With small, “half” steps, as he says, Marc Reuther did not get far enough.

Two years in Leipzig and the move back to Frankfurt at the end of 2021 did not pay off as hoped for the 800-meter specialist.

Although the two-time German outdoor champion set new records, when it came down to it, he fell short of expectations: the middle-distance runner missed the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

In the past year, the 26-year-old took part in three international championships, but had to say goodbye after disappointing performances in the heats.

His outdoor record of 1:44.71 minutes would have been enough for gold in the final of the continental title fights in Munich.

Training at the highest level

Already during the summer season, the plan had matured in Reuther to venture out of the comfort zone and try one's luck abroad.

The Hessian has been enjoying the Australian sun for two months.

In Melbourne he has joined Justin Rinaldi's strong international training group.

"He has already led numerous runners to big finals and to medals," explains Reuther.

Together with discipline colleagues from Australia, New Zealand, Scotland or the Cook Islands, who are pursuing the same goals as he is, he practices at the highest level every day.

"We push each other, and that was important to me." For years he had had the feeling that he always had to motivate himself.

With the Frankfurt chapter, Reuther has completely closed after eight years.

He gave up his apartment in the Main metropolis, wants to live and practice in Wiesbaden between the joint training blocks with the new team, where the native of Düsseldorf grew up, and has also changed clubs: Instead of Eintracht Frankfurt, the athlete will in future be for the Königsteiner LV are at the start.

He has been friends with its sporting director Judith Wagemans for years.

He needs people around him who believe in him, "who are there for me, no matter how things are going," explains Reuther.

He recently missed that in his sporting environment.

“I got absolutely no support.

There wasn't a single person who said: Marc, I'll keep counting on you." He is "not yet 35" and, eighth in the all-time list of the best, one of the fastest 800-meter runners in the history of his country.

Coach does not ask for money

The German Athletics Association wanted to revoke his squad status.

Reuther successfully fought against this and is therefore still entitled to physiotherapy, for example.

However, the second in the national best-of-the-year list no longer receives support for training camps or other measures.

The third party in the DM remains protected through the sports aid, the Hessian Sports Foundation and the club.

He doesn't have to pay his new coach because Rinaldi's main job is working at a bank and he enjoys training so much that he doesn't charge the athletes in whom he sees potential.

He only has to raise money for the flights and the accommodation, which the German shares with the other athletes during his stay overseas.

It's an expense he's happy to pay as he's "super happy" in his new life.

"I don't regret my decision for a minute," says Reuther.

The units are tough and yet he feels a certain lightness.

“We sometimes go out together in the evening and still train at full speed the next day.” He hopes to be able to bring the relaxed attitude that people on the other side of the world radiate to the competition track later on.

The mental often posed a problem for Reuther and slowed him down at crucial moments during his career.

Now he hopes to have found the right path and the right man at his side to be fit to the point and to be able to deliver his performance.

Before Christmas he will return to the winter at home from the Australian summer with currently 25 to 30 degrees a day.

A training camp in South Africa is planned for January.

After that, Reuther wants to start a "normal indoor season".

He has the European Championships in Istanbul at the beginning of March in mind.

Under the roof "I've often performed well," says Reuther, whose best time from 2020 is 1:45.39 minutes.

Perhaps, thanks to his new way of life, he will also succeed in the big events of the summer season in the coming year.