backwards. ?This scene stuck in my head for a long time.At the time, I was training for traditional running as well as hill climbing.

I decided to give it a try and… it was a disappointment. It’s the hard part, haha. I lacked coordination and strength in my legs.

For the first few days, I couldn’t even run 50 metres, and my legs were burning like crazy. Well, I have been trying for a long time to train and learn not to hit the pavement, on the side of the road, but I admit that I fell a few times, one of which was very dangerous. I went to change my way without knowing it, tripped on the sidewalk, fell and hit my head with an iron pole. I felt dizzy for a few days, but it’s okay.

Returning to the climb, finally after months of practicing and refining the movements, I reached almost halfway to a slope of about 860 metres. For about a year I continued going up about halfway up the slope. One day, at about ten in the evening, I made a decision: I would go up the slope at once. I got dressed and left. I cut my jog to Cristo da Barra and faced 860m of slope in reverse in one go.
I also “came in full swing” and my legs were completely out of control.

The goal was achieved, thank God! Since then, I’ve started running backwards all the way up the hill a few times a week, and over the years, from about three or four years ago, almost every day.

When I got good at climbing hills and talking to people, almost no one believed it, I think they were really sure I did that kind of sport, after the story was shown on TV. ready! Now everyone knows that I do reverse walking, or rather reverse running. I say this because it can even be a rally while going up and down the slopes, but when I go on flat terrain it becomes racing, because I am using more speed at this point.”

Watch his video

What are the biggest difficulties in practicing this method?
“The biggest difficulties in practicing this method are the lack of open space for training, heavy traffic, potholes in the roads, irregular asphalt, and vehicles getting in and out of garages, apart from physical and mental fatigue.

The good part is that your senses are becoming more refined or sharpened, such as peripheral vision, motor coordination, physical resistance, and the cardiovascular system, among others.”

– You say you run alone. Is there a lack of contests, promotion and support?
“For those who play amateur sports here in both Salvador and Brazil as a whole, getting support is a surreal difficulty. Athletics, karate and other sports are some examples. With the reverse march, a method completely unknown to the general public, is no different, it is It is difficult to get support.Even to make T-shirts, specialized companies require a certain amount.

Few countries practice it, such as the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, Mexico, and others. Mexico has an actor named Diego Bolin. Brazil has reverse rally champion, Carlos Henrique de Sousa, better known as “Etron”. He has already climbed the highest peak in Portugal on his back. This one is wild.

There is a former Brazilian boxer who holds the world records in climbing and backsprinting. Training and competing using headgear and gloves, his name got into the Guinness Book of Records.

There is another Brazilian who usually publishes sports in his state and even has championships, and the media itself does not talk about it, although he has already participated in two programs here in Salvador: TV Bahia and Rede Record, so we have no support and much less competitions.

I usually run on my own because I don’t know anyone who practices this method here in my city (Salvador-BA).

curiosity

Things I usually hear from people walking on motorcycles, in vehicles, or from their apartment windows:

– “go crazy”

– “Look for a psychiatrist”

– “Walking back is bad”

– “You’re delaying your life”

– “Your mother now”

I just smile, because I find it very funny and at the same time unusual, because people are not used to seeing someone run backwards and even more so.

On the other hand, there are those who send out good energy:

– “That’s it, crown”

– “Honk and say goodbye”

– “Only in talent at the crown?”

– “Congratulations, Crown.”

– “Let’s go Santa Claus”

– “Santa Claus arrived early this year”

I have a lot of fun with all of this.

Nivaldo McCali