Rennsteig Run 2024
Inhalt/Content
For quite some time, Nathalie had planned to take on the half marathon at the Rennsteiglauf. The year before, she had “only” taken part in the relay race of the Rennsteiglauf, where she ran a stage of about 16 kilometers. This year, the half marathon with a little more than 21 kilometers was supposed to be conquered.
The start of the half marathon was at the Lotto Thüringen Arena in Oberhof. We had already been to Oberhof once for skiing and knew how annoying it is to get there by public transport — especially that early in the day. In theory, there would have been a shuttle bus from Jena, but it would have left too early to reasonably get from Weimar to Jena by public transport. So we decided — or rather, Nathalie forced me — to rent a car-sharing vehicle so we could drive directly to Oberhof, which of course made me the driver. Since I had to drive the car from the start of the marathon to the finish, and the 21.2 km would be covered faster by car than by running, I brought a book and the Switch to keep myself entertained at the finish line — and with that assumption, I couldn’t have been more wrong that day…
We left with the car around 4:30 and arrived at the LOTTO Thüringen ARENA after about an hour of driving. But there we had to realize that while this was the starting point, it was not where the registration took place to pick up the race number. So we drove back into the center of the town, where Nathalie jumped out to pick up her number while I desperately tried to find a parking spot. After Nathalie had received her race number with tracker, we drove back to the arena. There still weren’t many cars in the parking lot, which surprised us a bit. But there were several camper vans that seemed to have spent the night there. At least a few had tents set up on their roofs. Nathalie and I took a closer look at them, since I — and a few friends — are planning a camping trip for next year.
Right next to the parking lot was a hut where you could go to the bathroom one last time — or at least that’s what it seemed like to us. It was absolutely packed, and the bathroom lines stretched through the entire building. When we were done, we walked down to the arena and saw countless additional portable toilets set up there, which made lining up in the upper building rather pointless. But whatever, we were about an hour early in the arena and could watch it slowly fill up. Nathalie gradually got ready by attaching her number and warming up. She went down into the arena and told me I should easily recognize her by her black shorts and purple Weimarlauf shirt. Amusingly, as she walked down the stairs, there was a man below wearing the exact same outfit.
Even though Nathalie’s outfit was still somewhat unique and easy to spot, she disappeared into the crowd because of her height. Over time, it became harder and harder for me to find her among all the people, especially since the start of the race was at the opposite end of the arena and she, with start block four out of 13(?), was standing quite far toward the front. Over 6,000 people were said to be participating in the half marathon, and every three minutes the next start block would begin.
When Nathalie’s start block was getting ready, I wanted to quickly move closer to record her as she started running. She probably didn’t see me anymore, but I was still able to film her at the start of the race.
From here on, the post will split into two parts: Nathalie’s account and mine. It will describe the separate events we experienced until we met again at the finish line in Schmiedefeld.
Timeline α: Nathalie
My first half marathon. I had prepared for this for a long time. The atmosphere in the starting block was exactly what you would expect from such an event. People were warming up, checking their sports watches, or taking selfies. Others were chatting surprisingly calmly. The commentator tried to hype up the mood. I don’t know how many times I heard “The most beautiful finish in the world is Schmiedefeld” that day. This sentence would follow me all the way to the finish area. In between, there was an interview with Bodo Ramelow and plenty of songs everyone was supposed to clap along to. The race started on time, and block by block moved across the starting line. First the honorary block, then 1, 2, 3… I was in block 4. Everyone started trotting along.
At the start, it’s always quite crowded. You leave the stadium and run once around it, which already meant the first uphill section. Along the way, I passed Kevin one more time before heading into the Thuringian Forest. In my eyes, the Thuringian Forest is one of the most beautiful and magical places in Germany. Surrounded by tall trees, I ran along the forest path. One step after another. The magic of the forest was enhanced that day by a veil of mist that created an incomparable atmosphere. Anyone who knows the Rennsteig knows that there are quite a few meters of elevation to conquer. The first half of the half marathon is characterized mainly by its uphill passages. Every now and then you reach refreshment stations that feel like little festivals of their own. Local clubs take care of handing out drinks, usually accompanied by music and good vibes. Due to the nature of the route, there aren’t spectators everywhere, but whenever there are, there’s always something going on. At one point, a man had hung a large cowbell in a spruce tree and was ringing it to cheer people on. In between, more and more climbs appeared. Why am I doing this to myself? Never mind, I keep putting one foot in front of the other and continue running, even passing people who can’t keep running and switch to walking instead. Keep going. Don’t give up. Then, after 9.2 km, I knew I would finish this half marathon. After 9.2 km, I reached the summit of the Großer Beerberg at 974 m above sea level. There were people standing there too. They were cheering. A large sign next to the path informed you that you had successfully completed the toughest part.
