• Name: Katja Fischer
   
• Year of birth: 1991
   
• Place of residence: Berlin
   
• Runner: for approx. 5 years, before that, heptathlete
   
• First marathon in: 2021
   
• BMW BERLIN-MARATHON participation(s): 1x
   
• Motivation to run: The freedom to chase your own dreams
   
• Motivation to run the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2022: to be at the start for the first time in my new hometown with my new team!
   
• Quote: ".... Still, pure running has always appealed to me the most; I was able to watch my mum run marathons from an early age and always knew "I'd like to do that too."

From the heptathlon to the marathon: For most athletes like Katja Fischer, running is more of a love-hate relationship—heptathletes usually don’t get too excited about running long distances. 100 m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 m dash, long jump, javelin throw—these are all events that require a lot of speed. Endurance is really only needed to survive the many different events over the course of two days and then the final 800 m race at the end. But almost no heptathletes are all too enthusiastic about that.

The main thing is “M” - from multi-sport heptathlon to the marathon for the medical doctor

That wasn’t the case for Katja Fischer. For her, the two stadium laps at the end were always the best part of the heptathlon: “And in training I often wanted to run more, but I wasn’t allowed to because they always said that endurance running makes you slow and is bad for the first six events.”

Somehow it was logical that she eventually gave up the heptathlon and began concentrating entirely on running. However, that also had a lot to do with the fact that she had completed her medical studies in Tübingen and it was becoming more and more difficult to reconcile her job and training when she started working as a doctor. “For heptathlon training, you always need to have access to facilities, equipment, training partners and a trainer,” she explains. “Running is much more flexible and is therefore much easier to combine with my job as a doctor.”

Since finishing her studies, the distances have become longer and longer, and it became apparent that Katja Fischer is well fit for running - although at age 31 she is actually a bit too old for the term “new talent”. But since she was able to run the 800 m in 2:11 minutes in her first season as a runner, you can indeed call her a running talent.

She first entered the running radar in 2019, when she won the half marathon at the Cologne Marathon in 1:15:18 hours, making it into the German top ten for the 21.0975 km distance.“

That was so much fun with all the spectators and the surprising great success that after that I started to seriously look into a half marathon start at the European Athletics Championships, which were supposed to have taken place in Paris in 2020.”
 

Low point: partial tear of the tractus

She got into better and better shape, and she was planning on competing at the European Championships qualification at the half marathon in Barcelona at the beginning of 2020. But then during the final training, Katja Fischer reached one of the lowest points of her running career .

”I twisted my knee running on frozen ground.” The diagnosis: a partial tear of the tractus, the tendon plate on the outside of the thigh that connects the hip and knee. The consequence: a three-month break from sport and the shattered dream of competing in the European Athletics Championships in Paris, which was cancelled anyway due to the COVID pandemic that had since broken out.

New start in Marathon Team Berlin

After that, it took her all of 2020 to get back to her old performance level. In 2021, wearing the jersey of LAV Stadtwerke Tübingen, she set numerous best performances over shorter distances—and she ran her first marathon. In Berlin.

“That was my most exciting running experience so far, even though I had hoped to run faster than the 2:45 hours it ended up taking. The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON really sparked my love for (running) Berlin.” The morning after, her decision was made: she wanted to change her life, to once again put all her energy into running in order to work on her big dream: A start for Germany in a national jersey. The plan for making it a reality had already started a few weeks earlier.

She met coach Tobias Singer at a track race in Berlin in the summer of 2021. Around the same time, her coach in Tübingen, Steffen Grosse, had announced that he would not be able to continue training her. “My training was up in the air at the time, and I was glad to have found someone like Tobias to take over my training from afar,” Katja Fischer recalls.

After the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, one piece of the puzzle fit right in with the next: Tobias Singer became head coach of Marathon Team Berlin, took over the training of the new figureheads Rabea and Deborah Schöneborn and welcomed Katja Fischer into the training group, who quit her job as a doctor in Tübingen and moved to Berlin with her partner at the beginning of the year. Since then, she has taken on an hourly job as a doctor at the SMS Berlin sports medicine competence centre, which is also the official sports medicine partner of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON.

