Brandwave’s Munich office is constantly growing, and when we have a new starter we like to welcome them in true Brandwave style. This time our new Account Director Ali was challenged to take part in the infamous “Alpentriathlon” and to make matters even more difficult, we only decided to enter as a three-person triathlon relay team two days ahead of the race! Competitions at Brandwave are taken very seriously, being less about the taking part and more about the winning; however rather than training, the team decided to meet the night before at a street parade in Munich to have a few drinks and train their livers rather than their legs.
Race day couldn’t have started better as beautiful sunshine rose over the mountains and warmed the clear waters of Lake Spitzingsee. We joined a host of like-minded triathlon enthusiasts, from beginners with your average road bike to super triathletes with bodies of steel. Surrounded by mountains, the Alpentriathlon is a beautiful but seriously challenging course and warranted more preparation than us plucky upstarts had given it.
Thanks to one of our clients, Orca, Vicky was equipped with a technical suit to match her swimming technique. Her game plan was simple; start as fast as possible staying close to the professionals, then switch to survival mode. After any swim the short sprint isn’t easy, all the blood is in the upper body, not where it is needed, the legs; which probably explains why after the swim Vicky ran like a drunk and dizzy Usain Bolt through the transition zone to pass the timing chip to Christian, our man with the big legs.
The profile of the bike course was exactly what the organisers had promised – 40km of pure lactic acid, adrenaline, pain and pure enjoyment. With little time to relax, hydrate or wave like a pro to cheering fans, Christian built on Vicky’s lead to exchange on the top of the “Spitzingsattel” in 4th position, passing the baton to our former Duathlon World Championship participant Ali. With a very smooth and comfortable running technique Ali started to make ground on the runner ahead of him. He finished the first lap, with the team and spectators screaming for him, gaining even further. Ali finished as strong as he started and against all odds managed to get the Brandwave team on the overall podium with first in the mixed category. It was an amazing feeling, waiting in the finish area to welcome a colleague after such an accomplishment. Hugging, cheering and taking selfies was all that we could think about in the following five minutes.
The feeling of competing together, reaching a goal together, giving your everything for your colleagues brought out the very best in each one of the team. It ultimately led to a great result, winning the mixed relay. Granted, the team in Germany was crazy to enter such a race without any preparation, however, having a “Kaiserschmarrn” and a non-alcoholic beer in front of such beautiful scenery made every drop of sweat worth it. Sharing the experience together and seeing colleagues give their everything for each other gave me goose bumps and the sense that we definitely know each other better than before. However maybe next time, we’ll train together first too…
