e-mail to Mr Mark Parker, CEO, Nike Inc.

To: mark.parker@nike.com
From: peter.gerngross@gmail.com

Subject: Working conditions / Nike factories


Mr Parker,

I am writing this e-mail to inform you that I will not buy any more Nike products until an independent organization like TeamSweat acknowledges a significant improvement of working conditions in Nike's factories in Southeast Asia.

I live in Germany and have been a serious runner since 12 years. I have always worn your shoes and apparel. In fact, my first serious running shoes were a pair of Nike Air Edge Max, and I loved them. Currently my favorite shoes are my Nike Air Zoom Elite, which I wore during three Marathon races. I also like my pair of Nike Free because of the barefoot feeling.

I would love to buy their respective successors when my old ones will be worn off, but I can't.

Research by the people of TeamSweat, an organization founded by Jim Keady, showed the miserable living conditions of the people who make the Nike products in your factories in Indonesia. When I saw the video "Behind The Swoosh" and read about Jim's work I asked myself two questions:

1. Wouldn't the people be worse off if they hadn't these underpaid jobs at Nike? Obviously there are no better jobs there. My answer: Yes, they would be worse off. But not much worse. And Nike as the market leader would have the opportunity to make their lives better. Just use some of the money you would otherwise pay to celebrities like Jordan or Woods to increase the wages of the factory workers. So, in my eyes, Nike is not responsible for the poor living conditions in Indonesia, but you are responsible for not improving those conditions.

2. Why accuse Nike and not all the other companies that do the same? The answer: I know that other companies also pay very low wages and have their workers spend long hours in the factories. But you have to start somewhere. Nike is the market leader, so TeamSweat focuses on Nike. Bad luck for you! But you have the choice: pay your workers decently, and you will improve both their lives and your company image considerably.

The awareness of poor working conditions in developing countries is growing in Germany. Small companies like the Hamburg-based running store company Lunge (www.lunge.com, www.lunge.de) build own factories in Germany because they recognized the poor quality of shoes made in the sweat shops. They are very successful with their high-quality clear-conscience not-at-all-fancy shoes. The running community is big and well connected. News about the behavior of companies like Nike, whether bad (today) or good (tomorrow?) will spread like wildfire.

Use your power to make the world better! I want to buy a brand new pair or Nike Free as soon as possible. Today this is impossible for me.

Kind regards

Peter Gerngross

My List

Inspired by Stephen Andert's To-Do List I have decided to think about my own list and to publish it here. There are no deadlines for the items of my list, but I feel I should accomplish at least one task per year, given my age of 42 and my presumption that the list will grow longer the more I think about it. So let's start with this:

1. Run the Boston Marathon
2. (Condition for 1.) Run a sub-3:30 marathon
3. Learn the Polish language (my current level: I can ask for a hotel room or order a beer in Polish) 
4. Live in Ireland, at least for a while
5. Travel to America, especially New England and Canada
6. Travel through a foreign country by bicycle
7. Read all the books in my library that I haven't had the time to read by now - an almost impossible task

I think that's enough for today. I'll update the list each time one task is completed or another one crosses my mind. I'm afraid the list grows longer since I'll be adding more tasks than I'll be able to accomplish. I know that from my library. I always buy more books than I'm able to read.

2007.6

Today I ran for the last time … in 2008. So it’s time to wrap up my running year.

2008 began slowly. As I mentioned in this blog, I acquired an annoying injury of my left achilles tendon while I was running the Dublin Marathon in the fall of 2007. By January 2008 I had worked me up to 10 km runs, which I did three times a week. Not bad, if you consider that 4 weeks ago I couldn’t run at all.

But there was that goal that I had: the 2008 Hamburg Marathon in April, on the 27th to be exact. As every year I wanted to run that race, it’s my home race after all. So I had to start running again on a regular basis. It worked, my tendon was quiet, I could increase my mileage until race day, and I finished with a time of 4:01:18.

Spring and summer passed. After Hamburg I resumed my 3-to-4-times-a-week10-to-15-km-schedule without any problems, but also without any goals, and thus my speed declined. At one point in summer I decided to run the marathon in Kaltenkirchen, the little town 30 km north of Hamburg  where I live. I wrote about that race in this blog, so I restrict myself to my race results: I entered the race, which took place in the 42nd week of the year, with bib No. 42. Coincidence? Wait … I was (and still am) 42 years old. Ok, enough of that number? Not yet: As you all know in that marathon race (as in every other) the runners had to cover 42 kilometers (that’s the 4th “42” on that day). But I have one more: One week later I got the list with the official race results in my mail box. You guessed it: I finished 42nd! Now you can think about coincidence ;-)

By the way, my finish time was 4 hours and 13 minutes. 

