Bonn - More than 11,300 participants are taking part in the Bonn Marathon this Sunday. The first half marathon runners have been on the course since 8.45 am.

After a long break due to the Coronavirus pandemic, thousands of participants are again competing in the Deutsche Post Marathon in Bonn this Sunday.

The classic course for the by now 20th event remains almost unchanged. In addition to a marathon and a half marathon, there is also a school marathon and a marathon relay for friends, family or work colleagues. The half marathon is also for inline skaters, hand cyclists and walkers.

The Bonner General-Anzeiger is on site during the event with numerous reporters and photographers reporting live on the action.

All half marathon runners are out on the course

The starting signal for the last group of the half marathon was given by Birgit Schneider-Bönninger, Head of the Department of Sport and Culture. All participants of the half marathon are now on the course. They will complete the 21.0975-kilometre loop once and later run via Sternstraße at the market to the finish line.

The inline skaters have already reached the finishing line which, because of the cobblestones, is at the Hofgarten, after which they just roll out onto the Marktplatz.

Protests against the widening of the A565 have been going on since plans were first drawn up. In the meantime, the alliance that has been formed against the project, comprising 30 organisations and initiatives, is bringing out the big guns: On Monday, the activists unfurled a large banner on the Hofgartenwiese, displaying the dimensions of a four-lane motorway. The second event within a short time was a demonstration on Saturday from Poppelsdorf to Endenicher Ei and back.

After a march through the streets including traffic disruption, the spectacular highlight was that the roundabout on the motorway bridge in Endenich was closed so that participants could go for a spin on inline skates, with scooters, children's and running bikes, Bobbycars and other vehicles.

Things started in front of the Poppelsdorf Palace, where the participants - the police estimated around 160 people - heard some short statements on the topic from various involved parties.

The core of the issue is the rejection of the extension of the A565 as well as the construction of the Rheinspange near Wesseling and various other new motorway construction projects over the next few years. The current Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan must be put to the test, said Malte Kleinwort of Parents for Future, one of the spokespersons of the Transport Turnaround Alliance. "The plan is from 2016, when the Paris climate protection goals were not yet so much in focus." The foundations on which the plan is based, however, are much older.

The protest is primarily directed at the federal government. Although the motorway runs through Bonn, it is not a municipal project. "Lord Mayor Katja Dörner is also against the expansion," says Kleinwort. But she cannot decide anything. "It can only be prevented at federal level." There, the Federal Transport Plan will be voted on again this year, and therein lies the chance. The activists view Austria, where the government has overturned several earlier motorway projects, as a model. A nationwide mobility plan is needed, with more investment in rail transport, public transport and cycling.

Original article: Stefan Knopp

On Saturday, a 74-year-old woman in Sankt Augustin chased a burglar out of her flat. The woman lives on the ground floor of a building in Zedernweg in the Niederpleis district of Sankt Augustin. In the early evening, she noticed two suspicious-looking people in a playground behind the apartment building. When the senior citizen was sitting in her flat about ten minutes later, she heard a strange noise coming from her bedroom, the window of which she had left ajar for ventilation.

When she reached the bedroom, the woman encountered a burglar who jumped over the bed and fled out of the window. His accomplice was apparently waiting outside. Both perpetrators were observed fleeing on foot in the direction of Holzweg. The woman escaped unharmed.

The suspects were described as follows: The darkly dressed man had a dark complexion and was about 1.70 to 1.75 metres tall, 25 to 30 years old, of gaunt build, with long dark hair slicked back and a three-day beard. His female accomplice was said to be of similar age, about 1.60 to 1.65 metres tall and corpulent. She was wearing a light-coloured jacket and a black skirt.

If you have any information or queries, please contact the Rhine-Sieg District Police Department at 02241 541-2222 or send an e-mail to pressestelle@polizei-rhein-sieg.de.