This evening we did something big. We participated in a 5k run that filled downtown Frankfurt like the Macey’s New Year’s Day Parade! Not only did 63,000 employees from 100s of companies participate, thousands more lined every inch of the route to cheer on their friends and co-workers. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Here’s a news article Ralf wrote about the run and a bit of information about it:
On 5 June 2024, administrative employees from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated in the 30th annual Frankfurt am Main J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge. With the starting line set on Hochstraße and the finish line near Dantestraße, this 5.6-kilometre race has become a tradition for the European Central Area office. This year, participation reached an all-time high, with 114 Church employees joining – 91 more than the previous race in 2023.
Part of the registration fees will be given to Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and Deutsche Behindertensportjugend as the chosen beneficiaries of the Frankfurt race. These organisations focus on empowering youth struggling with disabilities, chronic illnesses, educational or inclusion challenges, by providing them outlets to engage in sport training and competitions.
We met downstairs in the cafeteria to register and have a sandwich, then we all took public transport downtown.
We arrived at the starting point about an hour early. I had no idea this entire plaza and the streets around it would eventually completely fill with people.
At 7:00 the gates were opened and the first batch of participants were let out. We were in the 3rd wave.
Ella Romney and I stuck together and kept to a brisk walk. We finished in about an hour. Our fastest employee finished in 17 minutes.
We were met at the end by a small crew handing our water and granola bars.
Then after rounding everyone up, we headed back to the office and home. It was a really fun evening. Lots of noise and cheer and all for a good cause.
Our Frankfurt Germany Mission 