Johannes Ostfalk

After Johannes Ostfalk had long dedicated himself to football as his main sporting discipline, four years ago he suddenly became fascinated by trail running. Successfully and sustainably, as it turns out in view of his trail running career to date..

The increasing passion and motivation for trail running and training are inspiring the trail runner from Central Franconia so much that the first competition successes were not long in coming. He has already achieved numerous top 10 finishes since 2020. After his first major success as 6th place at the Ultratrail Fränkische Schweiz 2023 on home soil, he was able to build on this in 2024 and record his greatest achievements to date: 8th place at the highly competitive 30km Ötzi Trail in Naturns at the beginning of the year, followed by two podium places: 2nd place at the K35 of the Adidas Terrex Innsbruck Alpine in May, as well as 2nd place on the 86km distance of the Zugspitz Ultratrail in Garmisch, which was definitely the highlight of the season. More successful races are sure to follow this year and in the years to come..

Johannes Ostfalk,

DO YOU HAVE A TIP FOR EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO START TRAIL RUNNING?
"Just put on your running shoes and start running at a relaxed pace. The local forest around the corner is enough, because easy forest paths and single trails are the best way to find out whether you enjoy running off-road, especially at the beginning."

HOW DO YOU CONQUER YOUR INNER PIG DOG WHEN TRAINING?
"I don't have a secret recipe. If you're passionate about trails and trail running, you don't really have to overcome your inner bastard. For me personally, the question is no longer whether I should go running, but when and how I can best schedule it. However, what could definitely help to keep motivation levels constant and avoid getting into conflict with your inner couch potato in the first place is a structured training plan - ideally with a trainer at your side."

WHAT ARE YOU MOST THANKFUL FOR?
"For my family and especially for my parents and the way they raised me. I am grateful to be healthy, to be connected with nature and to be able to do the sport that I love. I also really appreciate the peaceful environment in which I am allowed to live. You really realise that at the moment when you look at other countries."

WHAT DOES OUTDOOR MEAN TO YOU? WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF OUTDOOR?
"Actually, "outdoor" just means "outside". But for me, it's only "outdoor" when you're really surrounded by and part of nature. It doesn't matter where - whether it's in the mountains, the forest or simply by the river at home. The main thing is to be as pristine, untouched and direct as possible."

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LOWA SHOE?
"My favourite is definitely the LOWA CITUX. It's perfect for competitions up to 30 kilometres, fits well and is very responsive. I'm still testing the AMPLUX and FORTUX extensively."