Ready, steady, dumpling!

There's suddenly this stone at the 22 kilometre mark that almost makes him stumble. "Concentrate!", Michael Winter silently chides himself, setting his eyes firmly on the path ahead and taking great care as he puts one foot in front of the other. He has pushed his mirrored sunglasses up into his hair to get a better view of the somewhat sloping forest floor and the potential tripping hazards on it – tree roots, stones, rocks, clumps of grass. The air smells intensely of softwood and fresh moss. The path is like a deep furrow in the forest floor and forms a sunken lane, so narrow that the men and women in the colourful sportswear have to run in file, ant-fashion.  

 

A bend in the path, then another, and suddenly. Micha can hear another sound above the huffing and puffing of the other runners: the sound of music, which is becoming louder with every step he takes and broken by cheers. There's also another aroma in the air now, that of Thuringian bratwurst sausages being fried on a griddle.  

Typical Rennsteiglauf run, Micha, a 25-year-old junior account manager from Cottbus, thinks, spurred on by the delicious smell. He is one of the 10,149 runners who are taking part in the 49th Rennsteiglauf run in the Thuringian Forest on this sunny Saturday in May. The route of this marathon follows the Rennsteig, the historic long-distance hiking trail through the Thuringian Forest, from Neuhaus am Rennweg to Schmiedefeld. Over the past few years, this running event has gradually grown into one of Europe's biggest cross-country runs and has achieved cult status, not only because the route leads right through the countryside of the Thuringian Forest, but also because it can be completed at various different levels, from ultra, half and mini marathon to a Nordic walking version, and not least also because of the authentic Thuringian atmosphere. For example at the food and drink stations. 

Micha is hot on the scent of the bratwurst. This is the second time he has taken part in the Rennsteiglauf; this time round, he is running the marathon distance of 42.26 kilometres. It takes a lot of effort and energy to complete. The aroma of frying sausages leads him directly to the food and drink station. Beneath freestanding awnings, helpers await the marathon participants, ready to supply them with sustenance for the next stage. However, whilst energy bars and water bottles are usually distributed at other runs, they serve the runners porridge with blueberries at the Rennsteig, and you could even drink a dark beer, if you fancied one. There's also a brass band playing, whose tuba, trumpet and assorted other instruments do their best to revive the runners. Some of the bystanders add their calls and whistles to the cacophony of noise; others decide that they themselves need some sustenance in the form of a bratwurst first. After all, cheering the runners on is also hard work.  

 

That is precisely why Micha loves the Rennsteiglauf: because of the enthusiastic audience that lines the route, the music bands that untiringly add a party mood to the proceedings, the helpers that hand out cups of water and food, and the friendliness of the members of the police force that man the road barriers. In actual fact, the 25-year-old's legs haven't quite yet recovered from his last marathon, which he ran four weeks ago in Portugal. Ordinarily, this would be followed by a long period of regeneration and several months of strategic preparation for the next marathon, but who could resist the temptation of the Rennsteiglauf? Micha certainly couldn't. 

The best way to get ready for it? Eating plenty of Thuringian dumplings, of course. 

He therefore travelled to Thuringia in good time in order to attend the opening event in the large sports hall in Neuhaus am Rennweg on the evening before the run. Long rows of folding tables and benches had been set up in the hall. Draught beer was dispensed from underneath a basketball basket; a bit further long, huge portions of Thuringian dumplings, red cabbage and beef roulades were heaped onto the plates of the guests. A small stage had been erected in the space usually occupied by the football goal. On it, a party band belted out one hit after the next. Many of the guests sang along to these with gusto; children played catch on the galleries, and in front of the stage, five laughing girls had linked arms and were dancing to the music in a circle. Hang on, Micha, surely everyone there intends to run a real, exhausting marathon tomorrow? Micha laughs. "The dumpling party is always held on the evening before the Rennsteiglauf run; it's the equivalent of the pasta party at other marathons," the young marathon runner explains. "Everyone gets together and chats whilst building up their strength with carbohydrates and excitedly looking forward to the run." 

Fuelled by dumplings and highly motivated by the general team spirit, the runners then present themselves at the starting line the next morning, some of them very early in the day. A brass band also took up its position. Arms circled, legs were stretched, Micha also did some quick warm-up exercises. Then the brass band struck up, and everyone at the starting line noisily sang along to the "Schneewalzer", the snow waltz, which is traditionally played at the start of the Rennsteiglauf run before the starting signal is given and the masses are off.  

On arrival at the food and drink station after completing around half of the distance, Micha still feels pretty fit. He has another 20 kilometres to go – through a lot of forest, mountain meadows covered in wild flowers, a few quaint villages. Sometimes, the route runs along in the shelter of dense tree tops, sometimes beneath the blue sky. Time and again, the edge of the path is lined with people who are cheering the runners on, whistling or playing music. Some of them have brought camping chairs, others are ringing the famous cowbells made in Floh-Seligenthal. Two young women, Susi and Lisa, are holding up a bed sheet on which they have painted the words "Domi Marathoni – The Flash from the Thuringian Forest". "We are cheering our friend Dominik on," Susi explains, laughing.  

By now, Micha longs for some water and a cold shower. After four hours and twenty minutes, he's almost made it. Exhausted, the young man from Cottbus fights his way up the last slope up to the finishing line, he can already hear the compère who is cheering the participants on over the last few metres to really get the crowd going.
Only a few more seconds, and Micha is also greeted by clapping and cheers from the audience that lines the route and from the speakers. He has made it to the finishing line in four hours and thirty minutes, and receives his well-deserved medal. Despite his exhaustion, he is beaming with pleasure.  

What was the greatest challenge? "So far, the 800 metre elevation gain," he gasps, rather out of breath. "However, the biggest challenge is still ahead!"  

"Next year, we'll all be here again"  

Where? In the Rennsteig-Halle in Schmiedefeld, a hall built especially for the Rennsteiglauf run where the big party for the runners that calls for a different kind of stamina starts at 6 p.m. on the dot. The party band from Neuhaus has now moved on to the stage in Schmiedefeld, and as soon as it has played the first few bars, the runners climb up onto the benches that line the trestle tables, and loudly sing along.  

"So viele Freunde am Wege steh'n, in Schmiedefeld das Wiederseh'n" – the lyrics of the so-called Rennsteiglauf hymn, written especially for the event, perfectly capture the feeling of this unique run, "so many friends line the route, and we'll all meet up again in Schmiedefeld", and everyone intones them in unison. Some are still wearing their running tops with their starter number, others have designed their own shirts for the occasion with slogans such as: "Jedes Jahr, Mitte Mai, Rennsteiglauf, wir sind dabei, "every year in mid-May, you'll find us at the Rennsteiglauf". People are drinking dark beer, link arms and sway along to the music. A feeling of deep content as well as exhilaration is in the air; all of the day's labours are forgotten, and the sports fans, including Micha, chants "Hei, hei, hei, ho, im nächsten Jahr, sind wir alle wieder do," next, year, we'll all be here again – for the 50th Rennsteiglauf run.