She trains at a professional level with the Schöneborn twins—although they are running marathons at a completely different level than the Swabian, with best times of well under 2:30 hours. “That spurs me on and provides great motivation,” she says, describing the first six months of training alongside the two, who will start together for Germany at the European Championship Marathon in Munich on August 15. She thus gets to tackle preparation for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON together with the two of them.

At the beginning of July, the trio will travel to St. Moritz in Switzerland for altitude training. “That fits well—the twins will complete their marathon preparation there, and I’ll be starting mine.” And then on September 25th, she hopes to break the 2:40 barrier, which would put her in a broader group of top German marathon runners. “I’m really looking forward to the marathon, which will become a home game for me, where everyone will really feel the passion that Berlin has for running”.

• Name: Stefan Orben
   
• Year of birth: 1992
   
• Place of residence: Rüdesheim am Rhein
   
• Runner: since 2019
   
• First marathon in: 2021
   
• BMW BERLIN-MARATHON participation(s): 2021
   
• Motivation to run: Stress relief, relaxation, competitions and fitness
   
• Motivation to run the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2022: The atmosphere and participating in the German Para Athletics Championships.
   
• Quote: "Even though I can't see anything at all, running gives me a sense of the world - I feel and hear the environment more intensely with my other sensory organs and therefore enjoy it every time."

A life completely without sport. For Stefan Orben, that was the reality until he was 26 years old. After an accident when he was a toddler, he had to avoid the risks of collisions and violent movements to not endanger the small bit of vision he had left. He had lost his left eye, but with his right he could still make out shadows. But over the years, the remaining eye also caused more and more problems. In 2018, the pain became so severe that he decided to have the right one surgically removed as well. Total blindness was the result. But it also meant he got the doctor’s permission to play sports. “I no longer had to worry about my vision tests, so I could then try out many new things. The operation was definitely the right decision; I feel much freer since then,” says the 29-year-old. 

From the Baltic Sea to the Rheingau - from bouldering to running

He has most enjoyed climbing and running. While he almost gave up bouldering after moving from Flensburg to Rüdesheim in the Rheingau region, he began running more and more. During the week he trains mostly alone on the treadmill, but on the weekend he trains together with his partner, running along the Rhine or through vineyards.

The two of them also venture out on trails. “It all depends on the interaction with your guide and a feeling for the ground,” says Stefan Orben, who is also involved with charity runs.

His partner is an experienced marathon runner. “Thomas has been running since 2007 and has completed the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON ten times,” says Stefan Orben.

On September 25, the two will run together again on the Berlin course, which will also be the venue for the German Championships for blind para-athletes in 2022. Thomas will guide Stefan through Berlin, just like in 2021, when the two finished the biggest German marathon together for the first time.
 

A more intense experience than for sighted people

“When you’re blind, it’s an even more intense experience than for sighted people,” says Stefan Orben. “I hardly experience any sensory impressions during training. Most of the time we run on asphalt, on flat routes along the Rhine. And then I only hear our steps on the asphalt; not much else happens.

At a city marathon like this, with the bands, the loud spectators, the many other runners around you and the smells of a big city, it gives me an incredible amount of energy. "Time flies”, he continues.

At their first marathon in Berlin, however, the two got so caught up in the euphoria that they went out too fast at the beginning of the run and then collapsed at kilometre 30. “We took 4:56 hours; we should be faster this time. Four hours is our goal,” says Stefan Orben, who writes books for a living.

So far, he has mainly self-published children’s and youth books. In the summer, his first novel will be published by a larger publisher. “It’s about coming out,” reveals the writer, for whom running is an ideal balance to writing.
 

5 - 7K training runs at the end of May—preparing for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in autumn

He was on a good path towards the four-hour marathon, with a good pace during most of his spring training runs. “We were running a stable 4:40 to 4:50 per kilometre,” he says. But then COVID got him. “It really knocked me out at the end of April, and by the end of May I could barely run five to seven kilometres at a stretch again,” he recalls.

