Ultramarathon through the Uckermark: the sports legend lives on!

Ultramarathon through the Uckermark: the sports legend lives on!

On July 5, 2025, six cycling enthusiasts from the Uckermark ventured on a sporting adventure that commemorates the promotion of endurance sports by the late sports icon Lutz Finger. The legendary tour, known as the ultramarathon, took place for the 27th time and covers an impressive 330 kilometers. The cycling friends of TSV Blau-Weiß 65 Schwedt/O are continuing the tradition that Lutz Finger started and are thus preserving his memory.

The group set off from the water sports center in Schwedt/O at 3 a.m. Eckhard Kurth, who completed this tour for the 20th time, traveled together with Axel Dittmar, Martin Schröder, Sven Krummholz and Sven Zimmerman. Florian Merten joined a little later. The average age of the group was 58, which does not necessarily indicate youthful recklessness, but rather experienced athletes who know how to overcome such challenges.

From Schwedt to Bansin and back

The first stop after 100 kilometers was in Friedland, where the group treated themselves to a fortifying breakfast. At 7:50 a.m. they crossed the Zecheriner Bridge and continued their journey to Usedom. Thanks to favorable wind conditions and a manageable traffic flow, the route was easier than expected. The group reached the beach promenade in Bansin at 8:35 a.m. - an hour earlier than in previous years. Here, however, the fish snack bar on the promenade was still closed, which gave the hungry cyclists another educational break.

The return journey began at 10:15am, while a brief rain shower added an additional challenge. Two flat tires on a gravel forest path required team spirit and skill. But luckily an escort vehicle was available to help repair the damage. After another rest in Friedland, the group covered the rest of the route quickly, which was also helped by the favorable winds.

The group concluded the entire tour at 4:30 p.m. after covering an impressive 332 kilometers. The average speed was over 33 km/h and a total altitude of 1,780 meters was overcome. “A fantastic day for us cyclists,” summed up Kurth after returning.

Annual tradition and achievements

This bike tour is part of a long-standing tradition that led to another edition of the Schwedt-Bansin-Schwedt marathon bike ride last June. Also during this event, nine participants, including one woman, met in front of the beach watch in Bansin after reaching the promenade. Some took the opportunity to cool off in the Baltic Sea, while others fortified themselves with regional specialties such as fish rolls and shandy.

The cycling season for the people of Oderstadt has now begun; She started in mid-March with a tour from Berlin to Schwedt. The 24th Bansin trip was just one of many events in the TSV Schwedt annual calendar. The number of ultra runners in Germany also shows that such endurance sports not only demand exceptional performance, but also inspire more and more people. The additional social aspect of exchanging experiences at barbecues after the tours makes these events particularly valuable, as we see at TSV.

The world of ultrarunning has changed in recent years, with a decline in the number of participants in Germany. In 2022, around 9,804 active ultrarunners reported - with older age groups often making up the larger proportion. Even if the numbers fluctuate, they show what great interest there is in endurance sports, be it running or cycling, as the ultramarathon in the Uckermark shows.

What remains clear is that the sports enthusiasts in the Uckermark not only provide sporting challenges, but also preserve the memory of a sports legend and promote community spirit in cycling.

For further information about the individual events and the members of TSV Blau-Weiß 65 Schwedt, we recommend visiting the club website or the exciting statistics about ultra runners worldwide.

Nordkurier reports, TSV Blue-White 65, Statistics ultra running