Gudrun Pflüger is a four-time world champion in mountain running as well as a natural and biodiversity scientist – and a cancer patient.
She was a cross-country skier, competed in the FIS World Cup, and won the ski marathon series “Wordloppet”; and once her athletic career had ended, she went in search of something new – Canadian wolves, to be more precise, which led to the production of several documentaries such as “Searching for the Coast Wolves” (2007), “Running with Wolves” (2009) or her bestseller “Wolf Spirit: A Story of Healing, Wolves and Wonder”. (2014).
Today, Gudrun Pflüger, who turned 50 in August, 2022, is a woman at peace with herself, someone who knows that cancer will eventually defeat her. Once, more than 15 years ago, she survived a brain tumor: “Back then, my encounter with the wolves gave me strength,” she says. Now, the cancer is back, and the outcome uncertain.
Gudrun Pflüger has been a fighter throughout her life. In the same year that Helmut Schmuck won his first of two WC titles in mountain running, she triumphed for the first out of a total of four times - in 1992, in Italy, 1994 in Germany, in Bavaria more precisely, 1995 in Scotland, and 1996 in Telfes in Tirol. In 1996, nobody was faster than her in the Vertical, not even the French athlete Isabelle Guillot, another four-time world champion, or the British athlete Sarah Rowell, who is the WMRA’s current treasurer. “She was an exceptional athlete,” says Rowell, “and it is a pity we didn’t have that much contact during the contests; without the internet and social media, it was even harder to stay in touch.”
“I didn’t participate in mountain running world championships all that often,” Pflüger says today, “which was a good thing. I didn’t want to stress my body too much, as it had to deal with cross-country skiing throughout the winter.” Pflüger, who was born in Granz and now resides in Radstadt, is certain that for her, mountain running was the ideal prep training for cross-country skiing, and she laughs while adding:
“My WC medals, four gold ones and one in silver (won in 1993, NB), were basically a side product. Mountain running was good for me from a mental aspect; it helped me not only to keep up but also to face the training in summer.”
Her star first started rising in Kitzbühel, during the Horn-Bergstraßenlauf, and it prompted Franz Puckl, grand master of the Austrian mountain running scene, to nominate her for the WC in Italy when another athlete dropped out. “I remember there was a great spirit in the Austrian team, however, the contact with athletes from other countries was somewhat limited. We didn’t all stay in the same hotel and on top of that, our time was limited. At times I didn’t even manage to do a route inspection prior to a race; but not knowing what to expect is not necessarily a disadvantage.”
She cherishes the memories of the races in Val di Susa, where she won her first WC title - mostly because of the enthusiastic spectators who were partying along the route and because of a fan who cut a small piece from a large truffle for her. “Everything was so simple, normal, down to earth - and thus something very special.”
Despite her athletic career, Gudrun Pflüger kept up her work in conservation. Her medals and other insignia found a place on a wall beside the staircase where they are gathering dust and cobwebs. “It is a bit embarrassing really; if a camera team is visiting, I usually try to clean up as best I can last-minute.”
Her memories of the past are good ones, and they give her strength. “My life today is so far removed from my life back then – I can’t even walk properly anymore,” says Pflüger.
“But the past is immensely important for my present; I would not exist today if it wasn’t for sports and my encounters with the wolves. My mindset has a great impact on my condition.”
It is unclear whether she will visit the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck-Stubai; if so, it will only be in the company of someone else. “It is great to have the WC back in Austria. Even though we never had any contact, I have followed the successes of Andrea Mayr (ten WC medals since 2004, NB) over the years. It would be great if I could follow the races in person.”
