German unicycle marathon championship

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The German Unicycle Marathon Championship is an annual marathon race for unicyclists . From 2003 to 2014 it took place as part of the supporting program of the Düsseldorf Marathon, and since 2018 it has been held as part of the European Marathon in Görlitz / Zgorzelec .

event

The marathon competition for unicyclists has taken place every year since 2003 on the first Sunday in May as part of the METRO Group Marathon . Unique in the world, unicyclists started here as part of a city marathon and are officially rated. Each unicyclist completed the full marathon distance of exactly 42.195 km on a cordoned-off street course through downtown Düsseldorf. The route is precisely measured and serves the marathon runners as a qualification opportunity for athletics championships. The time was measured electronically by means of transponders. Through their involvement in the METRO Group Marathon, the otherwise little-known unicycle marathon riders were able to complete the marathon distance in front of a backdrop of 400,000 spectators along the route. The unicyclists started in the form of a mass start behind the even faster handbikers , but before the relatively slower runners. This resulted in a maximum time limit for the unicyclists so as not to hinder the fastest runners. The winners were honored by officials from the city, cycling federation and club on a large stage in the middle of the old town. The best time in each category received trophies and prizes. The best German participants received a championship jersey in the national colors.

Since 2005 this unicycle marathon has been held as the official German unicycle marathon championship. Since then, the organizer has been the RMSV Frisch auf Düsseldorf e. V., which is commissioned by the national cycling association Rad- und Kraftfahrerbund Solidarität (RKB) to organize the event . While in the first few years it was only possible to start in the “Standard Class”, in which the dimensions of the unicycles are specified in detail to ensure complete equality of opportunity, there is now also a separate classification in the “Unlimited Class”, which does not calls for significant restrictions on the technical characteristics of the unicycles.

Due to the uniqueness of the competition, there has been a steady increase in the number of participants, including from international countries. Drivers from Great Britain, the United States, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Denmark, Finland, Argentina and Colombia also started in Düsseldorf.

In 2014, the organizers of the Metro Group Marathon announced that from 2015 they would no longer approve a handbike or unicycle marathon. The RMSV Frisch auf Düsseldorf has been looking for an alternative event ever since. In the Erfurt Marathon , which has been held annually since 2014 , unicyclists have their own category, but due to the lack of road closures and the characteristics of the route, which is sometimes more like a cross-country run , this race cannot be classified as a German championship.

In 2017, the organizer Europamarathon Görlitz-Zgorzelec eV agreed to let the unicyclists start on the half marathon distance. After this successful test run, a German unicycle marathon championship will take place there for the first time in 2018 over the full marathon distance.

route

Until 2014, the event at the Düsseldorf Marathon was held on its route.

The route is identical to that of the marathon. It leads in several loops through downtown Düsseldorf. The destination is on the banks of the Rhine in the old town . Before that, it goes to the exhibition grounds with the sports arena, twice over a Rhine bridge into the noble suburb of Oberkassel , through the newly designed Medienhafen and across the Königsallee shopping mile . The fastest unicyclists in the Unlimited class complete the marathon route in less than 1:30 hours thanks to the large wheel diameter and gearbox; in the standard class with 28 ″ unicycles, the fastest need around 1:45 hours.

From 2018 the event will be held at the European marathon in Görlitz / Zgorzelec.

The route is identical to that of the marathon, the start and finish are in the center of Görlitz. It consists of a loop through the neighboring Polish city of Zgorzelec and then an arc that runs south and west of the city center to around the crown of the country and back into the city center. With about 200 meters of altitude, the route has a more undulating profile than Düsseldorf.

Regulations

The use of metal pedals or pedal attachment systems (click pedals, pedal hooks, straps, etc.) is not permitted for safety reasons. The bikes must not pose a risk to other participants. The unicycles are checked by the organizers for compliance with these criteria before the start.

