Via Carolina Lauf 2023
Friday arrival with dinner in Prague, Saturday lunchtime meeting at the Old Town Hall – the programme could be found in a travel brochure if it were not for the start of a 32-hour running event, non-stop from the Czech capital to the Franconian metropolis. And as if the distance was not challenging enough, this year the runners had to contend with temperatures of up to 38 degrees and had to dodge a heavy thunderstorm front at night.
Nevertheless, it was a point of honour that the team was once again one of seven participating teams at the starting line in 2023. The city connection along the historic ‘’Golden Road’’ trade route has an incredibly special significance for Rödl & Partner – the first foreign location was in Prague and true to the international consulting approach, two Czech team members – Andrej and Silvie – also took part in the race.
After a group run across the Karlsbrücke, the first scoring stage started at 1 PM. The first runner, accompanied by a team cyclist with a navigation app, took on the first eleven kilometres with the next stages following at hourly intervals. Due to the heat, a bike & run mode was permitted at times this year, so runners and cyclists were allowed to switch at any time and share the route. The rest of the team accompanied them in cars and VW buses, cheered on the active athletes and endeavoured to replenish their water supplies at every opportunity to brace the sweltering heat on the sun-baked country roads.
The night hours brought little sleep, but at least some cooling. And the progressive exhaustion revealed the team spirit that colleagues also appreciate as a core Rödl & Partner brand value in their daily collaboration. Hans Weggenmann – Managing Partner – did not hesitate for a second to jump in for an extra stage at 1 AM. Michael Vorm – not actually a jogger at all, but only scheduled as bike support – showed surprising bike & run qualities several times to give the runner he was accompanying a little rest during the stage. Everyone on and off the course was fully committed to the team and the common goal, and of course, shared the cooling water with the other teams.
At the award ceremony on the main market square, the race organisers were therefore unanimous: Rödl & Partner not only achieved the third fastest overall time, but also deserved the special prize for ‘’Best Team spirit’’! A great recognition, because team spirit cannot simply be trained: Team spirit lives in the hearts and minds of the colleagues who took on this challenge together!
Incidentally, the run also served a good cause: ViaCarolinaRunning e.V. collects donations with the event under the motto “Running against cancer”, more information on the event’s homepage.
