From a master's degree to a marathon: René Langenströer in search of his next challenge
UW/H student René Langenströer is running the Berlin Marathon for a good cause. In addition to his athletic ambitions, he also has entrepreneurial goals.
When René Langenströer ran through the Brandenburg Gate on 27 September 2026 after covering 42.195 kilometres, he had completed the race in 3 hours and 25 minutes. “Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to achieve my target time of under three hours. But crossing the finish line was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced. Running towards the Brandenburg Gate is truly breathtaking and a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said the Master’s student at Witten/Herdecke University, who took to the starting line alongside more than 50,000 other runners from all over the world. René himself would never have expected endurance sport to one day play such a major role in his life. It all started about a year and a half ago with a YouTube video about preparing for an Ironman. Until then, René had always been physically active – including seven years of fencing – but he had hardly any experience of endurance sports.
When compensation turns into passion
Alongside his training and competitions, René is studying for a Master’s in General Management at UW/H. He has now submitted his Master’s thesis. What was originally intended primarily as a way to balance out his studies has developed into a passion. The flexibility of his course helped him to balance intensive training periods with his academic commitments.
And at the same time, sport gave him something in return for his everyday student life: “I can see the positive mental benefits too,” says René. “When I’m running, I can think more clearly and afterwards I’m more focused and much calmer. Especially when I’m out running without headphones or other distractions, I eventually get into a flow.”
His favourite training route is right on his doorstep in Witten: from his home, René runs to Lake Kemnade, doing one or two laps depending on his training plan – and then back again.
Of the participating organisations, he chose the charity Kinderhilfe – Hilfe für krebs- und schwerkranke Kinder e. V. He had already raised the target amount weeks before the marathon. The UW/H also supported his initiative with a donation of 200 euros.
For René, the fact that his sporting goal also serves a good cause is far more than just an alternative to a standard starting place. “Even in my next race, I would try to combine my participation with supporting a charitable organisation.” For René, this support ties in with what he experienced during his Master’s degree in Witten. “When I arrived in Witten, I sensed the special atmosphere right from the start and felt very much at home straight away,” he says, continuing, “I get the impression that the university’s values align closely with my own. That’s why I explained my plan to the university and am delighted that they have supported it.”
The next project is already waiting after the finish line
After the Berlin Marathon, things will quieten down a bit on the sporting front for the Master’s student. In future, he wants to invest more of his time and energy in another goal: setting up his own business.
The desire to be active as an entrepreneur has been with him for a long time. In early 2026, René was awarded the NRW Start-up Grant. He already has a concept and a product for his venture – though René doesn’t want to reveal any further details at this stage. His management studies at UW/H provide him with the professional foundation for his start-up project.
The transition from marathon training to setting up a business is unlikely to be entirely unfamiliar to him anyway: setting an ambitious goal, working consistently towards it and persevering, even when giving up would be the obvious option – René knows this all too well from his marathon training.