Mass start: Helpers pour the ducks into the Würm in Planegg. © Andreas Wenzel
Large crowds at the duck race of the Miteinander e.V.: The rubber animals were sold out on Saturday shortly before the mass start on the Würm in Planegg and half an hour later also sausages and steaks at the associated family festival at the Gräfelfinger Friedenskirche.
Gräfelfing/Planegg – For the 19th time, the association Miteinander held its annual duck race on Saturday. And at prices similar to those at the premiere in 2005. The ducks, which could be purchased in advance in many Würmtal shops, cost unchanged five euros. According to Anneliese Bradel of Miteinander e.V., food and drinks were not more expensive either: "We didn't have inflation, we wanted a family celebration."
The people of Würmtal thanked the association, which supports local youth work with the proceeds of the duck race, with great interest - and agreed. At 14:30 p.m., 500 rolls, 250 sausages and 150 steaks were gone. Supplies were quickly organized, which were plastered until the end of the festival around 16 p.m.
Many families with children
Above all, families with children had gathered on the lawn in front of the Church of Peace. Most of them had bought their ducks in Würmtal shops in the weeks before, and late deciders grabbed them until the last duck was gone shortly before the start. Then the approximately 760 ducks were loaded into a wagon and taken to the Würm Bridge on Germeringer Straße in Planegg, where they were thrown into the water all at once by the helpers.
Ten to 15 minutes later, the ducks were supposed to swim 1.2 kilometers further down the Würm at the Friedenskirche. The helpers Dirk Hausstein, Jonathan and Daniel Kleindienst and Tillmann Baur were already waiting in waders in the water The winner was clear: Larissa Rohnfelder's duck from Martinsried swam to the finish line at a distance of more than one meter.
Gräfelfing's mayor Peter Köstler and his Planegg colleague Hermann Nafziger held the award ceremony. Larissa Rohnfelder received a family annual pass for Hellabrunn Zoo as the main prize." I think it's good what you're doing here, but it's even better how you're doing it," Nafziger praised the organizers of Miteinander e.V. and was applauded for their words of appreciation.
The placings: 1. Larissa Rohnfelder, 2. Mila and Justus Schmid-Burgk (Stockdorf), 3. Christoph Breitenbach (Gräfelfing), 4. Julian Bräutigam (Weilheim), 5. Maximilian Draia (Planegg), 6. Henri Poland (Gräfelfing), 7. Theo Riedinger (Planegg), 8. Katharina Gruber (Planegg), 9. Elke Ruprecht (Gräfelfing), 10. Magdalena Demmler (Planegg). Emma Rudolph's duck from Gräfelfing was the last to swim to the finish line – in contrast to the previous year. At that time, Rudolph had won the duck race. Especially for them, Peter Köstler spontaneously offered a consolation prize, a voucher for the Westbad.
Alexandra Joepen-Schuster