📸 Mintzlaff puts in the miles! Why the RB boss jogs by the touchline

📸 Mintzlaff puts in the miles! Why the RB boss jogs by the touchline

At RB Leipzig’s home match against Union Berlin, Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff is showing an unusual side of himself. Instead of following the action from the stands as usual, the 50-year-old stays active for the full 90 minutes. The former long-distance runner covers plenty of ground throughout the match on a treadmill set up right next to Leipzig’s bench.

The aim of this special campaign is to draw attention to the “Wings for Life” foundation. The organization, which is rooted in the Red Bull universe, supports research around the world into curing spinal cord injuries.

As Mintzlaff explained over the stadium microphone, he was not at all enthusiastic about the suggestion from a marketing employee at first. After initially rejecting it, however, he changed his mind in order to use the match’s reach: he wants to encourage people to take part in the upcoming Wings for Life Run.

📸 RONNY HARTMANN - AFP or licensors

The former endurance athlete has also set himself a personal goal: by the end of the evening, he plans to have covered a greater distance than the professional footballers on the pitch. According to his own statement to 'Sky', Mintzlaff had already completed his first ten kilometers by halftime. Another ten were supposed to follow in the second half. He said he wanted to maintain an average pace of 4:30 minutes per kilometer over the full distance. Leipzig’s top runner on the pitch by halftime, incidentally, was Max Finkgräfe with 6.13 kilometers. RB Leipzig was already leading 2-0 at that point and added a third goal after the break.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence.