Story 16: Athletic asphericon

A Chinese philosopher once said: “Only those who know their goals can achieve them.” At asphericon, alongside our highly professional goals, many of us have also set ourselves sporting goals. There’s a wide range of sports opportunities in and around Jena, including running, triathlon and boating. This story is dedicated to all the athletes in our team – past, present and future!

Move your legs! Running, walking and hiking

The city of Jena is particularly well suited for running, so it’s hardly surprising that there are so many running events every year. Fielding both individual runners and relay teams, we particularly like to put on our running shoes for a good cause. Anyone who wants to can take part, regardless of their speed. In addition to improving your fitness, it’s a good way to raise money for charity. Whether the result is a donation to Kindersprachbrücke Jena, which does sterling work by supporting children of all ages, or helping to fund an association for children with behavioural disorders in Thuringia, taking part is always worthwhile. What’s more, the asphericon team has already won on three occasions: in the Jena Team Run in 2015 and 2018 as well as the Thuringian Forest Corporate Run in 2014.

Some of our colleagues also meet up regularly to go running through the valley – attired in a T-shirt from the asphericon collection!

Apart from jogging, Jena’s surroundings are ideal for hiking, something we often take advantage of during our annual company outings. With many of us accompanied by our families, we visit all sorts of places in the local area, and there are often puzzles to be solved and sights to be seen en route. Our hiking trips conclude with a barbecue – with Thuringian sausages on the menu, of course!

Competitive cycling to cut carbon emissions

Since 2019, our cyclists have also made great headway. Over 30 of our colleagues take part as a team in the STADTRADELN event, an annual German challenge where the aim is to do as many everyday trips as possible by bike for 21 days in order to save carbon dioxide. So far, they’ve notched up 6,217 kilometres (3,863 miles), equivalent to saving 914kg of CO2 emissions. This tally puts asphericon in tenth place in the overall ranking for Jena. What’s great about STADTRADELN is that in addition to CO2 reductions, the kilometres travelled also translate into donations to a local charity. In 2021, for example, the money raised was used to purchase rickshaws for children for use in inclusive preschools.

asphericon enters the Jena Triathlon

We also enjoy the combination of running, cycling and swimming known as the triathlon. Most recently, we took part in the Jena Corporate Triathlon, swimming 380 metres, cycling 18 kilometres (11 miles), and running 4.2 kilometres (2.6 miles) alongside several other teams.

Those not competing directly in the city’s sports events still like to go along to cheer on our runners, cyclists and swimmers. What’s more, the team celebrations afterwards are unmissable. Many of the sporting occasions involving asphericon have been followed by enjoyable picnics with plenty of cool drinks to quench the athletes’ thirst!

Aquatic asphericon: canoeing, rafting, even dragon boating

Jena’s a great city for water sports, too, and once again asphericon’s keen to join in the fun! Over the past 20 years, we’ve taken our friends and families on several canoeing and rafting trips for our company outings. Mind you, the highlight of our aquatic activities was easily the dragon boat race we entered in 2018. Although our 20-strong team wasn’t victorious, they still had loads of fun!

“Onwards and upwards” is our motto, and so we’re already looking forward to future events. Don’t miss the starting gun!