The Bundeswehr doctor from Ulm participates in the Ironman in Hawaii – SWR Aktuell

It is the biggest event for triathletes and is considered to be the toughest race in the world – the Ironman in Hawaii. A doctor from the Bundeswehr from Ulm is one of the German participants in October.

Christian Ernst is a doctor by profession and works as a senior field doctor at the Bundeswehr Hospital (BWK) on the Oberen Eselsberg in Ulm. And by the way, the spine and osteology specialist is an orthopedics specialist for the German national ski team. E: Doctor BWK is himself an extreme athlete, he is an “iron man” and in October he will participate in the legendary Ironman in Hawaii.

For the 50-year-old the sporting dream of a lifetime has come true: to be able to start with the best 2,500 triathletes in the world. Men start October 8, women two days earlier. Swimming, cycling, running, all long distances. For this you have to accept costs of around 10,000 euros. But since he starts with BWK, his employer pays 40 percent.

Other athletes around Ulm want Ironman

Other amateur athletes from the region also want to go to Hawaii: for example, the rector of the Spitalhofschule in Ulm, Martin Felber from Erbach (Alb-Donau-Kreis). Or (according to the list of participants) Christian Peitz from Ulm, Sabrina Klotz from Gundelfingen (Dillingen district) and – shortly before her 66th birthday – Bariele Célette from Dillingen. This makes her the oldest German amateur athlete. And the professional athlete Elena Illeditsch from Lauchheim comes from the Ostalb district

Extreme athletes in respect of cars

Now the doctor, who also looks after Laichinger runner Alina Reh, is confident for next Wednesday, then flies to Hawaii. The last wheel units are finished. And then he has always had the respect that in the end “a car could get him off his bike”.

After a hard workout, the body “shuts down”

So the bike training is over. Otherwise it’s one of the “crazy couple” who go to the SSV pool at half past five in the morning, just like Thursday. Overall, however, the body is “off”. The tough training program is no longer the order of the day for him, but rather regeneration and stretching, for example. But of course you can’t turn off the engine completely, because the Ironman run alone is a “normal” marathon.

And that’s why you need to qualify for this great event. Christian Ernst has been trying to do this since 2012 and has taken part in a total of six long distance races. Even with professional training, with high economic commitment, with particular nutritional strategies, with abstinence from alcohol. Asceticism and stress at first brought him nothing.

With loose legs for a perfect day

Now he’s more relaxed about the whole thing and it worked, even though qualifying for Hawaii wasn’t the goal this time around. That’s why he didn’t tell anyone much about the Frankfurt long distance race in advance, not even his family. And then that June day he came when he qualified for Hawaii. That was a day, he recalls, when everything went well and went well. A day started with “very relaxed legs”.

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