These are the words of the currently most renowned athlete in ultra trail running, hailing from Stubai. In July, 2022, Christian Stern won the city2glacier, a 67-kilometer run covering 5,000 meters in altitude on its way from Innsbruck through the Stubai valley all the way to the finishing line at 3,100 meters on the glacier. “It was one of my major goals to win this race. Not even a ligament rupture sustained along the way could stop me,” says Stern.

The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, happening in Innsbruck-Stubai from June 6 to 10, are his next goal. The “Trail long” on the penultimate day covers 85 km as well as approximately 6000 meters in altitute and almost seems tailor-made for the Tyrolean. Even though he may not yet know the route very well (October 2022), he is all too familiar with the terrain. It is his home turf, his territory, the area he covers during his training runs, in the pursuit of ever more kilometers and meters in altitude, of an even better shape, of the next success. “It can be a massive advantage to be running on home turf,” he says. “On the one hand I know the area, on the other hand there will be a lot of people who know me, cheering me on. However, to even get that far, everything else needs to work out too.”

When the course is constantly varying between up- and downhills, as is the case in the Sillschlucht just outside Innsbruck or the Stollensteig close to Telfes, Christian Stern is in his element; however, according to Christian himself, there is potential for improvement in the downhill area. And at times, the powers that be have different plans, as was the case during the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 2022: while a fantastic experience, it was doomed to fail. It won’t deter him, and he plans to try it again.

But before that, the World Championships are due and he would not be the first star (or Stern) hailing from Stubai to win a medal in comparable title races. In 1990, Florian Stern won silver in the mountain running discipline, while Andreas Stern is not only head of the traditional Schlickeralmlauf but is an outstanding runner himself. “We are distantly related and they have certainly inspired me,” Stern tells us. “However, I only started running relatively late; prior to that I was active in soccer – during that period I couldn’t take anyone running 10 or 15 hours in one go seriously.” When the Stubai Ultra was launched in 2017, Stern – with a personal best of 1 hour 12 minutes for the half marathon and 2 hours 40 minutes for the marathon – became an (ultra) runner.

“I love to run, not only when exercising but also when doing private or job-related chores, and whenver time allows for it. Running really is my life.”

This being said, he cannot make a living from running, not least because he is not the type to market or sell himself. This means that he does not have any suppliers or sponsors, which however grants him the freedom to run in the shoes he likes, with his current favorites being Hoka and Altra, along with the certainty that he doesn’t have to answer to anyone,

all of which fits snugly with Christian Stern’s lifestyle and philosophy. He does not have a coach and takes care of his training schedules and exercise regimen himself. He covers approximately 80 kilometers and 5,000 meters in altitude during an average training week – but that’s only an estimate and he is not entirely sure about the actual numbers. “I don’t always study my statistics.” He is mentally strong and a real go-getter; in addition, he can literally stomach anything. It would be one of the – or let’s rather say the – highlight of his athletic career to participate in the WC. “I would give my absolute best during this competition to prevent myself from potential self-incrimination.”

Fotos: © Sportograf/sportograf.com