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Let’s start with the run for more time. © Monika Müller
In Frankfurt, around 2,800 people take part in the Run for More Time and jog together through the city center.
Health Minister Elke Voitl (Greens) blows the horn to signal the start, a few thousand people run from the Opernplatz across the Zeil and other inner-city streets back to the Opernplatz, a total of five kilometers, and after about 28 minutes they reach the finish line. That would be the run for more time, in a nutshell. But there are other ways.
Elke Voitl pulls out a piece of paper. It contains what she said on stage on Sunday afternoon about the run for more time. Last year, Frankfurt had 47 new HIV infections, each individual’s fate a terrible one. However, the number of new infections has halved in the last ten years, and that is a good development. “The goal is for us to defeat the pandemic.”
That is why Frankfurt has joined the “Fast Track Cities”. The initiative has been in existence since 2014. Cities around the world are striving to achieve the UNAIDS goal of making the world free of AIDS by 2030. At least largely free of AIDS. The task: 95 percent of people with HIV infection know about it. 95 percent of those infected receive treatment. 95 percent of those treated have no measurable viruses in their blood.
The run is also being held for more time so that stigmatization is reduced to zero percent. The 16 euro entry fee for the five or ten kilometer run goes to the Frankfurt AIDS Aid organization. This supports, among other things, the Maincheck advice center, the La Strada drug help center and the Basis meeting point for people with HIV.
According to the organizers, more than 50,000 euros were raised during the run on Sunday. The largest single donor was Hornbach with 10,000 euros. The hardware store arrived with a large team who eagerly took part in the warm-up.
Politicians were also well represented at the five-kilometer run. “The issue of AIDS support is important to us,” said Bundestag member Thorsten Lieb (FDP), and the run is also simply fun. “We also run in a relay team at the marathon,” said FDP city councilor Isabel Schnitzler, who can watch what is going on at the JP Morgan run from the office tower where she works.
The run for more time is not that crowded. According to Aidshilfe, almost 2800 people took part this year. State parliament member Miriam Dahlke (Greens) also took part for the fifth time. “The five kilometers is a distance that you can just squeeze in.” The Greens also supported the good cause with a group of 20 people, added Burkhard Schwetje, the Greens’ district board spokesman.
Another difference to the JP Morgan Run: You don’t have to wait more than an hour at the start. And there is more space to run.
