Rothaarsteig. The Rothaarsteig as a marathon route: runners from the always international field of participants have already shown 16 times that they love the "Falke Rothaarsteig Marathon". This year, everything is different. The running event on October 17 had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new edition has already been scheduled for October 16, 2021, but athletes don't have to do without the "Trail of the Senses" altogether. After all, there is trail running. The best example is Alexander Diedrich. He has chosen the Rothaarsteig, one of the most beautiful high-altitude trails in Europe, for a very special run: The trail runner from Düsseldorf is always looking for new challenges, and he sees them in the 154-kilometre, ever-changing route that he wants to cover in two days.
Supported by his family, the Hemer native will tackle the project on October 17 and 18. While the company takes care of the supplies, Alexander Diedrich laces up his running shoes and is full of anticipation: "I've had the idea of running the entire Rothaarsteig on a trail run for a while. Now I'm putting it into practice," says the 38-year-old, who took part in the Matterhorn Ultraks Sky in Zermatt in August. One of the few trail and skyrunning events that could take place this year.
Drawing attention to the value of intact nature
Alexander Diedrich is now focusing on the solo run along the Rothaarsteig, which he finds very exciting. The first stage takes the Düsseldorfer 85 kilometers from Brilon to the Rhein-Weser-Turm, on the second day he has to cover another 70 kilometers to Dillenburg. Alexander Diedrich starts at around eight o'clock after sunrise.
In addition to the sporting challenge, the Diedrich family wants to draw attention to an important issue - forest dieback. "Outdoor sports such as trail running and hiking depend on an intact natural environment. The forest as an economic, living and recreational space is suffering greatly from the excessively dry summers of recent years and the damage caused by the bark beetle. The forests along the Rothaarsteig have also been significantly affected by this," says Alexander Diedrich.
Multifaceted landscapes offer ideal conditions
If you want to follow Alexander Diedrich's 154-kilometre run, you can do so on Instagram: "Trailteamdiedrich" is the name of the channel where you can watch live footage of the beautiful Rothaarsteig. "We are looking forward to this exciting project and are excited about it. After all, it shows that the Rothaarsteig, with its diverse landscape, topography and excellent signposting in one of the most beautiful hiking regions in Germany, offers optimal conditions for trail runners as well as hikers," says Katharina Schwake-Drucks, responsible for Rothaarsteig marketing.
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