1582 participants were counted at the event on Saturday as part of the 13 Stienitzsee Festival. "An absolutely positive response, because we hardly advertised and are at the capacity limit with 1600," said sports director Klaus-Peter Nowack from the Rüdersdorf sub-community Hennickendorf development association. The primary aim of the event was to offer people "a great day of sport, nature and art". This triad is unique in Germany and was met with a consistently positive response from the participants.
Co-organiser Henrik Sundström had once again managed with great dedication to offer artistic highlights at 20 points along the 9 km loop around the Großer Stienitzsee. Installations for the eyes and ears, musical places to linger. George A. MacLean, saxophonist from Berlin:
"I got up at 5 a.m. to get to the dam meadows on time. It's the fourth time I've been there - you don't get a wallpaper of sound like at company parties, but feel welcome and integrated and experience first-hand how athletes push themselves to their limits." In the parade of very young runners (kids up to 10 over 400 to 800 metres), joggers (3 km), Nordic walkers and endurance specialists, the winners of the main 12 km and 21 km races stood out. Like Berlin's Lennart Sponar, the guest from Rüdersdorf's twin town Pierrefitte near Paris, Slim Ghomrasni, also achieved his second success on the half marathon distance in his third appearance here. After this "successful test", Sponar wants to "go all out again" at the German 10 km road championships in Ohrdruf at the weekend.
Medical student Katja Neumann from nearby Neuenhagen, competing for the OSC Berlin, won the 21 km (1:32:51) once again. At the Berlin Marathon at the end of the month, she wants to push her best time under 2:40 hours.
Diana Essiger was similarly superior over 12 km in almost ideal running weather (no wind, no rain, sun in the afternoon). The Berlin triathlete crossed the finish line after 56:24 minutes, leaving many of her male competitors behind.
With Andre Schaller (Mayor of Rüdersdorf near Berlin), Wolfgang Paschke (Mayor of Hennickendorf) and Olaf Borchardt (Mayor of Petershagen-Eggersdorf, also a runner), the local authorities also supported the event, for example by maintaining the route of the section of the 66 Lakes Trail.
Carsten Drilling (Berlin), after finishing third in the 21 km race, had this to say about the art on offer: "You should actually do the lap again in peace and quiet to be able to look at and listen to everything in peace." However, as the exhibits and the protagonists can only be experienced on this one day, the good man - like all other interested parties - will have to wait around 12 months. Until the 8th Stienitzsee Open on the first Saturday in September 2011!
Text: Ernst Podeswa
Image source: Stephanie Geske