Now he hopes to get back into shape quickly so that the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON will be the experience he wants it to be. And when he has crossed the finish? “Then we will meet up with friends, my sister and other runners in the evening and reflect on our experiences over a good meal.”

• Name: Philipp Pflieger
   
• Year of birth: 1987
   
• Place of residence: Regensburg
   
• Runner: for approx. 28 years, since first time at the Bambini-Run
   
• First marathon in: 2015
   
• BMW BERLIN-MARATHON participation(s): 4x
   
• Motivation to run: Freedom!... and the competition
   
• Motivation to run the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2022: Hopefully to be fit enough to stand at the starting line after an injury break to then crack the best time!
   
• Quote: “For me, running means FREEDOM in the best sense of the word!”

Philipp Pflieger is one of the absolute top German runners and meanwhile also one of the most famous marathon athletes. With his first marathon time of 2:12:50 hours—run at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2015—he managed to fulfill a childhood dream: to participate in the Olympic Games, which happened in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Today, Berlin is like a second home to him. Many know and recognise Philipp, who feels at home on the paths through Tiergarten and elsewhere. He has many memories associated with the course, including difficult ones, like when he had to end the race early in 2017 and 2019. September 2022 will mark his fifth performance in the capital.

“This is running for me”

“Running means freedom for me in the best sense of the word.” When asked about what running means to him besides achieving his competitive goals, this is his spontaneous answer.

His father used to go running after work and also participated in marathons—even breaking the 3-hour mark—and as a little boy Philipp soon wanted to run with him. Running is a great way for him to relax, balance out his stress and let his mind wander.

And today it also means freedom on a completely different level, because now Philipp can make a living from running. His childhood dream of the Olympic Games, which came about while watching the Atlanta Games in 1996, actually came true exactly 20 years later.
 

Preparation, training, milestones

“I wish I had more time.” Currently, Philipp is not yet able to train at 100 percent due to an injury and has to take it more cautiously, which is why there is still a question mark behind his start in September.

Normally, it would be important to start the build-up and the twelve-week marathon training with a solid basic fitness, which includes running 200 kilometres per week in the intensive phase. You have to put in many longer runs, but in between Philipp always sets recovery phases and reminds his body that shorter distances are ok too.

Participation in 10K races, on the track too, which are numerous in the summer, are part of the program. About five weeks before the marathon, he takes part in a half marathon to test his form.

To support himself mentally, Philipp uses visual impressions, such as photos and memories of his personal highlight, the 2015 marathon.
 

Successes and setbacks

Philipp is a communicative person who likes to be around people. For him, one advantage of running is that it is not an elitist sport; marathons are run together by all kinds of people with all kinds of different backgrounds.

As a top runner, however, you win and fail in the public eye. On the one hand, Philipp is naturally cheered on and recognised in Berlin and asked for autographs. He likes engaging in conversations with people. “Failure is nothing reprehensible, it’s part of the process of getting better,” Philipp says.

“But failing in public is still hard. Fans try to cheer you on to persevere. But when you can’t go anymore, it’s sometimes it makes more sense to quit.”
 

How does a top runner reward himself?

After a hard training session, especially now in summer, Philipp rewards himself with a cool non-alcoholic beer. Especially after sweet sports drinks, bars and gels, it does you good. When a successful competition is over, however, he will enjoy an alcoholic beverage, too.

After all, professional athletes push themselves to the limit over long distances and have to be very disciplined long before the competition. “If you’ve won a competition, you should appreciate it,” says Philipp, “and put being an athlete aside for a moment; after all, you’re a human being, not a machine.” 
 

Berlin is special

On the big day in Berlin, Philipp will ride a bus to the starting line with the other elite athletes.

Last year, his coach Renato Canova accompanied him. This time Philipp’s wife Barbara, who is also a successful runner, will join him in Berlin. In addition, Jonas Fischer will be at his side, cycling along the course and taking care of Philipp’s personal catering.

And last but not least, Felix Plinke, his manager and good friend who organises everything, will be there to make sure that Philipp can concentrate completely on the competition. Philipp has already participated in numerous SCC EVENTS races, including the adidas Runners City Night and the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, and feels quite at home in the city.