From here on, there were more downhill sections. Running became easier for me, and I enjoyed it more and more. There were still countless runners in front of me, behind me, and beside me. At one point, we crossed a road. A bus was standing at the front, and I wondered how long it would have to wait there. More trees, more refreshment stations, more good vibes. Toward the end, the route got a bit mean again. In the final meters, there was one last uphill stretch before you ran into the most beautiful finish in the world in Schmiedefeld. People stood on both sides cheering you on. I couldn’t spot Kevin in the crowd. Proudly, I crossed the finish line and received my medal. I did it! After the obligatory drink and the runner’s banana, I looked around. Still no sign of Kevin…
Timeline β: Kevin
After the start of the race, I walked back up to the parking lot. That’s when I noticed that the running route apparently spirals underneath and behind the stadium and leads the marathon participants past the parking area. So I quickly went to a suitable curve and pulled out my camera. Since I mostly saw people with a three on their starting block, I knew Nathalie with the four still had to come. And then she appeared and waved at me…
After the recording, I walked a bit along the side of the running route and took another photo where the runners crossed the road and disappeared into the forest. I didn’t think much of it when I saw the road blocked, but it would turn out to be the beginning of my odyssey…
When I got into the car, I drove off right away, but I didn’t get far. At the spot where the runners crossed the road, cars were already lined up, and I simply joined them. After a few minutes, I wondered why nothing was moving at all and started eating some snacks and the breakfast I had brought. Eventually, the first cars in front of me turned around and drove off in the opposite direction. I got out and talked to the people in the cars in front of and behind me, who were also confused and just wanted to get to the finish in Schmiedefeld to pick up their relatives. At some point, I walked up to the barrier and asked what was going on: even when there were gaps, no cars would be let through, and ALL runners had to pass before the barrier would open. So I was stuck waiting with the others. You might think I could have just driven the other way and taken a small detour: unfortunately not. Google Maps already showed that everything in the town of Oberhof itself was closed off because of the race. The only way out was to wait for this barrier to open first. That also explained why there were so few cars in the parking lot. The other drivers had been smarter and parked their cars behind the race route (basically just outside the town) and could leave right away.
After more than three quarters of an hour, things finally started moving once the last runner from the last starting block had crossed the road. Several cars left with me like a convoy heading toward Schmiedefeld. The route led along many narrow roads, and I was glad no bus or other large vehicle came toward me in the tight curves. At first, the drive was still fairly relaxed, and the fact that the same cars were mostly in front of and behind me seemed like a good sign that I was on the right path. What worried me, however, was the radio. On Antenne Thüringen, the main topic was of course the Rennsteiglauf. They also reported that there could be traffic jams or even road closures around Schmiedefeld in the direction of Ilmenau. Since I was coming from the opposite direction, I hoped for the best…
After driving through Suhl, the last major town before Schmiedefeld, the drama began. Traffic slowed down more and more and led into a forest with many curves. At walking pace and even slower, we crawled through the forest… but if it at least kept moving somehow, I might still make it within the two hours Nathalie was expected to need to reach Schmiedefeld. But then suddenly police cars and motorcycles passed by. That was not a good sign. After a while, they came back and signaled to every single car to turn around. Oh dear… I thought I would now have to drive a huge detour through countless villages to get there. But things turned out differently. After only a few hundred meters, all the cars in front of me turned into the parking lot of a hotel — so I followed them. I got out and stood there a bit baffled, wondering what to do next. I asked one of the other drivers, and he said the police had told them that buses would run from here into the town — basically a shuttle between the hotel and the finish area. This made me a bit nervous, because I had to quickly pack all of Nathalie’s things into my backpack (since I was supposed to bring her several items), and on top of that, I had to leave the rented car on a random parking lot in the middle of the forest. But time was running out, so I quickly repacked everything and jumped onto the first bus, which actually arrived at the hotel parking lot shortly afterward.
The bus ride was quite full, since many people were now taking this — apparently the only — route into the town. The bus also passed larger parking areas in the forest where people had also left their cars and were getting on. There were hardly any cars left on the road, yet eventually everything slowed down again. The reason was a path in the middle of the forest that crossed the road, where the Rennsteig runners were passing. So I sat in the bus in front of the crossing, and there were only about 15 minutes left until Nathalie was expected to arrive in Schmiedefeld. A few girls on the bus were talking about how they had just seen their friend run past the bus. I thought it was extremely unlikely that Nathalie would pass by right now. Still, I briefly looked out to see who was coming down the path on the left… and the impossible happened: Nathalie was running right past the bus, completely unaware that I was inside! I quickly tried to record her as she passed on the right side of the bus and disappeared back into the forest.
