On the 22 June, exactly at 4:03 pm, the Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier team started on the Hamburg Commercial Bank Run to donate for a good cause. In bright white team-shirts they ran the four-kilometre-route through eastern HafenCity enjoying perfect sunshine.
The start was a home-game for the running group because the first stage of the run took them through Hübenerstraße, past the construction site of the Westfield Hamburg Überseequartier where the foundation-stone was recently laid. From here one had an impressive view of the excavation with its cranes, excavators and containers. On a total area of 419,000 square metres a quarter is being created here which will enliven and enrich the entire HafenCity with its offices and apartments as well as with cultural and leisure facilities.
The running course offered many highlights of the rapidly developing district. Throughout the day a total of 640 colourfully dressed teams with 18,226 participants ran past the HafenCity University, the Baakenpark that opened in 2018, the construction site of Amerigo-Vespucci-Platz, and the impressive new U4-terminal at the Elbbrücken with its futuristic design. Finally, at Grasbrookpark cheering spectators welcomed the proudly arriving running groups.
The charity run is a continuously recurring event. The first took place in 2002. At that time 55 teams with 930 participants started. Since then this annual benefit-event has come a long and successful way. In 2018 21,862 running enthusiasts in 710 teams ran up to a donation of 162,500 euros. Already over 1.75 million euros for the “Children Help Children”, a campaign of the Hamburger Abendblatt association, have been collected in the past 17 runs. With this campaign children and young people of financially weaker situated families are supported. The project “Kids into Clubs” enables them to take part in sports of Hamburg sport clubs.
This year, the greatest charity-run in Northern Germany has once again been a great success: 134,000 euros were raised in total. Therefore, the dream of being a member in a sport’s club will come true for many more children and teenagers.