Fans along the course call out his name. It is precisely the fact that not everything has always gone perfectly here in Berlin that makes Philipp approachable and likeable—even for the pros, not everything always goes according to script.

That is the marathon.

• Name: Ayo Dada
   
• Year of birth: 1989
   
• Place of residence: London
   
• Runner: for approx. 10 years
   
• 5 marathon participations in total
   
• BMW BERLIN-MARATHON participation(s): 2x
   
• Motivation to run: Switch off, reduce stress, health and fitness, motivation to travel around
   
• Motivation to run the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2022: Looking forward to feeling the energy of the crowd along the course from start to finish.
   
• Quote:  “If your journey as a runner is to continue, you need a strong will, consistency and patience. And in a way, that’s also true for life.”

For Ayo Dada from England, the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is something like a starting ramp to unique running experiences. In 2016, the Londoner ran his first marathon ever here—almost without any preparation and then also with a slight injury on race day. And yet, six years later, he still raves effusively about the experience he had on that September Sunday: “The hospitality gave me a completely warm feeling of welcome. You forget what people say, but you never forget the feelings they create in you.”

Second home: Berlin

And although he has spent his whole life in London, for him every trip to Berlin is now like coming home.

“My first marathon in Berlin gave me so much positive energy,” he says, talking about the promise he made to himself after he crossed the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate in 4:58 hours in 2016.

“I will come back next year. With a sensible preparation, where I focus on my path to the marathon.” 
 

Marathon as a mirror of life

And that’s exactly what he did. And learned in the process that running marathons also provides lessons for life. “If your journey as a runner is to continue, you need a strong will, consistency and patience. And in a way, that’s also true for life,” he says.

And so he came to Berlin in 2017 well prepared for his second marathon. It was almost two hours faster than his debut: he reached the finish line after just 3:01 hours, having run the entire 42.195 kilometres together with two friends.

They ran in the pouring rain in Berlin. “The atmosphere was nevertheless electrifying,” recalls Ayo Dada. He finds it particularly fascinating that at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON you also see parts of the city that you would never discover on a sightseeing visit.

“Normal neighbourhoods where people stand on the street early in the morning in the rain to cheer on the runners to reach their goals—that’s amazing,” says the 33-year-old, while also considering how the runners might give something back to the people cheering them on.

“Maybe we’ll inspire one or two of them to start running too and then have such fantastic experiences themselves one day.”

He thinks of this especially with regard to the many children and young people standing along the course, giving high fives and cheering them on. “Not everyone has to run, but the idea of having goals and getting the best out of yourself is super important, especially for children and young people.”

Ayo Dada passes on this spirit at home in London on many levels. In his main job, he works at Virgin, in the division with which Virgin founder Richard Branson assists start-ups.

“We support people in developing and growing their businesses,” says Ayo Dada.
 

Ups and downs at “The Speed Project”

He is also now head coach at the adidas Runners in London. With them he has climbed the highest peaks and crossed the deepest valleys while running—but not in Berlin. In 2019, six of the London adidas Runners took part in “The Speed Project”—an unsanctioned footrace for amateur running teams: it is 550 kilometers non-stop from Los Angeles through the desert to Las Vegas.

While one person runs, the other five recover, eat and drink until it’s their turn to run again over the 340-mile course.

“We came in second place. That was the highlight of my running life so far,” says Ayo Dada, who, however, also survived quite a few low moments along the way.

“We were all extremely tired and exhausted. There were phases when I didn’t want to run at all. But the team pushed me on. We all knew there was more at stake here than just ourselves,” he recalls.
 
His training, on the other hand, is everyday life as most runners know it: In the mornings and evenings, you can often meet him along the small canals that criss-cross London with their quiet running paths.

During the day, he trains in the royal parks like Regent, Hyde or St. James, which are close to his office in Paddington.

And on September 25, he is certain to come to Berlin well prepared and ready to experience that marathon feeling again, which is so extraordinary for him.

