Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau is the starting point, not the destination. Even before I've crossed that finish line, I know what comes after. Because the thing about endurance goals is that each one reveals the next. You finish a half marathon and think: what about a full? You finish a full and think: what about an ultra? The distance keeps growing because you keep learning what your body and mind can handle.
This is my endurance roadmap for the next three years. It's ambitious, probably stupid, and entirely non-negotiable.
2026: The Foundation Year
The 2026 season is about building the aerobic base and proving I can compete at a high level in both triathlon and pure running. The Ironman 70.3 comes first and gives me a massive fitness base. Then I shift focus to running-specific speed work for Berlin. The timing works because there are four months between races — enough to recover and sharpen.
2027: The Expansion Year
2027 is the year where things get genuinely hard. A full Ironman and a 100km ultra in the same year is aggressive. The key is spacing them correctly and recognizing that the Ironman build gives me the endurance base for the ultra. I'll likely do the Ironman in summer and the ultra in fall, with 8-10 weeks of recovery and transition between them.
2028 and Beyond: The Frontier
These are the goals that excite me most because I genuinely don't know if I can achieve them. The Backyard Ultra in particular is a format that fascinates me. It strips away everything except the question: how much are you willing to endure? There's no pacing strategy, no course to memorize, no bike to optimize. Just you, a loop, and a timer.
The Constant: Table Tennis
While all of this is happening, I'm also pushing my table tennis rating from 1740 to 1800 and beyond. Table tennis might seem like the odd one out in a list of endurance events, but it's the sport that's been with me the longest. The Landesliga matches keep me sharp in a completely different way — reaction time, tactical thinking, handling pressure in a 1v1 format. It balances the solitary nature of endurance training with the head-to-head competition I need.
Why This Much, Why Now
People will read this list and think it's too much. Maybe it is. But here's how I see it: every one of these goals teaches me something that transfers to my career and my life. The full Ironman teaches long-term planning. The 100km ultra teaches crisis management. The Backyard Ultra teaches patience under extreme discomfort. The sub-3 marathon teaches precision execution.
There's also a timing element that I think about a lot. Right now, during my studies and early career, I have the freedom to train 15-20 hours a week and structure my life around these goals. That window won't stay open forever. At some point — maybe sooner, maybe later — life will shift. A family, kids, different responsibilities. When that happens, my priorities will change, and that's completely fine. I'll still train, but probably not for Backyard Ultras.
That's exactly why I want to do this now. Not because I'm running from something, but because I'm running toward the version of these goals that's only possible at this stage of my life. The window is open. I intend to use it fully.
I don't do this because I think suffering is virtuous. I do it because I want to know what I'm capable of. And the only way to find out is to keep pushing the boundary until it pushes back.
This list will change. Some goals will shift, new ones will show up. But the general idea stays the same: go further, go longer, keep tracking everything.