Chasing Stories at the Zugspitz Ultratrail
Embracing Old Memories, New Paths, and a Life Closer to the Mountains
Earlier this week, I was able to bend my knee over 90 degrees for the first time since my surgery. Not bad, right? But probably a strange time to sign up for a 100k ultratrail race. Yet, that's precisely what I did on Wednesday.
There are four reasons for this decision. Are you ready?
1. ZUT: A Race with a History that Feels Like Home
Some places and events don't just invite us back, they feel like an inseparable part of who we are as runners.
Zugspitz Ultratrail (ZUT) is that for me. This mountain and its unique race have been the backdrop to countless moving stories.
The ZUT is Germany's largest trail race, circling Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze, and offering spectacular alpine scenery. With a range of distances to choose from, the event caters for both experienced ultra runners and ambitious newcomers. The flagship race, the 106 km "Ultratrail", features 5,300 metres of climbing and starts and finishes in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Oh, and it's super lovely.
My love journey with ZUT began in 2016, when I supported my good friend Sascha in his dramatic 100k race. My own inexperienced running feet hadn't yet touched alpine terrain and I was overwhelmed by the massive display of sheer endurance and willpower, and the incredible beauty of the Wetterstein mountain range. As a supporter, I shared my very last difference (or sweater) with Sascha and celebrated his hard-earned finish in the middle of the night.
The following year, 2017, I marked my own ultrarunning debut – also at the ZUT. This running experience was unlike anything I had encountered in my running career so far. Extremely intense but at the same time completely decelerated, calm and peaceful. For many hours, there was nothing in my life but my connection with the unmade paths beneath me. An impression that has stayed with me ever since.
That same year, my (now) wife Lisa won ZUT's premier event, the 100k Ultratrail. We had just started to fall in love without realizing it, and to see her shining in her element and loving it so much was priceless to me. That finish line hug lasted a little longer than it should have between "friends".
I returned to the ZUT in 2018 and 2019 to run shorter distances. These non-ultra races can be done in 3–4 hours and appealed to the marathon runner in me. They are just as challenging from an athletic standpoint, but without constantly looking at the clock or wondering what mile you are at.
Another story from 2020: With the race officially cancelled due to the pandemic (or was it the weather?), some Willpower Athletes, close friends and I couldn't bear to let the year go by without the ZUT experience, so we ran it privately on our own. On that day, the spirit of ZUT was alive in every step. We ran, we hiked, we laughed, we ate, we froze and we just loved life.
But the most recent events at ZUT have also been super moving. In 2023, my dear friend Marie ran her first 100 km ultra there. A real masterpiece. Well prepared and almost perfectly executed. It was a great honor to be her supporter.
The same was true for our friend Juliane this year. She has probably run the ZUT more times than any other runner, but 2024 was by far her most impressive performance. It was as if all her experience, grit, and love of running were suddenly channeled into this one race. A real pleasure to witness her running (from my bike).
These and many other stories are like little anchors that keep me grounded through the years and call me back to ZUT every June. They're also beautiful reminders of why I started running ultras in the first place.
2. The ZUT Tradition with the Willpower Crew
ZUT isn’t just a race — it’s our race. For me and my fellow Willpower Athletes, it’s become an annual tradition, a gathering that feels like a homecoming.
Every year it's the same game: All the Willpower Athletes have planned their racing season as far as possible, and then someone suggests the ZUT. The initial reaction is always: Weren't we there last year already? And the 10 years before that? And even though, or perhaps because, there is no tangible reason to go back to the same race every year, we always turn up together.
From crewing each other to crossing the finish line together, it’s the shared stories that make ZUT feel like a part of Willpower. Racing with friends, celebrating together, grieving together, handing out pancakes at aid stations—these are the moments that remind us why we run. Together.
3. Rediscovering the Mountains, Rediscovering Myself
When it became clear this autumn that I would have to have knee surgery, my natural reflex was to make the most of the last 10 days before the operation.
Without consciously deciding to do so, I was drawn to the Zugspitz area for these last few runs. I crossed the Scharnitzjoch at sunset, ran up to Kreuzeck, completed the rocky Osterfelderkopf loop and raced through the forest from Grainau to Eibsee.
These last impressions before my long break from running have left a wonderful mark, and I still see the lovely pictures in my mind. It also gave me an idea of what my next life as a runner might look like after the injury.
Probably without knowing it, these last few runs have also been my way of putting down roots, of making these mountains my home in more than just spirit.
4. A Life Closer to the Mountains
Yes, you read that right: Making the mountains our home.
The Zugspitze region isn't just the setting for running stories, it's also where Lisa and I feel a quiet pull to build a life. It's not a sudden leap, but a development that has been taking shape for years. Munich has been good to us, but the call from the mountains has been getting louder and louder — a slower, quieter lifestyle closer to nature and further from the big-city rush. This shift in perspective has been like the tectonic plates of life, moving slowly but steadily until suddenly everything falls into place. And that time is now.
Coming here to train and race year after year has strengthened this pull. The Zugspitz region feels welcoming to us, and we can imagine a life here that's both grounded and expansive. But there's no rush. It's a natural progression, a change that feels more like alignment than ambition.
However, running the ZUT next year is not just my seasonal challenge, it's a way of deepening my connection to this place, a way of feeling rooted here in every sense of the word.
My friend Christian described the ZUT as a kind of initiation ritual that every runner who moves to Garmisch-Partenkirchen has to go through. Although I have taken part in the ZUT several times, I have not yet had the desire nor the courage to take on the 100 km distance, the supreme discipline and the one that gives the 'Zugspitz Ultratrail' its name. But I believe the time has now come.
Embracing the Stories Yet to Be Written
For as long as I have been involved in trail running, the ZUT has always been a place where stories come to life and memories sink deep. The Zugspitze herself is the perfect overseer to add another story to the book my friends and I have been writing for years. So let's do this.
Everything Not Running
I was invited to the legendary Bevegt Podcast, hosted by vegan running pioneers Daniel and Katrin. For almost two hours we elaborated on almost everything that has shaped my life: music, straight edge, DIY projects, running, more DIY projects, Western States, and writing. A truly wonderful all-rounder. Enjoy listening!
On Repeat
Who would have thought that THE CURE would release another album after 16 years and that I would actually like it!
For me, THE CURE have always been a very specific band for a very specific mood. Whether it was the dark lyrics, the beautiful melancholic songs or the unique voice of lead singer Robert Smith, I don't know. But the band still manages to evoke a special mood in me.
Here is a live version of Drone:NoDrone from the new album Songs of a Lost World.
🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽 See you at the start-line!
Seems like a perfect target for a return to running — go big or stay home!
Also, you have me intrigued by this race… I’m curious about the general feel of the trails — technicality, exposure, etc. (as compared to UTMB trails, for example). I’ve explored around Garmisch a little bit, and also the mountains south of Oberjoch (around Hintersein), but it was a long time ago, and before I was a trailrunner…. If I miss the Hardrock lottery yet again, a trip back to Germany might be in order. Do you have a sense of how fast it sells out (especially the 100k and 100-mi events) i.e. how soon I’d need to decide?