Some runners in the Open Race
From the entries for the Open Race, we will present here two participants that play a special role. Christian Hacker from Germany has been given a special start number: no 343. This is related to the date September 11, when terror struck the USA three years ago. Christian (age 32) is a professional fireman from Hersbruck (in the south of Germany) and will wear during the RUN a special T-shirt from the FDNY (Fire Department New York), with all the names of the 343 casualties among this department during September 11, 2001. Christian hopes that the sight of this T-shirt will message the spectators along the roads of the town that it is a special day in the hearts of many people world-wide. In return, he hopes that the public will encourage him massively to keep on going, as Christian Hacker has never completed a 100 km race before. Regardless whether he will manage to cover the complete distance, Christian has arranged a special ceremony with FDNY commander Brian Whiston. Sometime after the RUN, Christian will present his T-shirt to the department in New York.
