Category Archives: Sports
Dakar Rally in Argentina and Bolivia
My timing could be better: Just as I have moved to Bolivia to find some peace and quiet, the Dakar Rally thunders and roars past. The famous desert race, which has removed Paris from its name, still calls itself the … Continue reading
The allure of chess
In a civil registry office in the Soviet Union, some time in the 1960s: The men are immersed in a game of chess. The brides are bored, most of them have already fallen asleep. So, the long waits in government offices … Continue reading
Idols
One is Michael the Brave, at one time the Prince of Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldova, and the first Romanian ruler to rule over these three principalities together, albeit only for half a year. The other one used to play football. One … Continue reading
Who invented Parkour?
There are these two Frenchmen, Raymond and his son David Belle, who go around and claim that they invented Parkour running. In reality, the sport had already been invented by Arnim Dahl in Germany in the 1930s. Here is some … Continue reading
The toughest Half Marathon of the Year
This year I have already run several hilly and mountainous half marathons: in Jerusalem, in Brasov, in Targu Mures. In Romania there hardly seems to be a normal running event. Somebody will always put a mountain range in the middle of … Continue reading
Paragliding above the Pyramid
Photographed tonight in Targu Mures, Romania.
A small town on the way to the championship
“Why did you pick Targu Mures?” I am being asked ever since I moved here. Now I can reply with confidence: “Because we are going to win the Romanian football championship.” And the local team, ASA Tirgu Mures, was only promoted from … Continue reading
Two guys walk 60 km to eat a soup.
A friend from Târgu Mureș asked me last Sunday if I felt like “going on a little hike to the hills outside of town”. Of course I felt like it. He wanted to hike to Miercurea Nirajului. I didn’t know exactly where that … Continue reading
Snow, Ice, Mud and Mountains – Half Marathon in Brasov
I had gathered from the map of the course that the half marathon in Brașov (Romania) would be a bit mountainous. It actually looked more like an alpine hiking map. The difference in altitude to be overcome was indicated as 650 meters … Continue reading
Half Marathon in Jerusalem
Tomorrow I will run the Jerusalem half marathon. Usually such long-distance runs kick off at 10 a.m. Not in Jerusalem: the runners will set off at 6:45 in the morning. The biorhythm wonders whether it’s already light that early. But it … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 