Leonardo Campus Run: Running brings joy and beats the heat
When the first heatwave of the year sweeps through the city and relief from the heat becomes hard to find, there's one thing you can be sure of: the Leonardo Campus Run is just around the corner. Yesterday, Wednesday 24 June, the running event organised by University Sports Münster once again embraced this pact with the summer weather. Around 3,000 runners braved the sun and temperatures well above 30 degrees at the 24th edition of the event.
Beginners, experienced runners and ambitious athletes could choose between two distances for the individual races: five or ten kilometres. University Sports Münster cancelled the two shorter children's and teenagers' races due to the extreme heat. ‘This was not an easy decision for us, but protecting people’s health is our top priority, especially when it comes to our younger runners,’ emphasised Tim Seulen, co-organiser at University Sports Münster. The rest of the event went off without a hitch, however, complete with a lively atmosphere and a spirit of sportsmanship.
Another factor contributing to this was the relay race, which has been part of the event’s lineup for a few years now and was once again very popular this year, with nearly 50 teams participating. 'With the high temperatures, many people appreciated being able to run two and a half kilometres each as part of a four-person team,' says Tim Seulen. The University Sports team was well prepared for the high temperatures anyway. As a result, runners always had the opportunity to refill their bottles with tap water. In addition, water sprinklers at several points along the route provided welcome relief from the heat. The relay race served as the grand finale of the running event. Alongside the traditional races, the 10,000-step challenge has now become a staple of the Leonardo Campus Run. The day before the event is dedicated to this popular alternative sporting activity. Many employees were busy racking up steps on Tuesday (23 June).
However, the running event is notable not only for its athletic challenges. University Sports Münster promotes the motto: ‘Sports and ambition, yes; winning is great — but not at any cost, and certainly not if it means sacrificing fun.’ Anyone who walked across the grounds long after the final starting gun had fired and the race had ended could see what this means in practice: well into the warm summer evening, athletes were still sitting together on campus enjoying cold drinks. 'For many, winding down together at the end of the day has become just as much a part of the event as the run itself. That’s a hallmark of the Leonardo Campus Run,’ says Thomas Böckenholt, a runner and member of the University of Münster’s organising team. The University of Münster once again had the largest group of runners — around 400 in total — so the campus was dominated by white running shirts on this summer evening. The Uni Group came first in the team rankings for the 6 pm Sparkassen Run and third for the 7 pm Brillux Run.