How Ursu and Zenker race each other

Octavian Ursu is in a very tough spot. The mayor of Görlitz has been sitting in a meeting of the board of directors of Sparkasse Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien since early Wednesday morning. Sitting. So he couldn’t walk. But he’s supposed to—and wants to—because the new Rector of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Alexander Kratzsch, has challenged him to a duel. Him and Thomas Zenker, the mayor of Zittau. The winner is whoever walks more this week.

In the pedometer challenge—held annually since 2016 by the University of Applied Sciences and the City of Zittau—teams from both administrations have always competed against each other, with varying degrees of success. Whoever had more steps on their wrist-worn pedometer after a week was the winner. This year, for the first time, the Görlitz administration is participating in the walking duel. “By participating, we want to demonstrate the university’s connection to its two host cities,” said Rector Kratzsch. “Community is important to me.” To make the competition more exciting than in previous years, he called Ursu and Zenker and challenged them to a “battle” between the heads of the two buildings, going beyond the usual employee competition. The mayor of Görlitz, accompanied by a colleague, and Zenker, accompanied by a city councilwoman, will face off against the Rector, his two Prorectors, and the university’s Chancellor. Zenker’s choice of partner is a bit tricky. He has his wife by his side, who is not only a Zittau city councilwoman—but also a university employee. Her bosses are taking it in stride.

Detailed Planning for the Race

Zenker has planned his running week in detail. On Wednesday afternoon, for example, he had a press event at the Dreiländereck with Deutschlandfunk. Instead of getting in his car, he walked from City Hall to Hartau. He tends to get up early so he can take his dog for a longer walk. Even at City Hall, he now walks to meetings more often than he picks up the phone. This is entirely in line with the challenge, which aims to raise awareness about environmental protection and preventive health care. On Wednesday, he proudly presented the top teams’ good step counts so far.

Rector Kratzsch is also ambitious. On Tuesday alone, he walked 24 kilometers. Early in the morning, he walked around Lake O; at noon, he took an “active break” with colleagues, walking to the Napoleon Linden Tree south of Zittau; and in the evening, he persuaded his son to take a long walk through their hometown of Obercunnersdorf by promising him ice cream. Some of his fellow participants are already experiencing muscle soreness.

Octavian Ursu can’t keep up with them. He has a week of parliamentary sessions, he explains regretfully. But he wants to try to catch up by the end of the challenge on Friday. He already knows how: The 52-year-old jogs regularly, covering five to ten kilometers each time.

By Thomas Mielke (Sächsische Zeitung online on June 25, 2020)