Laura Dahlmeier shone in the biathlon circuit until 2019, and since then she has dedicated herself to chasing summits: The now 30-year-old is an enthusiastic mountaineer. Now she has once again struggled to achieve a remarkable sporting achievement in the mountain air – not climbing, but running.
Dahlmeier covered a mere 100 kilometers in an 18-hour mountain run from her hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Lake Tegernsee. She captured some episodes of this in pictures and videos that she published on Instagram.
Her run started at 4:16 a.m., so she struggled for several hours in the darkness. Only after 15 kilometers did the sun rise.
After six hours, Dahlmeier posted a selfie with beads of sweat on his forehead; around 35 kilometers had been completed at this point.
“I just want to experience it because I can’t imagine that a person can run 100km in one go,” said the seven-time world champion, describing her motivation before the run. And Dahlmeier pulled through.
Former biathlon star Dahlmeier fulfills his “long-time dream”
In the afternoon, after 63 kilometers, Dahlmeier finally reached the highest point of her run. At 3:33 p.m. she posed smiling in front of the Benedictine wall.
In between, the former ski hunter fortified herself in Lenggries, then she reached Tegernsee via Braunau and Bad Wiessee. At 10:15 p.m., when it was dark again, she reached her destination. She had 18 hours and 5178 meters of altitude in her legs.
A “long-time dream” had “become reality,” explained an exhausted but happy Dahlmeier following her adventure.
The two-time Olympic champion has felt comfortable in the high mountains since she retired from the world of biathlon. The passionate alpinist was always drawn to the mountains throughout her career.
Dahlmeier turned this passion into her new profession when she successfully completed training to become a certified mountain and ski guide.