400 hikers explored the region on September 8th and 9th during the ninth 24-hour Edersee hiking adventure.
Bad Wildungen – There were two routes to choose from: 42 and 85 kilometers. The start and finish was the Wandelhalle in Bad Wildungen. Food and beverage services and a registration station were set up there.
Claus Günther, Managing Director of Edersee Marketing, and Ute Kühlewind from Wildung City Marketing gave the starting signal for the 85-kilometer-long extreme tour for 130 ambitious participants on Friday evening.
80 volunteers on duty
The night stage led to Odershausen, Bergfreiheit, Armsfeld, Hundsdorf, Hüddingen and Albertshausen back to the spa park. There, Mayor Ralf Gutheil sent another 270 participants out on the hiking marathon on Saturday morning. The 42 kilometer long route led past Kleinern, Hemfurth/Edersee and Bringhausen. We went back through the national park to Gellershausen and Albertshausen to the Wandelhalle. This was also the second stage of the extreme hike.
The fastest on the long route were back in Bad Wildungen on Saturday morning at the halfway point of the extreme tour. In the afternoon and evening, the majority of all 400 participants reached the finish line exhausted but satisfied. 80 volunteers provided food for the hikers at six stations along the route.
“It’s not who reaches the destination quickly that counts, but rather the hiking experience.”
The Kellerwald-Edersee National Park supported the event; employees of the nature park took over all the path marking outside the large protected area, including the special marking for the night hike. Companies also helped, such as a food market in Vöhl with on-site catering. Günther was particularly pleased about the main sponsor Lowa, who only supported three events in Germany as part of its 100th anniversary.
Participants from all over Germany were on the certified quality hiking trails Urwaldsteig, Kellerwaldsteig and Lichtenfelser Panoramaweg. Especially for the marathon route, many local nature lovers laced up their hiking boots and enjoyed the views of the Edersee or the small natural wonders along the way on the wooded route in midsummer weather.
Joy was the biggest motivation. “It’s not who reaches the destination quickly that counts, but rather the hiking experience,” says Kühlewind. Along the way, hikers made contact with like-minded people and sometimes motivated other participants to persevere.
Regular guests on the hiking adventure come to Edersee every year
“Most people hike for fun and want to do it,” says Kühlewind. The participants ranged in age from early 20s to 80s. Only a small group is extremely sporty and aims to achieve the best times.
Many participants have long been regular guests at the Edersee hiking adventure and come back every year. (Cornelia Höhne)
2023-09-10 10:43:00
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