"I am very happy that the race is going more and more in the direction of family. That's great," said Hauke Hannig, Press Officer at ebm-papst. The number of children's runs has also grown from year to year. The organizers of the Hohenlohe police sports club and ebm-papst put great emphasis on a feel-good atmosphere for runners and spectators every year. This is appreciated - by amateur and competitive athletes alike. "The many companies that compete in the ebm-papst Marathon every year with their running groups are a great example of this," says Hannig. The running event is a down-to-earth family celebration with a competitive character. Proof of this is 16-year-old 10-kilometre winner Till Federolf. In earlier years he participated in the children's races. In 2017, for the first time, he competed over the ten kilometres and came eighth. This year, he won in a time of 35:17 minutes. The fastest woman on the short distance was Laura Kuhnle from TSV Weißbach in 38:19 minutes. "My goal was to stay under 45 minutes," said the 30-year-old. She clearly managed that. "I'm running without a watch, just making sure that I'm always at the limit." Kuhnle hadn't expected to win in advance. Daniel Noll from TSV Glems, on the other hand, was one of the favourites for the half-marathon distance. After 1:12:17 hours he had mastered the 21 kilometres and is thus also the Baden-Württemberg champion. "I was alone right from the start, which makes a race all the more difficult," said Noll. "But it went well. I've been faster in the past, but it' not a best time course anyway, as it has a few metres of difference in altitude." Pascal Schäfer (TSG Heilbronn) was satisfied to finish second. "I knew that Daniel was at the start and that I had no chance against him," he admits. "In the end, I was 20 seconds over my best time, which is really good for this track.” Christine Schleifer (Tri-Team Heuchelberg) won the women's national championship. "I'm not exactly satisfied with the time," she said after her first participation in the ebm-papst Marathon. "I didn't feel comfortable today either. But it's nice that I was able to win the title. It's a nice track here and the atmosphere was also good." 1:18:43 hours she was on her way. Martin Schwab completed the double distance in 2:48:40 hours. He thus defended his marathon victory from last year. "It took me a little longer than last year, so I'm not quite satisfied," he said. From kilometre 19 he dropped off and then ran alone. "The track is nice, but exhausting," he said. "However, I had a good lead cyclist next to me who motivated me.” Marathon winner Sandra Fätsch (TSV Kandel) did not need any additional motivation. 42 kilometres are a training unit for the ultra runner. Fätsch, German runner-up over 100 kilometres in the W55 age group, is currently preparing for a 94-kilometre run in Lanzarote, which will also involve 3100 metres of altitude difference. For the organizers the amateur athletes are important as well. Now in its second year, the 0-10-21 training group has been set up to introduce beginners to running. "I'm really happy when the participants finish," says Ulrich Hauber, one of the coaches. He himself participated in Niedernhall for the 20th time in a row. "It was really fun working as a coach," he said. "It's a great experience to work with beginners," confirms competition director Uwe Richlik, who was also a member of the coaching team. The ebm-papst Marathon was opened again this year on Saturday by the Nordic Walkers. 317 participants ventured on the distances over 7.5 and 12.5 kilometres. "The first two or three kilometres were a bit steep. Otherwise it was as nice as always", said Manfred Kenner from Dimbach. And so it was again a round event this year, which had something to offer for everyone. Official aftermovie and further informationen: Watch the Marathon aftermovie now on YouTube (with English subtitles). Take a look at our Facebook page and the official website for more pictures and news.