Stefan Fichtl is unstoppable

Created: 01/14/2022, 11:40 am

By: Paul Hopp

The message on the advertising wall says it all: The trio from the "Schönegger Käse Alm" team with (from left) Stefan Fichtl, Benedikt Mergler and Peter Vogt delivered top performances over 5 and 10 kilometers, including personal best times.

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With a special concept, the Kempten New Year's Eve Run offered athletes the opportunity to compete in a competition despite Corona.

One who stood out in particular was a Hohenfurcher.

Kempten – Peter Vogt (Rottenbuch) and Stefan Fichtl (Hohenfurch) have been running together for around ten years. And now both athletes from the “Schönegger Käse Alm” team have made it for the first time, reports Vogt, to be in top form together. The duo recently demonstrated what that means at the "New Year's Eve Run" in Kempten, which, like the previous "Laufsport Saukel" events, was held in a multi-day format. Vogt and Fichtl shone with impressive times on both the 5 and 10 kilometer distances. In addition to them, other athletes from the Schongau area were on the move.

According to Vogt, he and his fellow runner are “very satisfied” with their times. Fichtl, in particular, showed himself to be in “super form” on the 5-kilometre circuit starting and finishing in the Iller Stadium. The Hohenfurcher ran the 5 kilometers (17:03 minutes) and 10 kilometers (35:38) as personal bests. Over the long distance, the duo ran together up to nine kilometers, then "he was able to really step on the gas again," Vogt praised his fellow athletes. Fichtl crossed the finish line with a lead of nine seconds. He beat his previous record by more than a minute. "That's neat," said Vogt. The Hohenfurcher completed the last kilometer in 3:20 minutes. In the M35 class, Fichtl was third, Vogt (35:47) fourth.

Three days after their appearance over the long distance, Peter Vogt and Stefan Fichtl tackled the 5 kilometers.

There they even ran into the top 15 in the overall ranking.

Vogt set a personal best of 16:48 minutes (10th place), beating his record by at least five seconds.

On top of that, he won the M35 class ahead of Fichtl (17:03/14th place), who had also improved significantly over this distance.

Stefan Fichtl runs two best times

These achievements do not come out of the blue.

Both had been training diligently over the past few months and completed their tempo runs together – sometimes with several athletes from the region.

In association with others "you pull through better", says Vogt.

The hard pace units "are fun at the moment," says the Rottenbucher.

Benedikt Mergler has joined the group of “Schönegger Käse Alm” runners.

Formerly a footballer at TSV Peiting, the man from Altenstadt now concentrates primarily on running.

Vogt came into contact with him via the Strava running app.

Mergler put in convincing runs in Kempten: over the 10 kilometers in 38:09 minutes (12th place in the M30) and over the 5 kilometers in 17:39 minutes (6th place in the M30).

Fast father-daughter team: Ludwig Höfler and Heidi Höfler, starting for Concordia Burggen, ran the 5-kilometer route.

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Another athlete that Vogt and Fichtl became aware of via the "Strava" app is Florian Tscherner. The twenty-something from Schönberg, who hasn't been running ambitiously for too long, ran the 10 kilometers in 36:47 minutes. In the men's main class, which also includes overall winner Kevin Key (31:30), Tscherner took twelfth place. Stefan Legelli from SC Böbing ended up in the front third of the field of 570 men: With 44:17 minutes he finished 169th. His sister, Maria Elisa Legelli, who mainly travels long distances, crossed the finish line in 38:52 minutes. This made her seventh fastest woman overall and second best in the W30 class. Renate Rinner from Steingaden was happy about third place in the W55 women; she clocked a time of 55:15 minutes.Second place was only 35 seconds away.

Ludwig Höfler celebrates superior class victory

Ludwig Höfler celebrated an absolutely superior victory in the M70 category on the 5-kilometer route.

The Burggener completed the route in 26:44 minutes.

Höfler (born in 1947) was a good three and a half minutes ahead of the runner-up in his class.

"You do your best, then you can be satisfied with that," he said laconically about his truly remarkable performance.

Ludwig Höfler expressly praised the organization and the form of the competition, in which the athletes can choose their own start within a time window of 13 days and run each route up to five times - the best time is counted.

Daughter Heidi Höfler reached the finish line after 23:07 minutes with her best attempt. She was fourth in the W45 class, in which 34 athletes were listed at the end. Also in fourth place, but in the M50 men, was Schönberger Heinz Schilcher (20:50), who competed for DAV Peiting. Renate Schilcher (26:46) was ninth in the W40 class.

In the heavily occupied men's main class (athletes up to 29 years of age) Lucas Nun (18:17/9th place) from Peiting and Simon Langwieser (18:52/17th place) from the "full load tri-team Schongau" managed over the 5 kilometers “Results in the forefront.

The overall winner also came from the main class: For Simon Pulfer (Allgäu Outlet Raceteam), the clocks stopped at 15:25 minutes.

The top time for women, 17:35 minutes at this event, was run by two athletes this time, namely Madlen Kappeler and Carola Dörries.