FUN RUN: Uber Endurance is all about winning - and then eating

Uber Endurance is a German-themed running group that focuses on the fun of running and, just as important, the fun of the after-race.

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FUN RUN: Uber Endurance is all about winning — and then eating

POSTED: Friday, May 20, 2011, 10:00 AM

Filed Under: Events | Just Do It

For so many Philadelphians, springtime = race season, and that means on any Saturday on Kelly Drive, you're likely to be passed-on-the-left by hundreds of runners in training.

But all that personal-best pressure can take the joy out of running. Stephan Weiss, founder of Uber Endurance, wants to get back to the roots of the individual sport. Uber Endurance is a German-themed group that focuses on the fun of running and, just as important, the fun of the after-race.

Weiss teamed up with his pastry chef wife, Linda, to start a race club that embraces the calories just as much as the calorie burning. Having struggled with weight issues in the past, Weiss says, “Being married to a pastry chef leaves me only two options: having extreme willpower to resist the temptations in the kitchen or to become a hardcore runner for the rest of my life.”

In celebration of that balance, Uber Endurance has combined running and racing with food and post-race fun. Take for instance, the ½ Sauer, ½ Kraut, a half and full marathon race followed by beer and brats.

The German theme doesn't apply just to the food. Races often have an Oktoberfest Aid Station staffed by the St. Pauli girls; “Hans” plays his accordion while you eat and drink; and occasionally you will spot some traditional Bavarian dress. “Once we had a guy run a whole marathon in Lederhosen,” Weiss says. Continuing the German influence, the Mount Cuckoo 15K in August will run through the quaint German town of Stoudtburg Village, near Adamstown, and enjoy the post-race party in its square.

When asked what makes his runs worthwhile, Weiss says it’s all about the enjoyment of running. “We purposefully don’t certify some of the runs. It’s too hot to run fast — we just want it to be fun.” Best of all, proceeds from each run are donated to the Pennypack Park trails as well as the HCM Foundation, a runner-founded organization that aids cancer patients and their families.

Uber Endurance is still looking for charity runners for the ½ Sauer, ½ Kraut. Contact HCM Foundation creator Mike Marsteller at HCMFund@gmail.com for more information.

Dirty German Endurance Fest, 25K, 50K & 50mi, Sun., May 22, 8 a.m., $50-$80, Pennypack Park, 8718 Pine Road. ½ Sauer, ½ Kraut Half and Full Marathon, Sun., June 26, 7:30 a.m., $65-$70, Pennypack Park, 3098 Rhawn St. Mount Cuckoo 15K, Sat., Aug. 20, 8 a.m., $44, Stoudtburg Village, 9 S. Village Circle, Reinholds, Pa. For more information on these races, visit uberendurancesports.com.

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