Tabea Otto likes to be on the move - over long distances.
The 26-year-old has now circumnavigated Lake Starnberg in less than five hours.
She specifically chose the cold season for this.
District – After about two-thirds of the way, the whole project was on the brink. Tabea Otto had completed around 30 kilometers when “there was a critical point”. In addition to the physical exertion, the runner was badly affected by the wind and precipitation. But the 26-year-old fought her way through the low and finally managed to do what she had set her mind to: to run around Lake Starnberg in wintry conditions. Otto completed 49.9 kilometers, each with 300 meters uphill and downhill – and also stayed under the self-imposed five-hour mark. After 4:55 hours she arrived at the starting point in Tutzing. "I'm satisfied," says Otto, but immediately adds: "There's room for improvement." If she does the tour again, "I'd like to stay under four hours".
For Tabea Otto, the run in winter was also a test of how her body can cope with the special conditions in the cold season.
"Anyone can do it in the summer," she says with a laugh.
With temperatures just below freezing at the start and snow on the trails, "it's something different," says the young woman who lives in Murnau and works as a teacher at the Mayor Prandl elementary school in Penzberg.
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Satisfied at the finish: runner Tabea Otto with her mother Andrea Otto, who accompanied her on the bike as a pacemaker.
© Private
It doesn't matter what time of year it is: Tabea Otto likes to be on the move - be it running (and sometimes accompanied by a dog) or on a racing bike. And the 26-year-old wants to "push her boundaries," as she writes online. Her focus is on long and ultra-distances, also on mountainous terrain. In any case, it has a remarkable shape. Last late summer she started together with Bernhard Steinberger from the Upper Palatinate at the 24-hour cycling trophy in Heizendorf (Styria). The duo ended up winning the two-team competition; within one day they had completed 185 laps together, which corresponded to a total distance of 713 kilometers. At the "Mega March" in Nuremberg at the beginning of November, Otto, who originally comes from Franconia, walked 50 kilometers in just 8:13 hours.
Tabea Otto likes to be in the mountains and on her racing bike
The endurance athlete also used an event for hikers for her tour around Lake Starnberg.
As a running participant in the "Three Kings March" - a charity event organized by Manfred Kager for the first time in 2018 - she was able to use the refreshment stations.
On top of that, directional arrows made navigation easier.
Two hours later than the hikers, the athlete hit the track.
She was accompanied by her mother Andrea, who acted as a pacemaker on a mountain bike.
Without her, "it would certainly not have been half as nice," says Tabea Otto.
From the start in Tutzing it went clockwise around the lake.
At the beginning, as she reports, Otto had to accept a short detour.
After about an hour of running, she had caught up with the trailing hikers.
From Starnberg the weather improved in the meantime, the sun was really warming.
Otto reached the half marathon mark after 1:58 hours.
After the already mentioned phase of the fight things went better again, the wavy terrain in the direction of Bernried suited the trail running fan.
Otto completed the marathon distance in 4:04 hours.
After that, she did everything she could to reach the goal in less than five hours, which she succeeded in doing.
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Clockwise around the lake: the start and finish for Tabea Otto's run were in Tutzing.
© Graphic: Komoot
The circumnavigation of Lake Starnberg is a well-known tour among runners.
Last spring, Markus Brennauer (TSV Penzberg) set a record for a specific, precisely defined segment.
The Penzberger (42) ran a distance of 49.3 kilometers in the “fastest known time” of 3:07:04 hours, beating the record of the well-known ultra runner Florian Neuschwandner.
Brennauer's start and destination was the promenade in Starnberg.
When it comes to "competitions", Tabea Otto's next step is to get back on the bike. With the "Bike-Team Regensburg" she is completing a "24-hour indoor cycling event" at the beginning of March, which takes place online.
So snow and cold are irrelevant.