I became a bit lazy after that fall marathon. I ran only 3 times a week most of the weeks, due to the weather, crazy work schedules especially in December, and other reasons (I’m never short of fine excuses!). 

In early 2008 I joined that BuckeyeOutdoors group whose members wanted to run 1,500 miles each. I made 1,248 miles or 2,007.6 kilometers. That took me more than 

188 hours

OR

almost eight days 

OR 

2.14% of the available amount of time in 2008.

I also burned 163,000 calories and gained about 1 kilogram of weight. Despite that last sad fact I'll carry on in 2009. I can't help!

Remembering Helmut Jung

Next Saturday more than 300 runners will meet in my home town Kaltenkirchen near Hamburg, Germany, to remember Helmut Jung and his wife and to run the first "Helmut Jung Gedächtnismarathon" (Helmut Jung Remembrance Marathon).

Helmut was a fellow runner and marathoner and he was well known in Kaltenkirchen and the running community around Hamburg. He finished more than 190 marathon races in Germany and abroad. At the age of 54 - five years after running his first marathon - he ran his PR at the 1989 Berlin Marathon: 3:11:31. His 200th marathon was planned for Oct 20th, 2007.

But then the unthinkable happened. On Saturday, August 19th 2007 his mentally ill 36 year-old daughter attacked Helmut's wife with a kitchen knife. Helmut came to help and was attacked himself. Both Marianne and Helmut Jung were killed during the attack.

I met Helmut first in 2003, two years after I had moved to Kaltenkirchen. Together with my neighbour and running partner and one other runner we drove to a nearby city to compete in a half marathon. In the car we talked about Helmut's many marathons and his great shape at the age of 68. I met him afterwards at many road races in our area.

I remember him each time when I go to work by bike. My office is located 15 km from my home and I encountered him every morning on my way to work. We greeted each other and occasionally exchanged a couple of words. On one particular morning in late summer a few years ago we had a little chat and he told me that he planned to run the Honolulu Marathon in December - at the age of 70! He was very excited about that trip.


He was a great runner and a noble, always friendly and humble person. I am proud to participate next Saturday in the first marathon named after and run in honor of Helmut Jung.

My World Wide Half 2008

My World Wide Half were the first 21097.5 meters of my last long training run previous to the "Helmut Jung Gedächtnismarathon", which will take place next Saturday, Oct 18th in my home town Kaltenkirchen near Hamburg, Germany.

My original plan was to do my last long one week earlier and to do a half marathon today. But then I wasn't feeling well last Sunday, so I didn't run, but felt I'd need that last 30k-run. I changed my plan for this weekend and ran 30.2 km yesterday (Saturday 11th). Before I started I reviewed my route on buckeyeoutdoors.com and made a mental note of the place of my half marathon "finish".

My wife accompanied me on her bike on the first 10 km. Then I was alone. After 15 km it became hard. I had run arduous 14k on a hilly course (in preparation of the upcoming marathon, which will be at that same hilly place) on Thursday and I guess I was still a bit tired. I also had a minor, but annoying problem with my hip. But now I'll stop moaning.

It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, moderate wind, and temperatures of 14°C (57°F). Ideal conditions for a run! 

I forced myself to run a steady pace of just under 6min/km, which I could maintain until I reached the 21.1km mark I had memorized. 2:03:30. Not exactly fast, but I had to save some energy for the marathon next week. I was quite pleased with my "finish time".

I had made it to the finish - except for the fact that home was still about 9 km away! Now I slowed down a bit but ran home without walk break. 2:59:30 in total.

All things considered it was a decent half and a successful "dress rehearsal" for next week's marathon.

The Rocky Road to Hamburg

I expected it to be one of the hardest marathon races I have run. I was right. The story of my running of the Hamburg Marathon 2008 began on

Monday, October 29th 2007, Dublin (Ireland)
I ran a PR of 3:38:31 on the rather hilly course of the Dublin Marathon. I had started fast, maintained a 5:00 min/km pace throughout the first half. During the second half I slowed down, but it was enough to set my new PR. Two days later I felt an irritating pain on my left achilles tendon.

Saturday, November 3rd 2007, Kaltenkirchen
My first run after Dublin. Though my tendon was still aching, I wasn’t worried. It would go away soon, I thought. But after a few hundred meters I decided to keep the run short and to rest a few days until the tendon got better.

Saturday, November 10th 2007, Kaltenkirchen
I went for a 10 k run. I had planned to take part in a local 25k race on Nov. 18th, so I wanted to get into running again. Five km into the run I felt again a pain in the area of my achilles tendon. Back at home I cancelled the plan for the 25k.

