EWS Folks Run 2024
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On September 1, 2024, the picturesque town of Bad Segeberg hosted the 12th annual EWS Folk Race. An Event that combines sports, charity and fun. The race, organized by the SC Rönnau 74 ( a local sports club), attracted runners of all ages and abilities to support the local charities. This years new main sponsor was the EWS ( Energy company). The money collected goes to support three different projects:
-The European peopls festival
-Initiative for children with burns
-Local youth athletics development
The Town of Bad Segeberg (bad is translated to bath and generally signals a town with a history of healing baths) is the district capital of the Segeberg district, with about 18,000 citizens in a mid-sized city in north Germany. The town is mainly known for its watering place/health resort, rehab clinics and the Karl May Festival.
A Course for Everyone
The race offered a variety of distances to cater to runners of all levels. From seasoned marathoners to casual joggers, there was a route for everyone.
1. Bambino Run ( 1,8 km) with 58 runners
2. Short Run (3,0 km) with 96 runners
3. Main Run (8,5 km) with 365 runners
This years winner of the main run, Claudius Michalak, cleared the course in 29:14 min and holds the current record.
The main run provides a scenic journey of stunning views of the countryside, starting on a main street of the city, going down to the Segeberger (Lake Segeberg ) and running around the lake and finishing at the starting point. The beautiful landscape around the lake and the perfect weather conditions (sunshine with 24° Celsius/75.2° Fahrenheit and a soft breeze) turned this run into a almost relaxing event.
The start on the main street named Kurhausstraße was packed with spectators. To give the starting signal the EWS got Nick Forster, the actor of the main villain from this years Karl May Festival. The energy was great with spectators cheering for the runners and giving us a great start for a run through the beautiful countryside.
The first half is very level and a pure joy to run. Woods on your left and lake to your right give you a feeling of just running for yourself and not being part of a event. After the first half of the course is a water station. Sadly, there were only a few trashcans which lead to most people throwing their empty plastic cups into the nature. After some refreshing water the course changed from being a nice run through nature to a 2 kilometers (1.24 mile) climb with 52 meters (170 feet) of elevation gain.
Reaching Stipsdorf (a tiny hamlet) at the end of the climb we came the next water station. This time with enough trash cans and some energetic crowds to cheer the runners up after the climb. From here on the route leads back to the lake. After another kilometer and the hope for staying level, the staff decided to include a little detour from the lake.
Sending you to another climb of 30 meters (90 feet) of elevation gain in 700m (.4 miles) passing the towns cemetery. Now its time for the final part of the course, the staff holds a sign ” 500m to go”. The crowd is cheering for each runner and the promise of only 500 more meters (.3 miles) is looking pretty good, but there is a final climb of another 50 meters (54 yards) coming, leading to the finish line. The finish is, as expected, packed with a great crowd and the event commentator greeting every runner at the finish line. At the finish line the staff provided one of the most cliche´ things for a German, free beer for all runners. Non alcoholic beer for sure as a isotonic drink, but it made me cringe a little.
The whole organization of the event and the very friendly staff made every runner feel welcomed. Since Bad Segeberg, being a Town which heavily focused on rehab and healthcare, there was no question about the quality of medical care.
To sum up the event, it was a great day. Friendly staff, great course, energetic crowd, perfect weather, you name it, it was all there. If you ever come to North Germany in September and want to participate in a nice race, this is your annual event.
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