"Crown" in tow

79-year-old keeps fit with daily mountain run

Hans Müller on his daily mountain run.(Bild: Roland Holitzky)

Globetrotter Hans Müller took the "Krone" with him on his daily run up the Katschberg.

In the early hours of the morning, road users honk and wave as they pass Hans Müller. Anyone who is often on the Katschi has long known the Rennweg native, who completes his daily six-kilometre run up his local mountain. "Running is an exaggeration by now. But it's just the way it goes, and it's not about speed," the passionate mountain runner (79) tells the "Krone".

Nickname "sewing machine"
The ex-teacher started running on the Katschberg a good 30 years ago. "My nickname is sewing machine because I always take small steps when I run." He knows his route, the B99, inside out - including the dangers that lurk on the steep, winding road. "That's why I always wear a high-visibility vest." Not forgetting changing sides: "So that we can be seen in time by oncoming traffic on bends."

But the route, which often leads not only up to the Katschberghöhe, but also to the Gamskogelhütte and often up to the Tschaneck (2024 m), is not the only one the mountain sportsman has covered in his life. "There were a lot of competitive races, like the Matterhorn Run," says Müller, opening a door in his home, behind which he has kept countless trophies and medals.

25 lower leg fractures
But running hasn't always been the globetrotter's only passion. "I've been to the North and South Poles, crossed Greenland, climbed six-thousand-metre peaks in China and even completed a ski tour in the Namibian desert." But Müller's life changed abruptly in 2017. A car hit the Rennweger. "I had 25 lower leg fractures and just hoped that I would be able to walk again."

Müller was out of action for two years, but fought his way back. Because without exercise, the former teacher, who has also written 40 books on the side, would be missing something. "It keeps me fit. Running is meditation for me. If I have a mental block while writing, for example, I clear my head while running - it just feels good," says the Upper Carinthian, who radiates vitality and energy.