New start for Bocholt city run on Saturday

Next Saturday, May 7, the time has come: Then the Bocholt City Run celebrates its comeback in the usual form after a forced break due to corona. Thousands of runners will start in five races.

The coming Saturday is the day that many running enthusiasts in the entire region have long longed for - because then the starting signal is given for the 21st Bocholt City Run. It is the first major run since 2019 - due to corona, there had been no joint running event in 2020 and 2021.

"Finally, a running event with audience and timing again," says Ulrich Kuhlmann of the City Sports Association. Bocholt deserved that again after the forced break. The anticipation among all runners is huge, reports Kuhlmann.

4300 runners have registered for the Citylauf this year. "Preparations for the event have been going on all week," says Kuhlmann. Thus, barriers are provided in the city center and signs are fixed.

It starts on Saturday as usual with the 2.5-kilometer runs for schoolgirls (from 5 p.m.) and schoolboys (from 5:30 p.m.) born between 2007 and 2014. The 5-kilometer schoolchildren's run then starts at 6 p.m., with schoolchildren from Bocholt born in 2012 or later taking part.

From 7 p.m., there will be the 5-kilometer race for men, before the starting signal for the 10-kilometer public and road race is given at 8 p.m.. After the individual runs, a short award ceremony will take place.

Among the participants in the fun run and road race will be German track and field athlete Hendrik Pfeiffer. The 29-year-old long-distance runner competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and most recently secured the German championship title at the Hannover Marathon in April.

Around the running event, there will be a colorful supporting program and plenty of music for spectators. On Liebfrauenplatz, there will be a children's program with human foosball, face painting and a climbing mountain. At Ostertor, the samba band "La Banda Furiosa" will heat up the runners.

The results of all runs can be viewed online at www.bocholter-citylauf.de after the event, the city sports association informs.

The Bocholter city run 2022 is organized by the city sport federation together with the city of Bocholt, the city marketing Bocholt and the association DJK Sportfreunde 97/30 Lowick.

Information for runners

The organizer association points out that runners are not allowed to use headphones during the event for safety reasons. Participants are also not allowed to be accompanied by bicycle. StadtBusBocholt offers a free luggage service in front of the registration office.

Parking spaces are available at Berliner Platz, Europaplatz and the Shopping-Arkaden.