Hermannslauf: Race to a City That Doesn’t Exist

Can you finish a race in a city that allegedly doesn’t exist?

I took on the 54th edition of the legendary Hermannslauf: a 31.1km trek through the Teutoburg Forest. Starting at the feet of ‘Herman the German’, I made the ultimate rookie mistake: I let gravity take the wheel.

Join me as I navigate deep sand, 20% gradients, a bridge built for tanks, and the infamous Lämershagener stairs. Watch as my ‘sub-4:00 pace confidence’ quickly turns into a desperate struggle for breath as the elevation begins to bite back.

In this video:
– The history of the Herman the German statue.
– The “Bielefeld Conspiracy” and where we are actually running.
– Why you should never trust a downhill start.
– Avoiding the “sandy traps” of the forest.
– The moment I almost collapsed at the finish line.

Did I hit my 2:15 goal, or did the 500m of climbing claim another victim?

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0:00 Intro
1:31 The Sand Trap
2:37 The Climbing Begins
3:03 What Goes Up, Must Come Down
3:29 The Wall of Sound
4:02 Paper Cups
4:31 The Kammweg Climb
4:57 The Conspiracy Theory
5:18 Half Way
5:59 The Steps…
6:35 The Fall
7:20 The Finish
7:46 The Debrief