It’s 4PM in Konstanz. There’s an almost palpable feeling of tension in the air as runners from all over Germany trickle in. Are some dragging their heels slightly? It’s hard to tell. But what's clear, is that today, they all face possibly the toughest run of their life. 

They’ve signed up to be part of the German edition of the On Global Support Run. A grueling test of endurance, character and support. Over the next six days and five nights, they’ll be running a 1230km route that stretches the entire length of Germany.

No breaks. Non-stop. 

   
Everywhere you look, faces are lit up by a mixture of nerves and excitement – the kind of feelings that go into any decent running adventure. 

Fast forward to the challenge's finish line and any fears or concerns have been left behind. At the opposite end of Germany.

Time flew by. It was like ‘remember when we were back in Konstanz years ago?’ It’s hard to explain. We created some incredible memories that will last forever. Putting this story into words is sort of impossible.

How did it work? 

To celebrate the launch of our new lightweight support shoe, the third-generation Cloudflyer, we challenged the On Run Crew, the Nuremberg Track Club and a Sportscheck squad to take on an epic run stretching through nearly the whole of Germany.   

The journey required 5 teams, made up of a combined total of 45 passionate and motivated runners, to run 1230 km from Constance to Flensburg. Each team had a segment of the trip to run (see below). How they divided the route up between runners, who did what and every other decision made along the way was left to team captains.  

Team 1: Constance - Heidelberg

Team 2: Heidelberg - Cologne 

Team 3: Cologne - Bielefeld

Team 4: Bielefeld - Hamburg

Team 5: Hamburg - Flensburg

Keep scrolling for more snapshots from the trip and some comments from those involved too. 

We were together for 24 hours, with 32 checkpoints to support our runners. It’s crazy that 9 people who didn’t know each other before this could become so close and create so many memories in such a short time.

- Lise, Team 3.

"People will see the nice pictures and videos of us cheering each other on with flags, dancing, music. But there was much more. No one was ever alone on this run. 

The real support happened when there was no camera; small talks in the bus or at handover points, taking care of team members. People who stepped in for someone when they needed a break without discussion. 

"We never let someone down, everyone was motivated to go the extra mile for their team members. It was pure teamwork!" - Nico, Team 1.

Support pushes you to go even further. It pushes you to the limit. It makes you do incredible things, forcing you out of comfort zones.

- Sophia, Team 1.

"Before this run I didn’t really know how to describe the word ‘support’. But now I definitely know what it can do. I hadn’t met anyone on my team before but after the first runner started it felt like we had been part of the crew for ages.  

Support means acting like a team and always wanting to achieve the best for the whole crew, not only for themselves.  

- Meggi, Team 2. 

There were so many emotional moments. The most impressive thing was definitely the team spirit. In addition, there was this epic moment on my run in the deep forest. It was early in the morning, the sun just started to rise when we met a herd of wild boar. We slowed down and paid attention to them. Luckily, everything went well.

- Timo, Team 1 

“One part that definitely stands out for me happened just after midnight, we were parked in a tiny farm neighbourhood where a couple of residents were still sitting outside around a firepit, “ said Lise. 

They saw us and asked what we were doing out at this hour, we told them about the event and the first thing they asked us was if we were drunk because it sounded so crazy. 

“We showed them the Cloudflyer, and because the woman had the same size as one of our runners she actually tried it on and loved it. As our runner went by they made sure to cheer extra loud.”

How did the Cloudflyer do? 

"After 26 hours with the Cloudflyer, I have to say it is one of the best lightweight support shoes I ever have run in. I will definitely use this shoe for my long runs in the future" - Timo

"I loved it! It turned out to be just as good as a trail shoe as it is for recovery and long(er) runs! Let’s just say we tested it on any possible surface and the shoe didn’t disappoint. Not only was it super comfortable, but also provided good grip and control on the trails some of us had to run through. Oh and on top of that, it’s beautiful! I mean, look at it!" - Elli 

"10/10. Great impact, high stability (even on trails during the night with only a headlamp and reduced visibility), very comfortable and super light. Could run in it for much longer. Also, I love the lacing system, it makes the fit quite pleasant. I wore the shoes for 24 hours and didn't think to take it off at any time."  - Till 

Just in case it's not clear above, the On Global Support Run, which was staged from August 19 - August 24, was very well received. 

In fact, our German Events team said they've never had so much positive feedback for an event or activation before.

But hey, what's not to like? Running through the darkest hours of the night, the deepest parts of the forest, dancing and playing songs to motivate the next runner and taking down some epic cross-country distance in the process. Sounds pretty good to us. 

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