"A memory for life": Track and field athlete Hugo Mann dares to go on mountain adventures

Hugo Mann is known as a formidable track and field athlete.

Now the Penzberger used a running series as training for a very special adventure in South America.

Penzberg – For some hobby athletes, winning the Ismaninger winter running series is a goal in life, for Hugo Mann it was just a stopover this year: the 68-year-old from Penzberg used the traditional competition in the north of Munich as training for a very special campaign.

Immediately after the last race in Ismaning, a 21.4-kilometer run, Mann boarded a plane to Ecuador with his wife.

The goal was to climb Chimborazo, the highest mountain in the South American country at 6263 meters.

The doctorate in finance was successful.

The winter running series was “the perfect preparation” for this, as he says in retrospect.

Hugo Mann: first a race victory, then a summit attempt in Ecuador

Even for a Hugo Mann, who was two times Bavarian champion in his age group last year and won a medal at the German Championships (10 kilometers and half marathon each), such a climb to the summit is no small matter in terms of fitness.

An extensive "acclimatization program", as he calls it, was necessary for this.

Two days in Quito (2800 meters above sea level) were on the program.

Then we went to several peaks - including Pasochoa (4199), Ruku Pichincha (4698) and Iliniza Norte (5126).

In addition, Mann climbed to the crater lake Quilotoa (just under 4000) and to the glacier of Cotopaxi (around 5000).

The summit of the latter mountain (located at 5897 meters) was closed due to volcanic activity.

In Banos at 1820 meters (that's how high St. Moritz is in Europe) "some relaxation" was the order of the day, reported the Penzberger.

There Mann undertook a tour of the Tunguahura volcano (5023) to below the crater rim.

After that, things got serious – we went to Riobamba (2800m) and from there to Refugio Carrell, which served as the starting point for the ascent to Chimborazo.

Hugo Mann: Successful ascent of Chimborazo

The summit storm began with a "breakfast" at 9 p.m.

This was followed by the departure for the almost eight-hour ascent.

From the high camp (about two hours away from the refuge) other small groups set off.

According to Mann, one certified guide and one or two climbers are allowed.

The Penzberger was traveling with a mountain guide named Paul – and they were lucky enough with the weather that night.

There was a clear view of the lights of the surrounding villages, hardly any wind and temperatures just below minus ten degrees Celsius.

"Pachamama is very kind to us," Mann reported, referring to the "earth mother" revered by indigenous Andean peoples.

+

Outstanding victory: Hugo Mann won the M65 class in the winter running series in Ismaning by more than 17 minutes.

© Private

At 5.40 a.m., Mann and his guide were the first of the day to reach the summit of Chimborazo - "with a lot of gasping, but happy," said the Penzberger.

In the cold we had to wait 20 minutes for the sun to rise.

There was a view of the Cotopaxi and the altar group: "A magnificent picture, a memory for life," says Mann.

After another ten minutes at the summit, it was inevitably time for the descent.

He succeeded - at 9 o'clock in the morning the Carrel hut was reached.

"Without the fitness training for the running competitions, the ascent would not have been possible," stressed Mann.

Hugo Mann: superior victory in winter running series

In Ismaning, the Penzberger had dominated the M65 class on all three distances offered.

At the start, he won the 13.5-kilometer race with a lead of almost six minutes.

Mann had run the route, which runs along the Isar floodplains, in 57:49 minutes.

He won the 17 kilometers in a similarly superior manner – this time in 1:17:26 minutes.

At the end there was a 21.4 kilometer run.

After 1:35:56 hours, the Penzberger crossed the finish line.

Once again he was clearly ahead of his biggest opponent, Oskar Startz (LG Stadtwerke München).

In the overall ranking of all 430 male finishers in the final race, Mann took 83rd place.

(All news and stories from our district can also be found on our Facebook page.)

With a total time of 3:51:11 hours, the TSV Penzberg athlete won the series ahead of Startz (4:08:56).

In the M65, 13 athletes were judged.

In 2015 and 2016, Hugo Mann had already won the overall ranking of the winter running series in his class at the time.

(Our Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter keeps you regularly informed about all the important stories from your region.)

Jürgen Schill (born 1975) from Post SV Weilheim also completed all three runs this season.

With a total time of 4:12:26 hours, he finished 17th out of 39 finishers in the M45.

The overall victories of the 31st edition went to Matthias Ewender (2:57:22) from the LG Region Landshut and to Tina Fischl (3:21:17) from WSV Otterskirchen.

Ewender, second overall six times, said: "The overall victory has been on my bucket list for a long time." So on the list of things that he absolutely wants to achieve.

"Now I can finally put a tick behind it."