Surprising result.

Nine Jesuits of the German Province participated for the first time in the Munich Marathon in October 2016 and finished not only with personal best results but also a remarkable outcome for the beneficiary of the donations made to the individual runners. More than 2.000 Euros were donated in favor of “mercy-in-motion”, a project of the Jesuit refugee service international that promotes education in refugee camps.

The Jesuits were the only religious group to participate in the charity run. The idea to take part was hatched during the provincial symposium in April. One month before the big date, it was clear that two teams would run the relay and the youngest participant, Lukas Ambraziejus from Lithuania from the noviciate in Nürnberg, would take on the challenge to run the full 42195 meters. His time of 3:47:16 may have even surprised the twenty-year-old himself. 

The other runners were the three fathers Eckhard Frick SJ, Thomas Hollweck SJ (leader of the noviciate) and his associate Simon Lochbrunner SJ, as well as the German novices Manfred Grimm and Dag Heinrichowski and the Swiss Mathias Werfeli and the students  Fabian Moos and Pascal Meyer. Clemens Kascholke, another young jesuit who couldn’t run himself due to injury, provided logistical assistance. 

A big hug from the novice master and the applause in the Olympic stadium of Munich was motivation enough to entice the runners to participate again next year. “It would be wonderful if we could organize more teams, not only Jesuits but sportive family members, lay co-workers and friends to run under the Jesuit banner –  we will find a deserving project to support through our participation”, was the runners' unanimous  opinion.