Leipzig. “When I run, I can switch off, I can be with myself,” says Stan Polhling. The man from Leipzig has been lacing his running shoes regularly since 2016. “I can let my thoughts fly by, I am myself, just feel myself.” It wasn’t always like that. “Six years ago something changed in my personal life. This wasn’t depression. But I felt an emptiness and wanted to fill this gap,” says the 43-year-old. That is why he joined the Leipzig Alliance against Depression.
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Its members don’t just talk to each other. Under the motto “Exchange moves”, the trainer currently sweats every two weeks with the running group of the alliance. Since December, Polhling and Co. have also been at the start of the “LVZ running challenge”. The priority is the informal exchange with each other. “It’s important to know that nobody who comes here has to do anything, but is taken care of.” The approach of Polhling and team: “We want to take those with us who don’t have the courage to exercise in public, with other sports to drive.” Angela Grundmann, project manager at the alliance, says that exercise can have similar effects on depressives as psychotherapy or medication. Seen in this way, the group is publicly fighting the disease.
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According to the Federal Ministry of Health, depressive disorders are among the most common diseases. An estimated 16 to 20 percent of all Germans suffer from it at least once in their lives. Depression can be characterized by three main features: depressed mood, loss of interest and joy, and disturbed drive. “From a medical-therapeutic point of view, depression is a serious illness that affects how those affected think, feel and act, is associated with disorders of bodily functions and causes considerable suffering,” explains the German Depression Aid Foundation.
The Leipzig alliance makes numerous offers to counteract this. Running is one of them. Polhling has been active in the club since 2017. “I needed and received help myself. Then I asked myself, how can I give something back.” In addition to his full-time job at a local brewery and his commitment to the running group, he holds the office of treasurer. Sport as a balance to everyday stress has become indispensable for the people of Messestadt.
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By the way, Polhling is working towards his big goal in 2022: the New York Marathon. For this he trains with Thorsten Schindler. He leads the individual rating of the LVZ running requirement, has reeled off more than 850 kilometers so far. After the end of the competition, he wants to donate ten cents for every kilometer he runs to the alliance. “I was affected myself. Running saved my life,” said the 53-year-old.
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In the meantime it has become dark around the arena. Polhling disappears in the direction of Richard-Wagner-Hain. His yellow waistcoat stands out in the gleam of the car headlights among pedestrians and cyclists. Tarnishing against the dark, for health.
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