JP MORGAN CHASE CORPORATE CHALLENGE FRANKFURT 2019

©Hartenfelser - Frankfurter Neue Presse

After 2018, this was the second time that I was taking part in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, which is a global running series and the biggest corporate run, as well as one of the most attended races worldwide with almost 70.000 runners.

The course remained unchanged and took the same route as every year. It measures 5.6 kilometers and leads the crowd through the city and past its skyline, and just like last year, I was representing my firm Lincoln International. The runners are divided in two groups: fast runners and “normal” runners. Though, I had done close-to-zero speed training this year so far, I found myself in the fast group, which meant that I was allowed to start at the front of the pack. It turned out that I was not only able to cut the crowd, but also stumbled upon two long-time friends that I had not seen in ages. What a small world. 

It has been rainy and stormy all-day long, but as the clock was nearing 19:00 the weather started to change and sun came out just in time for the start of the race. The first kilometer of the race required concentration, as you had to navigate yourself through the crowd and sidestep hundreds people that were joining the course from the sides. The course lead uphill towards the university, where we turned and run back towards the city. At that point, the crowd started to spread out and the road ahead cleared up. Like last year, the city was buzzing. All the streets were shut down and the sidewalks were filled with people and employees from all the firms.

I was sprinting down the road, past the Opernturm, past Deutsche Bank and turned on Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage entering the final kilometers. I had to slow down, as I was getting tired and realized that I am not a “Usain Bolt” type of runner. I crossed the finish line after 22:10 minutes, which translated into a pace of 3:58 minutes per kilometer and placed me 273rd in the men’s category and 255th overall. I did not quite make it into the Top-200 like last year, but I was happy with the event. Above all, the after-party on our roof top at the office was certainly one of the best in the city.