No long-distance running competitions will take place this year. The “Wings for Life World Run” is a welcome change for Thea Heim - and on top of that something for a good cause.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen - The national and international sports world has been in Corona mode for weeks - i.e. at a standstill. All championships - be it ice hockey, football or athletics - have been canceled or postponed indefinitely. The Wings for Life World Run offers a change. Running coach Norman Feiler sends his marathon aces Thea Heim and Ricarda Gerlach into the race and invites the amateur runners of the running series "From 0 to 10 kilometers" to a virtual competition.
Hello, Mr. Feiler. You are out of breath. Did we catch you training?
No not at all. After two weeks of injury, I'm starting to start again. I am testing my plan for the Tölz courier. And that provides for a break on that day.
Then your protégé Thea Heim will miss you painfully while training ...
If Thea is serious, I can no longer keep up with her for a long time - at least not in competition (laughs). But since the training for two is allowed again with the appropriate distance, I've ridden a few times with the bike.
First the Olympic cancellation, then gradually all major national and international long-distance events were canceled. Certainly a rather difficult motivational situation for your running group as a whole and Thea in particular ...
However, in general it is a difficult situation. After a two-week break in early April, we decided to start preparing for the autumn marathon. Without knowing what and if something is happening at all. A few days ago, our secret goal, the Berlin Marathon, was canceled. There will probably be no major events in the fall, and Olympic qualifications will be suspended until December 1st anyway.
Read also: No motivation hole despite the Olympic refusal
Do you have alternatives in mind?
We looked around for alternatives and actually found what we were looking for. We signed up for the Wings for Life World Run charity on Sunday, May 3rd. The “Wings for Life” foundation has been organizing this every year since 2014 under the motto “Running for those who cannot run”. The Wings-for-Life Foundation has set itself the goal of finding a cure for spinal cord injuries and paraplegia, and the entry fees, 20 euros per runner, flow 100 percent into this foundation.
Sounds exciting. Tell me how the competition works.
The World Run starts with more than 100,000 top athletes, hobby runners and fitness joggers in dozens of cities and towns at the same time. In Germany it is 1 p.m. on Sunday. However, there is no specific route length and finish line. A virtual catcher car sets off 30 minutes after the start and gradually overtakes the runners. Since the catcher car increases the speed with increasing duration of the competition, the fastest is caught up at some point.
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And who is the winner?
Yes, last year the Russian Ivan Motorin made almost 65 kilometers on the run in Izmir and 53.72 kilometers on the women Nina Zarina (also Russia, Red) before she snatched the catcher car.
Running coach Norman Feiler with marathon ace Thea Heim.
© private
But the real winner is the foundation and all the spinal cord injured people who benefit from the research. I overturned it: Since 2014, around 27 million euros in entry fees and donations have been raised.
But there is a catch: You can't do sports in groups at the moment ...
That's right, that's why everyone runs for themselves on their own route, along the Isar, in the Pupplinger Au, or wherever. All you need is a smartphone on which you download the World Run app and log on.
Practical, then you can measure yourself against Thea Heim or Ricarda Gerlach, the ROC overall winner 2019 ...
Indirectly in any case, because you can only see in the final classification how far the individual runners have come. You can also follow the moderation with headphones. Music is recorded and the interim results moderated. Almost like on TV or live stream.
How far do you think a casual runner has come who has followed your training plans in recent weeks?
Difficult to say, because it depends of course on the initial level of performance of the individual. I would rate the sporty returner or very sporty newcomer at around six minutes per kilometer. This would take you 15 kilometers, or about 1:30 hours. The normal beginner is probably seven to eight minutes per kilometer. Then the catcher car would come to eight to ten kilometers, so after an hour. So it's a nice challenge after the three-week run training. By the way, there is a catcher calculator on the Wings-for-Life homepage. Everyone can roughly calculate how far they would get.
You set the bar quite high in your plans: six minutes per kilometer - this is not necessarily standard for a beginner or re-entry…
Yes, I admit: Time is already quite ambitious for a mass athlete, but that was only intended as a rough guide. Therefore, the time is also given in minutes so that everyone has an orientation for the load. One runs 5 kilometers in 30 minutes, the other runs 3. The kilometers are a second guide and are more intended for those who already have a sporting foundation from other sports. In the first few weeks, you create basic endurance. It is important to train the cardiovascular system. And the best way to do that is with long constant units. So the duration is crucial, and if you only manage 3 kilometers in 30 minutes, that's good for now. It's like on the stock exchange: First you have to deposit money, then you can make transactions.
A bit abstract. What does Otto Normaljogger pay for?
Sweat (laughs). After three weeks and ten to twelve runs, the body slowly got used to the strain, the fat burning was trained more with the long run. The runner should consciously notice that it is easier for him to run, the distances are easier to cover than before. This is the point at which you start to enjoy running. I would call that the first transaction.
You will hardly have a sprint on the house lap, unless you have to tear off a dog that is not on a leash ...
Probably not, but some recreational joggers that I know have found joy in running and have even signed up for a competition. With the Raiffeisen-Oberland-Challenge there are enough of them in the Oberland.
Finally, an announcement: How many kilometers does Thea Heim cover and how does it compare to other countries?
Thea, like all other runners with us in the Eiblteam Isartal, took a break of two weeks after it was clear that there would be no races. Now we have started again with the basics. I think Thea can do 40 kilometers in any case. But she has never run longer than 42.195 km. So it will be an exciting test. Less of the cardiovascular system than muscular. I think it will be critical over 45 kilometers. But overall Thea will be pretty far ahead. She will handle the whole thing very carefully because we don't want to risk injuries. You should always take this to heart.
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Can I also register for Thea's team?
Yes of course. It is not primarily about a competition, but about doing good. Everyone can register for the #DOITLONGER team, because every kilometer counts. And for all people who take part in our running schedule, that would be an ideal test after three weeks. You can register until immediately before the run. Thea Heim, Ricarda Gerlach and Karo Binder also run. A great opportunity to measure yourself.
On the Internet
Team #DOITLONGER:
wingsforlifeworldrun.com/de/teams/X4LmyX
Catcher Calculator:
wingsforlifeworldrun.com/de/goal-calculator
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