From America to Australia: A passion for running across four continents
Among the more than 14,000 runners who participated in person and virtually in the 15th Augsburg Company Run, the FORUM MEDIA GROUP was once again well represented. And they set a special record: 124 employees from 11 countries and 4 continents were at the starting line—the largest global team FORUM has ever fielded at the company run. At the same time, the media group combined its participation with regional engagement: Together with the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians (IYFR), FORUM is supporting the “Bunter Kreis” in Augsburg with a donation.
Whether as a group or as individual runners, the global team from FORUM MEDIA GROUP had a strong showing at the Augsburg Company Run. (Left: Team from FORUM MEDIA Slovenija. Right: An employee of Lighthouse Independent Media in China).
Over 120 active FORUM employees worldwide
In addition to the German FORUM team, which was represented on-site in Augsburg by 20 participants, this year’s event was marked above all by strong international participation. Colleagues from across all time zones and continents joined the run virtually—from Europe to Asia, from Australia to the Americas.
Particularly large international teams included FORUM MEDIA Slovenija with 23 participants, FORUM companies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia with 16 participants, in Poland with 15 participants, and in Australia with 12 participants. In addition, numerous mini-teams and individual runners from the U.S., Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Spain, and other company locations—including, of course, within Germany—took part. Some employees ran the course while on vacation, so runs also took place in Ireland and China.
“We connected well as a team, did something beneficial for our health and well-being, and maintained a positive spirit throughout the event,” sums up Katja Feguš, an employee from the Slovenian FORUM team. It shows how much the company run remains a positive memory not only as a sporting event but also as a strong symbol of solidarity, motivation, and team spirit across national borders.
FORUM also made a mark in terms of athletic performance: The fastest time among all virtual runners was achieved by Jiří Flodr, an employee of Nakladatelství FORUM in Prague. He completed the 5.3-kilometer course in just 19:01 minutes. Congratulations!
Greetings from Fort Worth, Texas, from an employee of our subsidiary, Gemba Academy.
Joint donation by FMG and IYFR to “Bunter Kreis” in Augsburg
In addition to the sporting and international aspects, FORUM combined participation in the corporate run with social engagement in the region. In addition to the donations from the corporate run’s entry fees that go to social projects, the FORUM MEDIA GROUP, together with its partner, the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians (IYFR)—a Rotarian sailing club—supports the “Bunter Kreis” foundation in Augsburg.
For each participant from the group, 5 euros goes to the organization. With 124 participants, this results in a total donation of 620 euros. The amount supports the valuable work of “Bunter Kreis” in assisting families with chronically ill, cancer-stricken, and critically ill children in the Bavarian Swabia region.
The joint donation builds on the close ties between IYFR and the “Eye of the Wind,” a traditional sailing ship owned by FMG. Following a club meeting at the FORUM headquarters in Merching, IYFR presented the company with a donation of €333 as a token of appreciation. FORUM is now continuing this support in partnership with the sailing club by matching the amount to €5 per participant and transferring the total sum to “Bunter Kreis” together with IYFR as part of the Augsburg Company Run. Thus, this year’s Augsburg Company Run became a special event for the FORUM MEDIA GROUP in several ways: as an international community experience, as a sporting success, and as a sign of regional responsibility.
Cover photo: Our FORUM running team in Augsburg, consisting of 20 employees from our headquarters in Merchingen, including those from FORUM Verlag Herkert GmbH and FORUM Zeitschriften und Spezialmedien GmbH.