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There is no single answer to the question “What powers you?”.
Over the past weeks, we have asked runners from different countries, backgrounds and levels of experience what keeps them moving. Some are preparing for their first marathon. Others have completed many. Some run to challenge themselves and discover their limits. Others run for the quiet, the freedom, the sense of progress or simply because running makes them feel good.
Their answers are at the heart of LONGi’s What powers you? series ahead of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2026.
As Official Solar Partner of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, LONGi works with energy every day: capturing the power of the sun and turning it into electricity. With “What powers you?”, we wanted to look at energy from a different perspective and hear from the people - running experts, LONGi employees and those who just run for fun – about their “why”.
Nine runners. Nine perspectives. Nine very different answers to one question. Get to know them!
Carl: Challenge
Carl is an experienced marathon runner, but competition is only part of what keeps him running. He enjoys setting a goal, chasing a faster time and finding out how far he can push himself.
At the same time, running gives him something very different: a chance to disconnect. A podcast, some music or simply time on the road allows him to switch off, clear his mind and focus entirely on the run.
Gianluigi: Persistence
Gianluigi knows what 42.195 kilometres can demand from a runner. He has completed several marathons and has experienced the moments when legs hurt, energy drops and finishing still feels a long way away.
Those moments are also part of what running has taught him.
Long-distance running is not only about the kilometres that feel good. It is about learning to continue through the ones that do not. Experience has shown him that difficult moments pass and that persistence can carry you further than you expect.
Susi: Curiosity
What powers an ultra runner? For Susi, it is the desire to find out what she is capable of.
At home across marathons, trails and ultras, she keeps looking for the next challenge. What matters is not becoming better than somebody else, but discovering whether she can go further than she has before.
That curiosity has taken her from chasing marathon personal bests to long-distance adventures in the mountains. There is always another distance, another trail and another question waiting.
Nadine: Space
For Nadine, running has never primarily been about performance. It is about what happens in her head once she starts moving.
The first minutes require effort. Then the body finds its rhythm, breathing settles and the constant stream of thoughts becomes quieter. What remains is space to think. Some of her best ideas and solutions have come while running.
Her answer to “What powers you?” therefore has little to do with pace or kilometres.
It is the quiet she finds along the way. And the space it provides.
Jori: Progress
Jori would once have been an unlikely person to appear in a series about running.
Growing up, running was the sport she disliked and never felt particularly good at. This June, after years of frequent travel had taken a toll on her stamina, she decided to give it another try.
What changed her mind was how simple running could be: no equipment, no schedule, just put on a pair of shoes and go. Then she began noticing something else. Each week she could run a little further and a little faster.
For Jori, progress is not about competing with the person next to her. It is about becoming better than the person she was yesterday. This September, that journey takes her to the GENERALI 5K in Berlin.
Alain: Balance
For Alain, preparing for his first marathon means finding room for an ambitious goal alongside work, family and everyday life.
His training has developed from 10K and half-marathon distances to long weekly runs of around 25 kilometres. But the value of those kilometres is not measured only by the distance covered.
Running gives him peace. At the same time, marathon preparation requires consistency, structure and the willingness to keep showing up week after week.
Francisco: Strength
For Francisco, the qualities that matter in running are also familiar from his work: strategy, efficiency, strength, courage, resilience, concentration and the willingness to keep pushing himself.
Is he describing himself as a runner or LONGi? His answer is simple: both.
Karo: Perspective
Karo runs at opposite ends of the day, and each gives her a different view of the city around her.
Early in the morning, it is fresh air, her favourite park and the occasional squirrel. Late at night, the same city is defined by lights, quiet streets and an energy that is easy to miss during the day.
For Karo, running is a way to relax and think, but also to pay closer attention to her surroundings. Her neighbourhood never stays still, and running lets her experience those changes one kilometre at a time.
Grace: Change
Grace knows LONGi inside out. Running, however, is new territory.
She had not run in 20 years when she decided it was time to change something. Her goal was deliberately simple: move more and overthink less. There is no race time or distance behind that decision. What powers Grace is curiosity about what can happen when you make one small change and try something new. For her, running starts with exactly that: taking the first step and seeing where it leads.
What powers you?
Nine runners, nine perspectives, and no single answer to what keeps us moving. Challenge, curiosity, progress, persistence, balance, strength, perspective or simply the space running creates: what provides energy is different for everyone.
Now we want to hear your answer. Tell us what powers you to run by sharing your story in the comments, via DM or in your Instagram story and tagging @LONGi_Europe. By taking part in our #WhatPowersYou campaign, you also have the chance to join us in Berlin and win a ticket for the GENERALI 5K on 26 September, part of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON weekend.
What powers you? Share your story with us by 20 September!
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