“RUNNING CAN BE REALLY FUN AFTER ALL”

I have worked the wonderful job of a restaurant employee for 20 years. The restaurant industry is known for stressful rush hours, eating what you can get your hands on, and inconvenient working hours, I love it. However, it leaves its mark, and one day when I looked in the mirror, oh dear, I saw a little belly rising above my belt. Of course I didn’t like that.

As I am a passionate mountain biker, I initially considered taking my bike to work or riding it straight to work. However, with the working hours mentioned above, this wasn’t so easy, and always taking the bike with me in the car wasn’t an option either. I had to find an alternative. I thought to myself: running, that could be something for me.

Unfortunately, I failed miserably on my first few attempts. And it wasn’t because of my fitness – in service, you’re constantly on your feet and I did MTB on weekends –, but rather because of my knees. I was in pain after one kilometer at the latest. That meant stopping and walking home which is not really fun. I tried different shoes, again no luck. Several attempts later, I was on the verge of ending my running career before it started. But then ...

One afternoon in early 2020, I was out for a “walk-run”, listening to my favorite podcast: “Fitness With M.A.R.K.: Looking Good Naked”. Podcast host Mark had recorded an episode with an interview partner, my favorite episodes. This time, a certain Prof. Dr. Gert-Peter Brüggemann was on the mike. I thought to myself: this man knows what he’s talking about.

In particular, a running shoe startup called True Motion sounded very promising to me. I started to do some research which was really exciting. True Motion’s homepage said things like: no more pain, relief for the knees, and U-TECH^TM technology. My personal highlight: running like on moss. What could be better for someone who always enjoys running in the woods? That really got me.

I also watched the videos by Prof Dr Gert-Peter Brüggemann, in which he talks about the basic biomechanical idea behind True Motion’s running shoes. I wanted to try them out. I opened the True Motion homepage and ordered my first pair of U-TECH Nevos. Received the package, unpacked the running shoes. The smell of new running shoes, oh wonderful. Black upper material with a white sole, I like them straight away. Then I notice some great details, such as the letters “True” on the left heel and “Motion” on the right – looks cool.

But scent and looks don’t help my knees, so I put them on. They fit, the soles are soft, I have the feeling they are even springy, with good support at the heel. I take a few steps in our kitchen on the tiled floor: like walking on moss! Now I’m curious, I have to go for my first run. A short 3.5 kilometer run – no knee pain. I’ve been pain-free since I started running in True Motion. Running can be really fun after all.

Four and a half years later, many running kilometers later. Runs in Sicily, Saalbach, Vienna, at Lake Garda, and of course in my home region of Styria. After the U-TECH Nevos came a U-TECH Aion, then a U-TECH Solo, and currently I’m running in the new U-TECH Aion 3. I run three times a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Always between 4 and 8 kilometers. My personal highlight as a Formula One fan is the annual business run at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Running where the Formula One cars will be racing for the Austrian Grand Prix a few weeks later. That’s very special.

There are so many nice things that I now associate with running. Honestly, I enjoy putting on my running shoes, tuning in to “Fitness with M.A.R.K.” and running. Without pain, like running on moss, and the best thing is that my belly has also become smaller.