He put his trail running career on hold to rescue dogs from Ukraine.
Actually, Hannes Hinterseer wanted to drive to the Polish-Ukrainian border.
The result is the Schlierseer in Butscha.
Working for people and animals in the horror of the city changed his view of the world.
Hannes Hinterseer was 14 years old when he started his career as an extreme athlete.
The blonde trail runner from Schliersee pushed his limits - and celebrated success.
At 23 he won his first marathon.
Shortly thereafter he became known on television with the Joey Kelly Survival Challenge.
At the beginning of July, the 28-year-old should have taken part in the European running championships on La Palma.
A huge opportunity, but nothing will come of it.
Hinterseer has taken on a new challenge: rescuing dogs from the Ukrainian war zone.
“I have a job down there,” he says.
And although he sacrificed a lot for his sporting commitment, his conclusion after several weeks in the war zone is: "It was all worth it." For the first time he didn't miss the regular training.
And Ukraine gave him a new perspective on the world.
It all started on a Friday - it was April 1st.
The first day after his contract as a sports soldier in the Bundeswehr expired.
Hinterseer wanted to train for the European Championships.
Then he discovered a Facebook post by Patrick Ottilinger.
The athlete from Planegg asked to donate animal feed to drive it to the Polish-Ukrainian border.
"I wanted to do more than just donate," says Hinterseer, who has a dog himself.
"I'd rather die than leave him behind." Just two days later, Hinterseer and Ottilinger had equipment and medicines worth 4,000 euros together.
They decided: "Let's just go for a ride."
The camp
With two cars, the two young men arrived at a camp for abandoned dogs on the border.
The plan worked – but only partially.
“They only wanted the medicine.” The helpers told them that the food was needed more urgently in Lviv.
"There was a sanctuary with 150 dogs in one house."
Hinterseer and Ottilinger drove off, the tip was confirmed.
“The dogs were pretty bad,” Schlierseer remembers.
Many had been locked in cages for two weeks without exercise.
Hinterseer and his partner were able to provide all 150 animals with food, have passports issued and prepare the evacuation to Poland for ten of the four-legged friends.
"Patrick had accomplished his mission," says Hinterseer.
"One of us had to drive." His sports colleague drove to Munich with the ten dogs for a day and a half.
And in just one day all ten dogs were placed with families.
But the journey continued for the Schlierseer.
"People from all over Ukraine wrote to us," he recalls.
Arrival in Kyiv
“The question is: where do you start, where do you stop?” says Hinterseer.
Retiring after Lviv was out of the question.
He was advised in Lviv to go to Kyiv.
Many of the dogs would not have made it out of the capital.
"I did that," says the trail runner.
He stayed in a church in Kyiv - and joined forces with the Ukrainian military.
Then the Bucha massacre became public knowledge.
It was Friday again, this time March 4th.
The trip to Bucha
"Some say it's wrong," says Hinterseer.
Nevertheless, he drove to Bucha, around 25 kilometers from Kyiv, in a convoy of five cars.
“Germans, Danes, Ukrainians, we have joined forces.” A bomb fell 500 meters from the convoy, the former sports soldier recalls.
"I took cover for the first one." He was more jaded for the second.
The pictures from Bucha would have shaken him.
"I had to go there."
The horror of the city
Smells of decomposition hit him when he entered Butscha.
Hinterseer remembers an arterial road.
“There were cars with blood on the back seats.
It looked like the execution of a whole family.” The images were accompanied by barking from the houses.
"Around 70 percent of the animals had starved to death," says Hinterseer.
The dogs had started eating each other.
Others were left in kennels.
The houses were deserted.
"I started breaking down doors," says the athlete.
"Water and food in - and to the next house." The military gave the group short periods of time in which they were allowed to get started.
Then they had to drive.
"The barking in the houses haunts me to this day," says Hinterseer.
He feels guilty for not having saved everyone.
"I can't get that out of my head."
The motivation
"Soldiers die for their country with or without tanks," says Hinterseer.
As a former soldier, he knows what motivates the Ukrainians – and also explains his own.
Everyone has the right to defend themselves, says Schlierseer.
But: He himself does not want to achieve anything with weapons and is certain that he can achieve more with humanitarian aid.
The question why he saves dogs and not people infuriates him.
"Anyone who asks this should first think about how they themselves have already helped." Hinterseer also emphasizes: "Those who help animals also help their owners." In the Ukraine, however, he did not limit himself to the four-legged friends.
"We helped everyone who needed help." The suffering of the people there is unimaginable.
Back from the Ukraine, Hinterseer wants to get back into competitive sports and start training with the police and as a paramedic.
He had to put his plans on hold after a skiing accident.
But the 28-year-old is also planning: "As soon as I'm fit again, I definitely want to go back to animal welfare."