ORF Radio Burgenland interview

A few days ago, I visited Eisenstadt for ORF Radio Burgenland’s “Mahlzeit Burgenland”. I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxed, good-humoured conversation and the chance to talk about many things that matter to me. Here are some excerpts.

On running:

Running downhill is definitely much harder. Especially over 170 kilometres and 10,000 metres of elevation, the strain on joints and muscles is greater than going uphill. You naturally walk much of the uphill, but downhill the impact on your joints and entire musculoskeletal system is considerable.

I believe we humans were born to run. We were not really born to sit and work sitting down. Our bodies are built for movement, and I think that if you build up consistently, you can do it without problems.

Since 2010, I must have covered around 40,000 kilometres on trails. I run five or six thousand kilometres a year, so altogether that is almost a trip around the world.

Because I cannot train on Schneeberg every day, I have a little local route. There is a hill near us with about 100 metres of climbing, along the Alpe Adria pipeline. It is about 400 metres long with 100 metres of ascent. Sometimes I run up and down it quite a few times to get a proper training session in.

On work:

We implement IT solutions for large clients, adapting a system to the specific needs of bigger companies.

Like running, it has had plenty of highs and lows. I have been very low indeed, close to insolvency. Once, after an event, I tried to leave a car park and none of my credit cards worked because they were all over their limits. I had to call my wife, who brought money to Vienna so I could pay the eight euros for parking.

“Will code SharePoint for money”… I can laugh about it today ;)

I started running when I was a little overweight and struggling badly with stress. Going outside into nature helped me relax, cope better with work and focus. Otherwise, you get so buried in everyday business stress that you lose sight of your vision.

On learning:

I listen to lots of audiobooks and non-fiction to use the time well and keep learning. There is so little time for reading or development, so I combine the two.

Nature is also why I go out. It is why I left the road for trails: it gives me so much and helps me slow down. But if I spend one hour of a six-hour run listening to a book and learning something, that is a good mix.

On adventure:

It took me 20 days to run from Vienna to Copenhagen. The problem was that the conference was in winter, and 2013 was a hard winter. It began just as I set off. I had imagined a rather romantic run along the Danube on cycle paths, but there were 30 to 40 centimetres of snow. I had to switch to major roads, which was challenging at times.

When I reached Denmark, I felt like Forrest Gump. There I was in front of Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid statue, in the dark and rain, at seven in the evening, thinking: “Okay… now I will go home again.” [Laughs.] It really was: “Hmm. Nice. But what now?”

On family:

I am incredibly lucky to have space for both work and running, which also helps me be balanced at home.

Finding out about the twins was quite an experience. Once we knew there were two, the doctor casually said: “Let’s see whether a third one is hiding somewhere.” Then he started panning the ultrasound around. That was a bit much. It felt like five minutes before he said: “No, there are only two after all.”

On the future:

There are still projects I would like to do. There is the American counterpart to UTMB, the Hardrock Hundred. Getting a place is very difficult, but it is a goal that appeals to me for next year.

I always want to know how far I can go with my body, how far my feet can really carry me. I need a challenge and want to approach my limits, because I do not know where they are. I have not reached them yet.

I am not someone who deliberately seeks out risk. I know what I can ask of my body and how to behave in different terrain so that I come home. That is the most important thing. Reaching a summit is not enough: I want to come back down and be with my family.

Reaching a summit is not enough. I want to come back down and be with my family.