Rafael Fuchsgruber – a man with a story to tell: From party king to ultramarathon runner.
Nothing works without energy, says Rafael Fuchgruber, the man who crossed the Namib Desert as an ultramarathon runner and celebrated his sixtieth birthday this year. Rafael Fuchsberger is a true inspiration, someone who knows something about life because he loves extremes and has never been ashamed of them. It wasn’t until he was 40 that he began his running career as an ultramarathon runner.
As a young boy, he wanted to be an animal keeper, a philosopher or a labor minister. “The usual stuff,” he says with a grin. “But seriously, it was actually rather “extreme” even then: racing driver, fireman, locomotive engineer…. Later, I was drawn to Cologne to study music, psychology and theater-film and television studies.” Creative … he is, too.
Rafael Fuchsgruber – Adventurer, Entrepreneur & Author
The man who was a “party king” and alcoholic before his extreme sports days says of running,
“Running is my great love. I mean that very seriously. Running has changed my life. Maybe it even saved my life and brought back my health. It gives me an enormous amount of strength and confidence – even in normal life. I’ve learned from racing that if you set your mind to it, you’ll achieve the images you create for yourself.”
When asked what he is afraid of, he answers simply: “Nothing. The “F” in my name stands for danger. I have thoughts, issues, worries… but actually no fear.”
Rafael Fuchsberger says: “That’s part of it, running, it’s like real life. There’s running, there’s love, there’s death, there’s friendships…. It’s just all a bit more intense.” While running, he listens to music: the Brandenburg concerts, Eminem, Madonna, Rythm is a dancer, Deep House.
“Sometimes it’s boring running, after all.”
He works with a coach who is also an ultramarathoner. He can relate to what Rafael Fuchsberger feels: for him, running is like hypnosis: “I can hypnotize myself while running,” he reports.
The best stature for a runner? He says that the luckiest ones are those who really “get into it” and have fun running through the Namib Desert or the Australian Desert. Some, like Rafael Fuchsburger, are also motivated to run for charity. Africa is close to his heart, and he remembers well how the children laughed when he ran through a village in Cameroon. You don’t forget something like that. At least, Rafael Fuchsburger doesn’t forget it. When he talks, he sounds anything but tough, but rather sensitive. You want to spend time with him.
In his talks, he talks about willpower, sports and business and persistence and eloquence successfully, focus on success, motivation and resilience through personal responsibility, courage and goal setting as well as a positive mindset through clear goal setting, planning and implementation.
Rafael Fuchsburger motivates. Because he does his thing and magically pulls others along.