‘There is no way I could do that’ – Andre Blumberg surprises himself to set TorTour de Ruhr 230km record with 24-hour run

When Andre Blumberg first ran the TorTour de Ruhr 230-kilometre ultra marathon a few years ago he finished around 30 hours as another runner set the record near 25 hours.

“I thought there is no way I could do that,” Blumberg said.

But on May 19, Blumberg ran it again and smashed the record with a time of 24 hours and 14 minutes.

“I was in the lead after 50 metres and that is not where I wanted to be on a 230km race,” said Blumberg, originally from Germany near the race location. “In the lead there is more pressure on you and you worry someone is behind you. But I was running my own pace, I was comfortable and able to keep going.”

Blumberg puts his improvement down to his support. Last time, he carried a heavy bag but this time he had his wife, sister and brother-in-law helping, sometimes keeping pace with him on bicycles.

“Trail running is more varied, but the flat surface is more tiring,” he said. “It took about six months of specific training.”