Advanced Physical Research Event Recap
“This event was about more than just running—it was about the community it creates.”
You may have heard of @advancedresearch and you may have even joined @division.bpm on a Sunday 10km at 10am or @derusocialrunninglcub on one of their weekly social runs. When the three parties found each other APR (Advanced Physical Research) was created! To put things in motion the Berlin based running club Division:BPM sent a group of runners south to Munich to connect with DSRC (DERU Social Running Club).
With a late train journey and a good sleep on arrival, everybody woke up on the first morning ready to grab a coffee and head out of the city. After connecting with a further group at Munich Central Station we headed south to Pullach where the laces got tightened and shirts tucked in. DSRC founders Andro & Moritz lead the trail back to the city along the River Isar, even stopping for a quick cool off in the clear water before heading back up and across the bridge to DERU Store where breakfast was waiting for us.
On conclusion of day 1 we all connected at the DSRC local pub in Munich…Bergwolf! The DSRC classic menu consisted of (vegan) Currywurst and Pommes (French Fries) and was definitely something to remember.
As opposed to the traditional 10km at 10am around Tempelhoferfeld in Berlin on Sunday morning, the Division:BPM team met the DSRC team at the DERU store for a weekend shakeout run. This time with a bigger group of 50 people we headed north up the River Isar and found ourself running through the English Garden before returning to the store. Sweet Spot Coffee was kind enough to have some freshly brewed coffee and baked goods waiting for our arrival.
This brought our excursion through Munich to an end as we just had a couple hours to clean-up and get to the central station before heading back to Berlin. In just under 72 hours many new connects were made and friendships created. It was not long at all before we reconnected with the DSRC team in Berlin…
The week after, on Friday afternoon, as we sat on the train to Berlin, all of us were engaged in different tasks and activities: some were enjoying their coffee, others were finishing their work for the week, and a few were fighting for their win in the Kniffel DSRC World Championship. We were looking forward to the upcoming marathon weekend, feeling excited and ready for the event. The purpose of the trip: meeting up with the local running crew, division:bpm, and fellow friends of Advanced Research – and of course, some of us were going to run the marathon. This weekend was part of the second iteration of Advanced Physical Research (APR), following the visit by bpm to Munich the previous weekend.
When we arrived in Berlin, we quickly dropped our bags at our Hotel right in the center of the city and headed to the Mental Athletic Video Installation at the Taktil x Paperboy pop-up. Our crews came together because of our shared passion for running. We immediately felt a connection, a sense of togetherness, and the enthusiasm for the next days rose.
Meeting again for our shake-out run, we enjoyed great coffee and delicious Taktil buns and continued our conversations from the night before.Teaming up with New Balance, the brand offered everyone some test shoes for the event. When everybody was laced up and ready, we set out for our run. Running across Tempelhofer Feld as one big group, we were truly moved by the energy of our community, for which the love of running together is more important than pure pace. After having a shower and a quick change, we went straight back to Taktil for the release of our APR magazine and our T-Shirt. Seeing everything APR is about in real life for the first time, we were overwhelmed how it turned out. The organizing crew’s attention to detail, from designing the gallery, the magazine up to the T-Shirt were stunning. Queing for 90 minutes for our event T-shirt was definitely worth the wait. To be fair, with freshly made focaccia and nice tunes, queuing for a tee for which all proceeds fully go to charity has been quite easy. Soon after, those of us who would run the marathon the next day left early to get a good night of sleep, those who wouldn’t run had to recharge their batteries for the full day of cheering that was ahead.
On marathon-morning, the weather was cold and foggy as we made our way to the starting line. Soon after the race had started, the sun came through and the atmosphere loosened up. People were scattered along the course, cheering for the runners.Updating the live tracker every two minutes got us fully involved. We made ourselves a cheering plan, trying to catch our friends from bpm and DSRC as often as possible to provide them drinks, gels, and good vibes. After around 41km, the runners made their last turn and Brandenburger Tor was finally in sight. This was the location of our official cheering zone, right in front of the New Balance x Highsnobiety pop-up. Seeing big smiles on the exhausted runners’ faces, we gave them the last push.
After the race, we waited for the marathoners at the pop-up store where snacks, drinks and other activities were provided. Soon, after some final chats, we had to say our goodbyes since we had to catch our train back to Munich. Sitting on the train, it wasn’t long until exhaustion set in. The weekend had passed fast, being filled with old and new friends, good laughs, talks, runs, and lasting memories. This event was about more than just running — it was about the community it creates.
Pictures: Lorenz Gohlke & Jack Hare
Text: Calum Andrews, Cosima Fröhner, Vivien Neumann