That was quite a coincidence! And shortly afterward, the buses continued once a gap appeared between the runners. It didn’t take much longer until the bus arrived in the center of Schmiedefeld. But the sports field wasn’t directly there. I checked Google Maps and saw that it was still about a 15‑minute walk away — so I ran to get there before Nathalie!
When I arrived at the sports field, I was first overwhelmed by the size of the event. On the football field itself, there were many tents with food and sponsors. There were also bouncy castles and other attractions for children. Apparently, this was also the finish area for the children’s run. But since so many archways were set up, I first had to figure out where the actual finish line was. It turned out to be at the very opposite end of the field. After pushing my way through the crowds, I stood just a few meters from the finish, hoping to record a video when Nathalie crossed the line. I waited… Well, I didn’t know whether Nathalie had already finished or was still on her way. I saw start block numbers from three to five. But after waiting more than ten minutes, it seemed increasingly unlikely that she would still come — especially since the bus ride and my sprint to the sports field had taken quite some time. So I took out my phone and checked the website Nathalie had mentioned, where the current times of the runners were listed. After some searching and filtering, I found her name. A time was already displayed! Nathalie had already crossed the finish line.
Now a bit of panic rose in me: Where was Nathalie, and how were we supposed to find each other? She didn’t have her phone with her because of the run, so I couldn’t contact her. Thousands of people took part in the half marathon, and the sports field and its surrounding facilities were huge. Nathalie had said she would wait behind the finish line like she had done at previous races, but with hundreds of people arriving every minute, it was incredibly crowded, and I imagined she would simply be pushed farther and farther out. And Nathalie probably assumed that I would already be there after the “short” car ride and that I was surely somewhere on the festival grounds. I really had no idea how to solve this problem. Better than doing nothing, I went into the area behind the finish line, even though countless people were standing there. Finding Nathalie here would be like finding a needle in a haystack. So I walked in that direction and was just about to step into the crowd myself when suddenly someone jumped on me from behind.
At the festival in Schmiedefeld
The shock was over and we had found each other. Nathalie was already really hungry because she had also been desperately looking for me, and I was the one who had her wallet and the meal vouchers for the race. Without the things I had in my backpack, she would have been pretty lost — something I hadn’t even considered.
There were quite a few food stands, but we looked for the one that handed out soup and drinks to the runners with vouchers. It was a bit off to the side in a kind of barn. They served soup, which was a kind of beef broth, in a cup. I took one right away, but of course that wasn’t anything for Nathalie. She had already anticipated this and had packed food for herself, which luckily I also had with me. Toilets were right nearby next to the barn as well.
After we were done, we went back to the sports field to look at all the stands. Inside the barn, there was a small side room where you could buy Rennsteiglauf merchandise. The items were quite expensive, though. Since I had already “snuck” myself a running shirt at the Weimar city run, I didn’t want to buy another shirt from the Rennsteiglauf where everyone would ask me about my nonexistent finishing time.
Back at the sports field, we immediately noticed that there were many promotional stands handing out free drinks. So we grabbed whatever sugar‑free options we could find to take with us. We also quickly found a tent where you could have your finishing time engraved into your participant medal. You just had to pay a few euros and show your race number. The correct time was then engraved from the system. Around the corner was a wall with the race data where you could take photos. So I took a picture of her with the medal in front of the wall.
The other stands were less spectacular. Many only had beer or other snacks. There was a career booth from the Bundeswehr, and to the left of it a stand with sports equipment, mainly for runners — nothing I could use for volleyball — and to the right was a DHL stand, and apparently some runners were sponsored by DHL. I saw that they had leftover parcel cardboard in Christmas design, and when I asked, they let me take a few pieces.
After we had checked out everything and even given away our drink voucher (since you could only get beer with it anyway), we walked to the center of Schmiedefeld where the buses stopped. It wasn’t entirely clear which bus went back to the hotel and the forest parking lots, but after a quick question we found it. When we arrived at the hotel parking lot, it was completely packed with cars. Luckily, our car‑sharing vehicle wasn’t blocked in, and we could leave without any issues, even though the buses had a hard time getting in and out. And then we drove back to Weimar.
It truly was a very eventful day. Nathalie especially likes to joke that she was faster on foot than I was by car… even though I probably had more obstacles in my way than she did.
