"Human versus Animal" television record for Pro7/Galileo show at Dillingen/Donau, Germany

Begining of March I had an email from Mr. Breuer of infocus multimedia tv & medienproduktion concerning a 100km race between an long distance horse and me. This race was for a broadcast at the Galileo show. At the book of Tom McNab “TransAm” was already a section describing such kind of race. At the book it was written about a short distance race. Joe Kelly had a race 2008 for RTL (http://www.rp-online.de/niederrheinnord/xanten/nachrichten/xanten/Wettrennen-Joey-gegen-Roxette_aid_609086.html). He lost with a few minutes different against a horse named Roxette. This time it was about a compare between animals and their special subject and humans. After a few emails and some phone calls it broke out that Belinda Hitzler will line up with me. A few days before the race there was a phone call from infocus. They told me Reebok is interested to fit me out. But I already had Wrightsock and Newline, which also supporting me at the Transamerica. Still Reebok mailed two pairs of shows. Cause shoes were not at the selection of Newline and Wrightsock. I was running at these shoes.

Belinda made the course. I only did some proposals. I thought running ten times a 5km loop would be best for supporting. Two times a 39km and one time a 22km loop came out. Also, it had more uneven grassland and field paths as my preferred gravel paths and wooden paths. The course was splittet up with about 20% street, 50% gravel path and 30% uneven underground. But all without any uphill and almost without any shadow. Not easy, but also not impossible to run an 8 hour time as Mr. Breuer wished.

Saturday afternoon Mr. Breuer and his team arrived to check the route. Mr. Hitzler had marked it very well. At the evening also I arrived and met the television team and Peter at the hotel. Peter volunteered to support me, which was important at such long loops. Before I joined them I had to do some shopping to have food and drinks during the race. During dinner we talked about the schedual. It came out, that the start was at 8:30am instead of 8am. It was because of the pre recordings and interviews of rider and runner. Not too late I went to bed.

At the following morning all hotel sleeper met at the breakfast. At 7:15am we went to the ranch Bschorr by car. It was about 8km till we reached the village of Holzheim. After we acquaint each other the recordings started. Belinda had her whole team present. There was a horse doctor, a physical therapist (for the horse), a blacksmith and her husband. As a surprise Uwe Schütz visited to say hello. He joined the Trans-Europe-Footrace 2009 as leading doctor of the CT-study. At 10:15am we finally started. Finitely all pre interviews and starting poses where recorded. Rider, runner and horse where not happy about waiting so long time. Normally we start much earlier (5 or 6am) at such races. Luckly the day was nice and warm. So we do not have to feel cold while waiting. Still, we can not catch the enjoyment of running into the rising sun and heat. The horse (Shagar) was running away quiet fast. Both of us where accompanied by camera team with a car. I had also Peter on his kickboard with me. He wanted to support me. After about 3km I did not see one of the arrows. Maybe it was covered by the car in front of me. So I ran about half a kilometer into the wrong direction. When we find out the mistake we went back and back following the horse. This should not be the reason for loosing against the horse (like Joe Kelly 2008). A bigger problem came up because of the aid stations, which where planed every 5km. There where some organizational problems during the first loop. I had only four times something to drink. Two times was just water from the camera team. At the end of the first loop I saw the horse. It advances me at a short go and return part. The horse had to do a stop and with a medical check (as it is standard at distance horse races) after 39km and 78km. So the horse was only 8-10Min in front of me! I had run a time less than three hours, so I was satisfied with my speed. At the second loop the camera team supported me. It had taken some of my drinks and food into their car. Even then I felt how my strength expired after the first third of the second loop. The dehydration came through. During the second loop I heard that the horse also had problems. Shagar had to get a new hoof. When I arrived at the end of the second loop, Belinda just left the go and return part. So she was still only about 15 minutes in front of me. But she already had her second stop. So she can go for the last 22km without stopping. I had lost already more than 45 minutes compared to the first loop and there was no sign for getting better. I still lost speed. So it was not a big surprise that the horse was far away, when he finished after 7:20 hour. It does not matter what the people of the camera team thought. It is fact - this point goes to the horse. There is a start and a finish and problems between are to handle. If not it is your own problem.

After the race we had to record one more scene before relaxing. While Belinda, her team, Peter and I had dinner the camera team had to clean up their equipment. The paths where very dusty, so there was a thick dust cover all over. In the end it was a nice day with some interesting experience. And who knows, maybe there will be revenge one day.