• Name: Mandana Nouri
   
• Year of birth: 1976
   
• Place of residence: Tehran, Iran
   
• Runner: for approx. 7 years
   
• 6 marathon participations in total
   
• Motivation to run: to get faster!
   
• Motivation to run the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2022: fast course and a beautiful city! I want to run my best time!

When she runs outside, she wears a veil, long sleeves and long trousers. Always. Even when it’s already over 20 degrees Celsius by early morning and the temperature rises above 35 degrees over the course of the day. Which is pretty normal in Tehran in the summer.  Mandana Nouri trains for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON under these conditions. The 45-year-old is coming to the German capital as the Iranian record holder and wants to improve on her best performance, which she set in Valencia, Spain, last December with a time of 2:45:23. So far, she is the only Iranian woman to run a marathon in less than three hours.

In shorts at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON

She will be able to enjoy running in the same gear as thousands of other women on the streets of Berlin—in a shirt and shorts.

In Iran, Sharia law forbids that. The Islamic legal system disenfranchises women in many areas. And it forces them to wear clothes that are not great for running. “At home in Tehran, I’m only allowed to run in shorts and a shirt on a treadmill in the gym,” says Mandana Nouri, “because that’s where we women are among ourselves.”

In general, for her training sessions, she almost always goes to secluded sports complexes where it is acceptable for women to do sports. There, however, she also has to complete long runs on laps that are barely longer than 3,000 to 5,000 metres. “But I love running so much that I don’t mind,” she says.
 

A car accident started her passion for running

She discovered her love of running almost 20 years ago, after a bad car accident in which she broke her cervical vertebrae, hip and shoulder. After the injuries had healed, the doctors recommended that she swim as physiotherapy and to rebuild her muscles, which she did diligently. And she got in better and better shape.

Then, after her medical studies, she had to move from Tehran to a small town on the border with Azerbaijan for further training. “There was no swimming pool for me to use there,” the runner recalls, “so to continue my training, I started running on a treadmill.”

Back in Tehran, she began working as a doctor and discovered outdoor running for herself. “When you love running, you can’t stop,” she says today, explaining why she kept increasing her training—until she was ready to run her first race in 2015: Ten kilometres in Dubai.

In 2019, her name appeared for the first time in international results lists with the NR notation, which stands for “national record”. In Amsterdam, she ran the half marathon in 1:22:27 hours. She improved this record to 1:16:55 hours in Berlin in spring 2022—and still raves about her experiences at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON: “There were people everywhere cheering us on.

That gave me so much energy. And then I found a great group that ran exactly my pace. I didn’t have to run a single metre alone all the way to the finish. That was a great experience.”
 

The pandemic provided new opportunities for training

Her marked improvements, however, also have to do with COVID. The pandemic outbreak helped the doctor to gain completely new training opportunities. While many others were confined to their homes during this time, Mandana Nouri had unprecedented freedoms.

“I was able to travel to Kenya for altitude training,” she says. This was made possible by distance learning, which was became common in Iran during the pandemic. Mandana Nouri has a ten-year-old daughter, and she could attend classes from anywhere in the world, as long as they were being held online. So, in 2021, the family travelled three times for a few weeks to Iten, Kenya, where Mandana Nouri trained for the marathon in Valencia and for the Berlin half marathon.

There she not only met world-class runners like the German record-holder Amanal Petros, but also found her current coach. Hugo van den Broek is an ex-marathon runner from the Netherlands who has a best time of 2:12 hours, has lived in Iten for many years and is married to the 2:24 marathon runner Hilda Kibet. Mandana Nouri now receives her training plans from him, which she follows while working as a doctor in Tehran.

If all goes as planned, she should be able to set a new Iranian record at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. And if she really does beat 2:45? “Then I will enjoy the time in Berlin even more with my husband and daughter.”