Wednesday, December 12th 2007, Kaltenkirchen
My first run after physical therapy. Not a long run, I began cautiously with 2.64 km. The tendon was o.k. During the following weeks I increased the distances slowly. At the end of January I was at 13.5 km for my longest run, 24 km in one week. End of February I ran a (private) half marathon and a weekly total of 48 km.

Sunday, March 30th 2008, Kaltenkirchen
This was my first real long run, 29 km. Two weeks later, two weeks before the Hamburg Marathon, I did another one, and this had to be enough to prepare for Hamburg. I was a bit worried, especially after the second long run. I was so exhausted afterwards. I blamed that on the cold I had a few days before, but still my doubts stayed. I even thought about canceling Hamburg.

Sunday, April 6th 2008, Krzycko Wielkie, Poland
It was my first time in Poland. My dear friend Marek and his great family had invited my wife Lu and me to their home, which is in a small village between Poznań and Wrocław. We had a great time there, spent much time out in the woods, in Poznań, at Marek’s famous camp fire, and in their dining room enjoying Wiesia’s delicious meals and cakes.
On Sunday there was the Bieg Sokoła, the people’s run at the village of Bukowiec Gorny, a few kilometers from Marek’s home. A 15 km run. It was big fun with all the great Polish people running and cheering. I ran like a clockwork, 5:00 minute kilometers, 15 of them. I couldn’t believe it.

Monday, April 21st, Boston, MA, USA
My friend Steve ran the 112th Boston Marathon. He reported his progress by cell phone to his son, who informed the rest of the world, including me, via twitter. Despite his problems with an inflamed ankle he ran an outstanding race. I was in a similar situation as he was before the race, having not been able to train properly for my marathon due to injury, so his performance in Boston encouraged me a great deal.

Sunday, April 27th 2008, 9:00 am, Hamburg
So I was not well prepared when I crossed the starting line last Sunday. But I wasn’t discouraged either, because I had a good week of rest, and no part of my body was aching. I felt good.
The start was moved a few hundred meters from the Hamburg fair ground to Reeperbahn, St. Pauli, to the famous entertainment and red light district of Hamburg. We (Lu, my son Dominik and I) had arrived there at about 8:30. They went to watch the start and I entered the starting area. Surprisingly I had not forgotten to bring the powergel packs, as I usually do. Everything was o.k..
On the first kilometers I ran a constant pace of 5:15, too fast. I had planned a 5:30 pace. Anyway, I felt good and the pace was not much too fast. I went on.
Ten km into the race we came to the Fischmarkt, where every Sunday early morning the famous Hamburg fish auction takes place. It’s like running into a stadium, the crowds are cheering left and right, it’s one of the best places of the whole course. Even more spectators were at the Jungfernstieg, the gorgeous boulevard at the lake Alster in the city center. 15 km run.
Speaking of gorgeous: the weather was gorgeous, too. Sunshine, 15 degrees Celsius (60 Fahrenheit). Nice conditions for a little run ;-)
I stopped at every water stand (every 2.5 km), grabbed a cup of water or iso drink, and walked for half a minute. I didn’t want to choke on the water, and the walking was also good to relax a little bit. As it turned out later, this was a good tactic.
Then suddenly something strange happened: After 25 km the kilometers became longer. Did they switch to mile counting? It seemed so. The early kilometers had flown by, now I had to run so long to reach the next km marker. But the watch told me something else: I was still running 5:30 kilometers. The odd thing was, the 5:30 felt like 10 minutes.

At km 30 it became really hard. The temperature had risen to 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) and the sun was burning. We were at the most northern point of the course, near the airport. My powers vanished. But at the turning point, where the course heads south to the city center, there were the masses again. And they cheered us on and on. What motivated me most were the little kids stretching out their arms to collect high fives. I high-fived as many of them as I could.
Eppendorfer Baum, km 37. The legendary party mile. Remember the pictures of the Alpe d’Huez leg of the Tour de France? The crowd building a corridor so narrow that the the bikers hardly find their way through? Exactly the same at Eppendorfer Baum. I had no power to run, but I ran anyway because the great people force me to. Without them I would have quit by then.
Now the going got really tough. It was the time for my old mantra: “left foot, right foot, repeat”. It still works in these situations. It took me to the 40 km mark.
There I took a break at the water stand. Drank water, cooled my legs, stretched my muscles. Gathered power for the final 2 km. The final 2 in Hamburg are special. Two kilometers uphill, at a time when every runner runs at their limit. My mantra got me up that hill somehow.
On the home stretch. I still ran. Saw Dominik and Lu waving at the right. Surprisingly I had the power to wave back.
“She’s in love with you” by Suzy Quatro. What a song for my finish! A song from my early youth, I was 13 when it came out. No wonder I look quite relaxed on the finish video!

4:01:18. My second slowest marathon time. But one of my greatest marathon races.