Sports-MindedMoti­vated to Walk and Run

Why not try out some­thing new? The sports-minded orga­ni­za­tional team at Uhlmann came up with this idea after having partic­i­pated the last two years in the Laupheim running/walking event (Schloss-Cross) held in the Castle Park. Conse­quently, 11 colleagues took part in the Boehringer sports event in Warthausen. The partic­i­pants were spon­sored, supported through an Ulm asso­ci­a­tion working for the benefit of cystic fibrosis patients. The sportsper­sons could choose between a five or ten kilo­meter run, or complete a five-kilo­meter-long Nordic walking circuit.

Really, such distances bring a smile to Lutz Forst’s lips. Theo­ret­i­cally, he has already circuited the world three times – just over 120,000 kilo­me­ters! In his job as Stan­dard­iza­tion Specialist, he deals with stan­dards, guide­lines, and machine safety at Uhlmann. He has been an enthu­si­astic runner since the age of 14. At one stage, his weekly distance was 80 to 100 kilo­me­ters, and he has completed dozens of marathons. His record: 2 hours and 42 minutes. However, in recent years he has had to cut back because his knees are steadily causing him prob­lems. Never­the­less, exer­cise has to be. “After being in the office all day, I have to get out in the fresh air, which is why I started Nordic walking”, explains Forst. He partic­i­pated in this disci­pline in Warthausen. He adds: “I now appre­ciate not thirsting after record times. Nordic walking gives me inner tran­quility. I really enjoy walking through the woods and observing the changing seasons.”

Team running

In contrast to Forst, Roberto Linke is not an ardent runner. The mechan­ical engi­neer in Devel­op­ment says: “I find it too monot­o­nous. I have phases every so often when I am keen on running, but they are over just as quickly as they occur.” His real passion is appa­ratus gymnas­tics. When time permits, he goes to open training sessions twice a week. “That was the only type of sport that I enjoyed at school, other­wise I had low marks”, states Linke. What partic­u­larly appeals to him is that tech­nique and agility count. Best times do not moti­vate him. However, what did moti­vate him about the October running/walking festival was the team partic­i­pa­tion together with colleagues from his depart­ment. “There are four of us and we support each other mutu­ally. We regis­tered together, and when people line the circuit and cheer us on, it is much more fun than running alone.”

Wolf­gang Krahl, team leader in Devel­op­ment, is also part of the four-person group. He also tends to be a sporadic runner. “I partic­i­pated in the Schloss-Cross the year before last. The atmos­phere was really good and our joint Uhlmann repre­sen­ta­tion was posi­tive”, says Krahl. He prefers to exert himself in a badminton hall. “I have been playing for 30 years. The dynamics and speed are what I like – and the game element also plays a role.” Phys­ical activity is also a must for him. “As a devel­op­ment engi­neer, I do a lot of simu­la­tions and analyses sitting in front of a computer. I have to work off some energy.” He trained a bit in the weeks prior to the October run on his seven-kilo­meter-long “home” circuit. “Even though jogging is not really my thing, it is a good feeling when you are phys­i­cally tired after such a run!”

The Uhlmann sport enthu­si­asts: (back from left to right) Fabian Müller, Michael Schultes, Torsten Krug, Andreas Glaser, Holger Wiest, Hubert Schmid; (front from left to right) Lutz Forst, Roberto Linke, Michael Fischer, Wolf­gang Krahl, Yuhong Liu (external)

The calm before the storm

Hubert Schmid fights his way to fourth posi­tion.

Lutz Forst, Roberto Linke and Wolf­gang Krahl prepared them­selves in different ways for the event.