You can overtake both on the right and on the left. Other participants must not be hindered or endangered. If you fall or descend, you have to climb back up after 25 meters at the latest.

It is compulsory for all participants to wear a helmet and protective gloves. Wearing knee and elbow pads is recommended.

The time limit for the total distance of the unicyclists was 3:30 hours in Düsseldorf. Unicyclists who did not meet the lead times had to end the race according to the instructions of the track staff and were not rated. There is no time limit in Görlitz.

Rating classes

The start is in the two classes “Standard” and “Unlimited”. There is a separate evaluation according to women and men and in the standard class also according to age groups.

Standard class

In the standard class, drivers can start whose bikes meet the following specifications:

  • Wheel diameter maximum 778 mm (according to IUF Rulebook 2017)
  • Ratio 1: 1 (without freewheel or gear)

In Düsseldorf, the older regulations were still used until 2014; the following applied here:

  • Wheel diameter maximum 72.5 cm (= 28 "x 1.75"; relevant = tire embossing)
  • Crank length at least 114 mm
  • Ratio 1: 1 (without freewheel or gear)

Unlimited class

All riders whose unicycles do not meet the regulations of the “Standard Class” start in the “Unlimited Class”. The following modifications are generally made to achieve higher speeds:

  • larger wheel diameter, usually 36 "
  • shorter crank length
  • Use of a gear, usually a Schlumpf gear with a ratio of 1: 1.5

Course records

Since the routes in Düsseldorf and Görlitz / Zgorzelec have different elevation profiles, the times are not directly comparable. Görlitz has a significantly steeper route with a gradient of approx. 410 meters.

2003-2013 in Düsseldorf
class default Unlimited
male Female male Female
year Surname time Surname time Surname time Surname time
2003 Philipp vdWingen 1:57:57 [c] Stefanie Palmer 3:30:00 [c] Christian Hoverath 1:44:39 [c] --- [a]
2004 --- [b] Franziska Wagner 2:16:08 [d] Frank Bonsch 1:42:43 [d] --- [a]
2005 Patrick Schmid 1:51:03 [d] Franziska Wagner 2:08:58 [d] --- [a] --- [a]
2006 Patrick Schmid 1:53:30 [d] --- [b] --- [a] --- [a]
2007 Jan Logemann 1:52:00 [d] --- [b] Christopher Hartel 1:39:33 [d] --- [a]
2008 Christoph Hartmann 1:49:46 [d] --- [b] Arne Tilgen 1:35:11 [d] Linda Tisza 1:52:42 [d]
2009 Christoph Hartmann 1:43:16 [d] Linda Kirner 2:06:52 [d] Jan Logemann 1:27:09 [d] --- [b]
2010 --- [b] --- [b] Jan Logemann 1:25:15 [d] --- [b]
2011 --- [b] --- [b] --- [b] Nadine Wegner 1:50:53 [d]
2012 --- [b] --- [b] Christoph Hartmann 1:22:18 [d] --- [b]
2013 --- [b] --- [b] --- [b] Nadine Wegner 1:41:38 [d]
from 2018 in Görlitz / Zgorzelec
2018 Luis Albers 01:46:03  [c] Lilli Albers 01:58:31  [c] Markus Jansky 01:33:48  [c] Charlotte Leonhardt 01:45:40  [c]

[a] not a participant; [b] previous year's figure not improved; [c] net time [d] gross time

Similar events

A unicycle marathon has been held in Nagano in Japan since the mid-1980s , in which a circular route on side roads has to be completed several times. This was originally held as a relay competition, but now single starters, like in Düsseldorf, can complete the full marathon distance alone. Only since 2006 has a marathon competition been held every two years as part of the Unicon World Unicycle Championships , in which, however, only the "Unlimited class" is offered. The route is also not measured exactly here, so that the times cannot be directly compared. Since 2016, a unicycle marathon competition has been held annually in Rennes, France.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b List of results unicycle marathon 2012. Accessed on February 3, 2014 .