Ultra Euro 2024 Run

During the European Football Championship in 2024, law student Kim Gottwald decided to run from one host city to the next for every match played by the German national team. A demanding project that gradually attracted interest on social media.

At the age of 20, he began his journey in Munich and  worked his way through the group stage to cities such as Stuttgart and Frankfurt. While documenting each stage in regular posts. On average, he covered roughly a marathon distance each day – about 

50 km – climbing up to 700 m in elevation, burning around 8,000 calories. Kim drank as much as eight litres of water. His food supply often included bananas, apple turnovers, and about half a kilogram of pasta.

His mother, Michaela, accompanied him by bicycle, carrying equipment and offering support along the way. The unusual effort soon attracted media interest, reaching from social platforms to specialist media and larger news channels.

After the group stage, his path led him from Frankfurt via Dortmund and – in the event of a round of 16 appearance against Denmark – back to Stuttgart for the quarter-finals. All within six days, requiring daily distances of 65–70 km. The physical and mental strain was immense, and he was often on the verge of giving up. Yet encouragement from his online community and the hope of another “summer fairy tale” kept him going. 

Germany’s loss to Spain in the quarter-final in Stuttgart marked the end of his journey, which by then totalled more than 450 km. Meanwhile, he had gained a following in the five-figure range. For Kim, the project became the starting point of his social media presence and showed how a well-planned athletic challenge can develop into a widely shared story.