• Name: Felix Rijhnen
   
• Year of birth: 1990
   
• Place of residence: Darmstadt
   
• Profession: Police Superintendent
   
• Team: Powerslide Racing
   
• Inline skater: since 1995
   
• First marathon in: 2001
   
• BMW BERLIN-MARATHON participation(s): 12
   
• Motivation to skate: Freedom, speed, elegance
   
• Motivation to skate the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2022: Hells Bells at the start and the ride through the Brandenburg Gate
   
• Quote: “When you are skating in the marathon in Berlin, no matter where you are on the course—in the leading group or at the end of the field—it’s just a breathtaking feeling.”

Pure excitement at the sound of “Hells Bells”

“For me, it means pure excitement every time I stand at the start and ‘Hells Bells’ sound from the loudspeakers,” says Felix Rijhnen, who never tires of competing in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, even after twelve times: “The marathon is simply the supreme discipline for me.”

Felix Rijhnen - first German winner of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Inline Skating in 2019.
He is considered to be the most successful German skater—and not just since 2019, when he became the first German ever to win the men’s race at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON.

What makes him stand out beyond that? His unwavering will and, above all, his infectious enthusiasm and positive charisma.
 

Victory in Berlin was the fulfillment of his childhood dream

His unwavering willpower took Felix all the way to Beijing. There he competed at the Olympic Games in speed skating for the first time this winter and showed that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.

But his heart—as he emphasises again and again—lies with inline speed skating. He has been doing this sport since he was five years old. In the course of his career, he has collected many titles and medals at European Championships. In 2017, he won his first gold medal at the World Championships in the 10,000-point race, and a year later he won the World Championship title in the marathon.

Winning the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON had a very special significance for him. “To someday win the biggest marathon in the world one day was something I dreamed of since I first participated, and that that happened in 2019 was simply phenomenal,” says Felix.
 

“When you are skating in the marathon in Berlin, no matter where you are on the course—in the leading group or at the end of the field—it’s just a breathtaking feeling.”

For Felix, it is clear that every skater should participate in Berlin at least once. It makes no difference to him what time you finish with: “The ride through the Brandenburg Gate simply can’t be topped.”

• Name: Nicole Altenhof
   
• Year of birth: 1981
   
• Place of residence: Berlin
   
• Runner: for approx. 20 years 
   
• 5 marathon participations in total
   
• BMW BERLIN-MARATHON participation(s): 2
   
• Motivation to run: Switch off, reduce stress, health and fitness.
   
• Quote: “That’s my favourite part: watching children in motion. And not just the kids for whom exercise is a part of everyday life, but also for those who don’t normally move that much.”

The finish at the Brandenburg Gate, when emotions run wild. Or the anticipation at the start, when the moderation, the music, the nervousness and the tension combine to create that tingling sensation that everyone who has ever taken part in a major running event knows. Or the moments in between, when the spectators along the course transfer their energy to the runners. For most people, these are the best moments at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. For Nicole Altenhof, however, all of this is surpassed by the joy she always feels on the Saturdays before the marathon when the little ones run in the Bambini Run at the former Tempelhof Airport and when the older children run in the mini-MARATHON at the Brandenburg Gate.

“It makes my heart soar”: children in motion

“That’s my favourite part: watching children in motion. And not just the kids for whom exercise is a part of everyday life, but also for those who don’t normally move that much,” she says.

Nicole has been employed by the Berlin marathon organiser SCC EVENTS since 2016, and she devotes half of her working time engaged in sponsor support and marketing, and the other half to SCC EVENTS incentives to get children moving.

These not only include the children’s runs, which are part of the programme at almost all SCC EVENTS competitions, but also campaigns at Berlin schools, which SCC EVENTS supports the Senate Administration in organising. “The aim of running and exercise clubs is to create the runners of tomorrow and encourage all children to be physically active,” explains Nicole Altenhof.

Almost 30,000 Berlin schoolchildren take part in cross-country races

One of these campaigns and initiatives has even reached the levels of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON and the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON in terms of the number of participants: Every autumn, up to 30,000 pupils take part in the district competitions for the Berlin schools’ cross-country race.

Of these, 3,000 then qualify for the final, which always takes place in spring. And this is organised every year with the help of SCC EVENTS. It usually takes place in the Olympic Riding Stadium, which is currently being renovated, so now the Rehberge stadium and the surrounding Volkspark currently are serving as an alternative venue.

