leisure
Extreme athlete Deichmann on the home straight to Munich
Extreme athlete Jonas Deichmann set out for a triathlon around the world over a year ago – now he is close to the finish line. Photo: private / Jonas Deichmann / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
In the middle of the corona pandemic, adventurer Jonas Deichmann set out on a record attempt around the world. To do this, he took on 120 Ironman triathlons – now he has his goal in mind.
During his triathlon circumnavigation of the world, the “German Forrest Gump” sets off for the final sprint towards Munich. Jonas Deichmann turned his hobby into a job and has been circumnavigating the globe in triathlons for over a year.
“I’ve been on the road for 14 months now and I’m really looking forward to seeing my friends and family again,” said the native of Stuttgart to the German press agency. Above all, as a Swabian, he is happy “to eat Maultaschen and Käsespätzle again”.
On Saturday, the extreme athlete wants to cross the border between Switzerland and Germany on his bike. From there it is only about 350 kilometers to the finish at Munich’s Odeonsplatz, where his adventure began last year. What would be a hell of a tour for mere mortals is a piece of cake for the adventurer. The last leg from Lisbon to Munich was “a bit like rolling out” for him, joked the 34-year-old.
German “Forrest Gump”
Before that, Deichmann, who grew up in the Black Forest, ran around 5000 kilometers across Mexico, among other things. Since then he has been known in the Mexican media as the “German Forrest Gump”.
Even if his world tour, which also took him to Russia and Turkey, for example, is not quite over yet, he should feel a bit at home, after all, the bicycle is his favorite means of transport: “Cycling is and remains the most beautiful discipline” said Deichmann. The only thing that worries him at the moment is “the weather forecast for the next three days”.
If everything goes well, the extreme athlete will reach his destination in Munich on Monday after an unbelievable 120 Ironman triathlons – 456 kilometers swimming, 5040 kilometers running and 21,600 kilometers cycling. Then he plans to give his body some rest: “I will continue to do sports, but nothing extreme,” said Deichmann. However, his next big challenge is already planned for 2023 – it will remain top secret until then.