Give up? Not my trail.
Latest blog post: Two Weeks After the Surgery
I’m a trail runner from Switzerland, and I’m happiest when the path is long, my legs are burning and the view makes up for all of it. In short: ultras are my thing.
Mind you, I’m a pretty late bloomer. I only started running in 2011, at 38.
Just as I was really getting into it, my back put the brakes on: a herniated disc at L5/S1, surgery in April 2012. Would I ever be able to run again? The doctors said probably not. I said probably yes. So I got back into running and consistently combined it with targeted strength training for my core and legs. I stuck with it, and lo and behold: it worked.
What really hooked me was the E16 at the Eiger Ultra Trail in 2019, my very first trail race. From then on, there was no turning back. Three years later, I stood at the same spot on the start line of my first ultra: the Eiger Ultra Trail E51, 51 kilometers and 2,720 meters of elevation gain. Six more ultras followed, plus plenty of shorter races.
Well, and then came the summer of 2026. My back spoke up again, and loudly this time. Diagnosis: a completely worn-out disc, plus osteoarthritis in the facet joints. To restore stability, another surgery was unavoidable: a fusion of the segment via TLIF (Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion).
And that’s exactly where this blog comes in. I’m taking you along on my road back: through rehab, with all the small wins, setbacks and aha moments. The goal? Another ultra trail, of course. What else?
Glad you’re here. Let’s hit the trail!