SCC EVENTS provides staff for this purpose who, together with about 15 teachers and 30 to 40 pupils, ensure that everything runs smoothly. Recently, coaches Dieter Hogen and Tobias Singer from Marathon Team Berlin were also present. “Primarily to answer questions and stir up enthusiasm for running,” says Nicole Altenhof, “but also to look around for talent that might be considered for a future in the SCC EVENTS running team.”

Nicole Altenhof doesn’t need any outside inspiration to run anymore. She has been running regularly for 20 years and currently prefers to run in the countryside around Lichtenrade, where she recently moved. She has already completed five marathons. Among them are Berlin and New York, two of the most desired destinations for runners worldwide.

“But you can’t compare the two,” she says. “They are both wonderful, and participating is an amazing experience.”

• Name: Jens Vögele
   
• Year of birth: 1970
   
• Place of residence: Pforzheim
   
• Runner: since 2000
   
• Total Marathon participations: 13x
   
• Participation(s) in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON: 2003 and 2011
   
• Best marathon experiences: New York, London and Berlin
   
• Motivation to run: Improve fitness and reduce stress
   
• Motivation to run the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2022: Berlin is just fun, I ran my previous best time there in 2003, and I want to top that this year!
   
• Quote: “Before my first marathon I had only done two long runs – and I ran just over four hours without any training. Since then I've been fascinated by running marathons - I like the challenge, especially the really big races with lots of spectators.”

​​Usually, the running-cycling story starts in mid-life something like this: After years of running, the knees, Achilles tendons or ankles start to hurt. The doctor gets a visit, therapy options are tried out. Injections, physiotherapy, maybe even an operation. But in the end, the doctor often says: “Cycling is also a nice sport.” Of course, rolling on two wheels is much easier on the joints than running with the hard impact of every step.

10,000 kilometers and more per year

In Jens Vögele’s case, however, the story is quite different, almost the other way round. For decades he was an ambitious racing and mountain bike rider. He usually covered 10,000 kilometres or more a year. He took on the greatest challenges that exist for amateur cyclists on this planet: He rode the 540 kilometres and surmounted 3627 metres of altitude at the race from Trondheim to Oslo in Norway on his racing bike in one piece. At the Cape Epic in South Africa, in seven segments he pushed his limits on his mountain bike. And, of course, he rode a few of the stages of the Tour de France to feel what the pros feel on the legendary course.

But five years ago, it suddenly stopped. “I think I overdid it,” says Jens Vögele, for whom even in his professional life it was all about racing bikes, mountain bikes and the sport of cycling. As editor-in-chief, he managed the magazines Mountainbike, Roadbike Elektrobike and the extreme sports magazine Limits at Motorpresse Verlag in Stuttgart. In 2019, he left the cycling business. “At the end of my 40s, I wanted to use my experience to do something new,” he says, explaining why he then founded a communications agency, which he still successfully runs today with his two partners.

Fun running through the first city marathons

Now, he no longer makes the 30-kilometre ride from his home to the publishing house in Stuttgart every morning. Instead, he now runs much more than he rides his bike. “Running used to be a kind of love-hate relationship,” he recalls. Like most cyclists, he used it as a means to an end, especially in winter to keep in shape. He didn’t really enjoy it. That changed with his first city marathons, which he completed in the early 2000s without much running training, but with the foundation of tens of thousands of kilometres on his bike. “It’s just awesome how you can discover a city along 42.195 kilometres,” he enthuses about his experiences, which have led from his first long run in Karlsruhe to Berlin, London and New York, for a total of 13 marathons.“

