#icompeteclean

With hard work under sweat and tears they fight for their honest sporting success. Mareike and Denise give everything to achieve their goals. "My beads are clean - because #icompeteclean". Each bead of sweat that runs from their forehead is a sign of their strong will and full concentration - not only during the competition, but already in preparation. Their next goal is already on the horizon: the European Champion title at the home event of the European Championships in Berlin. We will give you a look behind the scenes and show you way to their success. Learn more about the multiple medium distance champion, Denise Krebs, and the reigning German combined athletics champion, Mareike Arndt, in the following blog

Trailer: MY BEADS ARE CLEAN - #ICOMPETECLEAN

"My beads are clean because #icompeteclean!" Watch the campaign trailer with the track and field athletes Denise and Mareike here.

In this blog, Mareike and Denise tell you more about themselves. What is their motto in life and what profession did their parents want for them?

Below you'll find the complete campaign spot.

DENISE KREBS – 5,000 METERS TO SUCCESS

(July 9, 2018). Denise Krebs has been active in athletics since she was 7 years old. At first still at home on the medium distance, talent and passion led her now also on to the long distance. She is currently competing for TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen and will be competing for the national team at the European Championships on the 5,000-meter course. Read the blog post to find out more about Denise.

My profile

My age: 31
My sport: Athletics
My club: TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen
When did I start the sport? When I was 7 years old.
My greatest successes: European Championship finalist, Vice World Student Champion (Universiade), European Team Champion, multiple German Champion.

Denise Krebs – MY BEADS ARE CLEAN

"Papa would want you to keep fighting. So pull yourself together, go ahead and surprise yourself!" - With each bead of sweat Denise follows this motto to explore her natural limits again and again. She works hard, trains a lot and fights for her sporting goals. Find out more about Denise #forcleanperformance here in the blog.

Denise Krebs – my pearls are clean

(July 10, 2018). We asked Denise some questions. Read here how Denise motivates herself in bad times or which values she associates with her sport.

What wouldn't you want to miss in your life?

"I wouldn't wanted to miss my family."

Which decision in your life would you want to undo afterwards?

"I probably should have tried the 5,000 meters before."

Do you have a life motto that motivates you even in bad times?

"Dad would want you to keep fighting. So get yourself together, go ahead and surprise yourself."

What would you recommend to your younger self today?

"Stay relaxed more often, pause and enjoy the moment!"

What do you enjoy most about your sport?

"To find out where my natural limits lie in competition and training."

Which values do you associate with your sport?

"Lactate values :-), determination and endurance.

We runners sometimes have a tough job. Because we don't know bad weather like rain or snow. Especially in winter we run countless kilometres, which should give us the necessary hardness for the summer. It's not always fun - it demands determination. Always keep your goal in mind, then you will not only "torture" yourself through the weather, but also through units that simply hurt. And as a runner you need a lot of endurance - we train for that, but this also helps us not to give up easily in everyday life. Well, and lactate values - they give us the truth whether we trained too intensively or too relaxed."

Mareike Arndt takes every hurdle

(July 17, 2018). The reigning 2017 German champion in heptathlon, Mareike Arndt, has been keen on sports since the age of 9. Whether on the tartan track, in the sand pit or while jumping, Mareike takes every hurdle. During the season she will be competing for TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen. In 2018, she is targeting her big goal in Berlin: the home event of the European Championships. Read the blog post to find out more about Mareike.

My profile

My age: 26
My sport: athletics - heptathlon
My club: TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen
When did I start the sport? When I was 9 years old.
My greatest successes: German Heptathlon Champion 2016 and 2017, Vice German Champion 4x400m Relay 2017, European Championship Participation 2018 in Berlin

Mareike Arndt – MY BEADS ARE CLEAN

"The daily fight in training against one's weaker self is a great overcoming, but when you master it, it gives you a great satisfying feeling," says Mareike, who fights sweat bead after sweat bead for her sporting goals. In this blog she tells us what her best and worst decisions in her sporting career have been.

(July 19, 2018). Mareike has answered questions that show us which values she associates with her sport and what she enjoys most about it.

What was the best decision you made in your sporting career?

"The best decision in my career was to move to TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen. It has taken me further in sporting and human aspects. In my opinion, TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen is also the best club for the heptathlon to develop further. You have a perfectly organized environment, top training facilities and experienced coaches around you."

What was the worst decision?

"Actually, there is no bad decision for me here, I just regret it a little, not to have invested more in heptathlon a much earlier stage. In this complex discipline, the age of 17 is actually too late. It's a matter of internalizing several complex movements and mastering them as early as possible."

What do you enjoy most about your sport?

"The daily fight in training against one's weaker self is a great overcoming, but when you master it, it gives you a great satisfying feeling. In competitions it's incredibly fun to share successes and setbacks side by side for two days."

What career did your parents had in mind for you?

"My parents have always given me the freedom to choose what I want to do. They are always there to advise me and support me in my decisions".

What values do you associate with your sport?

"Determination, goal orientation as well as the individuality of each individual competitor. All this carries you during the 7 disciplines in which you share a common passion and support each other".

Do you have a life motto that motivates you even in bad times?

"Never start to stop - never stop to start! (Cicero)"

The campaign spot

With hard work under sweat and tears they fight for their honest sporting success. Mareike and Denise give everything to achieve their goals. "My beads are clean - because #icompeteclean".