4,000 kilometre relay race ends on Friday in Chemnitz
Students of the Lauf-KulTour reach Chemnitz again on 21 September 2012 Chemnitz - reception around 5.30 p.m. at the "Mobility Day" on the forecourt of the Moritzhof authority centre
The 4,000-kilometre non-stop relay race around Germany by students from Chemnitz University of Technology comes to an end this Friday, 21 September 2012. On each of the past 16 days, the team from the Lauf-KulTour association will have covered around 250 kilometres, which is equivalent to the distance from Berlin to Moscow and back.
At the finish line in Chemnitz, each of the twelve runners and eight cycling companions will have more than 330 kilometres or almost eight marathons in their legs.
They will have conquered steep climbs in the Alps, followed the Rhine northwards, braved the wind on the North and Baltic Seas and then travelled south again along the Oder and Neisse rivers. The finish line is scheduled for late Friday afternoon from 5.30 p.m. on the forecourt of the Moritzhof public authority centre (Bahnhofstraße 53). The athletes will be welcomed there as part of the "Mobility Day". TU Rector Prof Dr Arnold van Zyl has also announced his attendance.
This year, the Lauf-KulTour has collected donations along the route for the UNICEF project "Schools for Africa". For every person who accompanied the runners part of the way, a donation was made to UNICEF via sponsors. One last opportunity to do good by running
Friday afternoon, when the runners have reached the city centre of Chemnitz. They will approach the city from Euba (around 4 p.m. at the western end of the town), cross the Zeisigwald forest (around 4.45 p.m. at the Heideschänke) before arriving at the forecourt of the Moritzhof. The exact route and the current position of the runners can be followed at www.lauf-kultour.de.
The team had been running behind schedule for around ten days after the satnav failed on the second day. They then set off along the Rhine to catch up, and when they reached the North Sea, the Lauf-KulTourists reported that everything was back on schedule! On their arrival in
Chemnitz, they will have a lot more to tell - about nice encounters, a lot of team spirit and unplanned events along the route that will remain in their memories: "We've gathered impressions that couldn't be more different. You oscillate between feelings of happiness and pain, between euphoria and lack of sleep, between team spirit and yourself, between mountains and valleys," reported Sebastian Ködel, project manager of the Lauf-KulTour. Many spontaneous contacts with Lauf-KulTour fans along the route ensured that motivation was never lost. "Shortly before Bremen, for example, our current
runner was accompanied by seven runners from SG Marßel Lauftreff. They became aware of us through the UNICEF-AG Bremen, which greeted us at the entrance to the city with flags and banners as well as cheers," says Ködel.
The exact position of the runners can be followed at www.lauf-kultour.de. Reports and photos of the route can also be found here.
Coordination and press contact: Sebastian Ködel, telephone 0178 1615350,