14 marathons in 22 years

Den 14. wird er am 25. September beim BMW BERLIN-MARATHON laufen. Seine Vorfreude ist riesig, auch wenn er einen so langen Lauf immer noch als „erbarmungslos“ bezeichnet. „Auf dem Rad hast du ja immer mal Phasen, in den du entspannen kannst“, vergleicht er seine beiden Lieblingssportarten, „beim Laufen gibt es das nicht, da musst du dich auch anstrengen, falls es mal bergab geht.“ Und dennoch hat das Laufen bei ihm das Radfahren als Sportart Nummer eins abgelöst. „Es passt mittlerweile auch besser in meinen Alltag“, sagt er. Früher hat er oft samstags und sonntags vier Stunden und mehr im Sattel gesessen. „Da bleibt kaum noch Zeit für was anderes.“

Das ist beim Laufen anders. „Oft reicht schon eine Stunde, um sich gut zu fühlen und einen Trainingseffekt zu haben“, sagt Jens Vögele, der aber daneben weiterhin viel vor allem auf dem Mountainbike trainiert. Und so hat er sich mit Anfang 50 in die läuferisch beste Form seines Lebens gebracht. In Berlin will er auf jeden Fall schneller sein als bei allen seinen Marathonrennen zuvor. Dafür muss er unter 3:44 Stunden bleiben. Insgeheim hofft er sogar auf mehr: „Vielleicht geht es ja irgendwie Richtung 3:30 Stunden.“

• Name: Andreas Pohlmann
   
• Year of birth: 1965
   
• Place of residence: Schwielowsee
   
• Runner: for over 20 years 
   
• BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Participation(s): 19 times in total
   
• Motivation to run: Health, fitness and switching off
   
• Motivation to participate in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2022: To take care of the top athletes as head of department with the volunteer team!
   
• Quote: "Since I don't run myself, but "look after" the top athletes at the start and finish, my goal is to make sure that these top athletes .... feel well taken care of at the event."

When it comes to achieving top times or even world records, the stars at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON can’t let anything distract them from their performances. Their full focus has to be on a fast race. Andreas Pohlmann is there with his team of 15 at the start to ensure that they can concentrate fully on the task at hand. He has been a volunteer at the BERLIN-MARATHON for 15 years, and for the past four years he has been in charge of the department that looks after the top athletes in the start and finish areas.

Just normal people—only much faster than the rest

His job includes making sure the tents are set up so the elite runners have a place to get ready before the start. He also makes sure that they have drinks and anything else they might need. Andreas Pohlmann and his team promptly send the stars off to the start and then bring their clothes to the finish to have them ready for them when they are done.

“For me, it is really special to be able to do this job for both the marathon and the half marathon,” says Andreas Pohlmann. “It’s exciting to meet the best runners and see how they handle the pressure.” There is one thing he is happy about every time: the top athletes are indeed among the best in the world. But that hasn’t gone to their heads.

“They are usually relatively relaxed and friendly. They’re just normal people.” Just significantly faster than everyone else.
 

Running experience from 19 marathons doesn’t hurt

The 57-year-old can empathise a bit with how they must be feeling before the start. He has run 19 marathons himself, ten of them in Berlin.

That makes him a member of the Jubilee Club. He started running around the turn of the millennium, after giving up football to have more time for his family.

Running on his own time was easier than being on a team and was more compatible with family life. “And running is wonderful for clearing your head.” Today, however, he no longer laces up his running shoes. His training over the last few years has left its mark, and his knees aren’t so happy anymore.

The banker also spends a lot of time driving around Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, advising customers on securities.

“And since I still have family and friends, there is not a lot of time left over,” he explains. Nevertheless, he does go to the gym regularly, does indoor cycling, and goes out and about on his bike.
“And maybe running will work out again at some point.”

Finally, everything is back to normal

Until then, he is happy that even if he can’t run himself, he at least remains connected to running through his involvement in the marathon and half marathon in Berlin.

This year he is particularly looking forward to the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, “Because I hope that after the COVID pandemic, everything will finally be back to normal as much as possible this year.” He has been responsible for looking after the top stars for four years, “two of which were COVID years”.

Since his roles and responsibilities were still quite new to him last year, he hopes to approach this year with even more routine and relaxation. “And then I will be able to enjoy it even more.”

He may soon be able to achieve another goal as well: After the race, he would like to celebrate a little with his team. That hasn’t happened yet due to COVID. But hopefully this year they can make up for it.