It was the unanimous opinion that this was the toughest race in the history of the Challenge. Many had to give up before the end, including a number of world class athletes, but the Memmert triathlon relay team held on.
After 11 long hours and cathartic seven minutes, they reached the finishing line of the Quelle Challenge 2008. Starting with Christiane Riefler-Karpa as the swimmer, Ronald Mühe on the bike and Peter Krieger finishing off with the marathon, this year they again won the struggle against their inner daemons in the pouring rain and a cold 15 degrees.
There is hardly any other type of sport where triathletes go from one extreme to another. Moments of loneliness alternate with overwhelming experiences of togetherness, in which the adrenalin runs riot, finding the strength to conquer the next few kilometres. Ronald Mühe, who as the second member of the team after the swimming, covered the 180 kilometres on his bike, thought about all sorts of things on the route, but not about what lay before him. Not creating any unnecessary stress, but keeping his tempo calm and even, thinking nice thoughts, such as of his family or of holidays, that was his recipe for success, to distract him from the pain and strain. The spectators along the triathlon route in Roth are a priceless help every time. How they can help to carry you up the 'Solar Mountain' by cheering you on is quite amazing, and the atmosphere can certainly compare with arriving at a mountain summit on the Tour de France. Ronald Mühe needed six hours and four minutes for his rollercoaster ride. Another four minutes better than the last time, even though the weather conditions were extremely tough, especially for the cyclists.
Marathon runner Peter Krieger also had his own special endurance strategy. 3 hours 30 ... 3 hours 30 ... 3 hours 30 – the personal mantra running through his head kept him going over the 42-kilometre distance. The critical moments came at kilometre 20 when he thought his pace was too fast, and that he would collapse in the next few kilometres, but this phase passed and he really did manage, driven on by the spectators and his two team colleagues, to reach the finishing line after exactly 3 hours 30 minutes and 2 seconds. Waiting for him were Peter Englisch from the Memmert Development Department and Salvatore Giurdanella from the Büchenbach Production Department, who had bravely withstood the rain nearly for most of the day. With his camera he had accompanied not only the Memmert team, but also many other athletes, including the top athletes, for the local papers.
The ability to hang on, to build up stamina, mental freshness and fitness, these are the characteristics that promise success, and not only in sport. Christiane Riefler-Karpa, managing director of Memmert, was trained for the competition by Bennie Lindberg, former professional Finnish triathlete and current fitness coach. Technique training alternated with stamina sessions and speed training. At least once per week this meant between 1600 and 3000 metres swimming in the early morning. The reward for all this effort: she swam her crawl strokes completely smoothly through the water and finished the 3.8 kilometre distance on the canal in 1 hour 29 minutes and 50 seconds. Despite the early hour Ralf Achtnicht and Carsten Angermeyer, our experts for development and construction, were there crossing their fingers for her right from the start.
Such performances hold different feelings of elation for each person involved. In the eyes of Christiane Riefler-Karpa, it is above all the self-motivating effect that sets in when you overcome your own limitations. Bennie Lindberg once expressed it in an interview in 'die Bunte' like this: “When you start moving, you don't have the slightest idea what effects you can cause. Your self-confidence increases, depressions disappear along with all the minor ailments. And you become much more creative. Many people see this time with themselves as a time of inspiration and loathe to miss out on it. Movement, just like breathing, is part of life.“ Between 20 and 25 employees now regularly take part in the training sessions held every week for Memmert by Bennie Lindberg. They started with running and Nordic walking, swimming and cycling are next on the programme. The work-life-balance concept is becoming more and more a natural part of company culture. Combining the demands of work and private life is an aim not only for the managing director, but also for her employees, one which they want to work on together. The relay team has already registered for the next Quelle Challenge. Carsten Angermeyer will attempt the course as a single starter. Who knows, perhaps in 2010 there will be two or more Memmert teams who will rise to the challenge in Roth?
Such performances hold different feelings of elation for each person involved. In the eyes of Christiane Riefler-Karpa, it is above all the self-motivating effect that sets in when you overcome your own limitations. Bennie Lindberg once expressed it in an interview in 'die Bunte' like this: “When you start moving, you don't have the slightest idea what effects you can cause. Your self-confidence increases, depressions disappear along with all the minor ailments. And you become much more creative. Many people see this time with themselves as a time of inspiration and loathe to miss out on it. Movement, just like breathing, is part of life.“ Between 20 and 25 employees now regularly take part in the training sessions held every week for Memmert by Bennie Lindberg. They started with running and Nordic walking, swimming and cycling are next on the programme. The work-life-balance concept is becoming more and more a natural part of company culture. Combining the demands of work and private life is an aim not only for the managing director, but also for her employees, one which they want to work on together. The relay team has already registered for the next Quelle Challenge. Carsten Angermeyer will attempt the course as a single starter. Who knows, perhaps in 2010 there will be two or more Memmert teams who will rise to the challenge in Roth?
