It was over a year ago when Jonas Hector announced: After 314 games for 1. FC Köln, the left-back was ending his career.
But the Saarland native has lost none of his fitness, as he demonstrated on Sunday (October 6, 2024) at the annual marathon in Cologne. At the major event in the Rhine metropolis, Hector took part in the start with numerous other runners – and impressed the FC fans.
Praise for Hector online
The 34-year-old crossed the finish line with a time of two hours, 57 minutes and 42 seconds and ended up in 186th place, almost 45 minutes behind the winning time of Ethiopian Demeke Tadesse.
What was noticeable: Hector divided the 42.195 kilometers almost perfectly, running both halves in one hour and 28 minutes. There was a lot of recognition on the internet for the ex-Cologne player’s performance.
A user of the short message service X wrote: “Strong marathon debut for Jonas Hector. Significantly faster than the other former footballers.”
Another congratulated: “Congratulations Jonas Hector – after the triathlon last year, he also mastered the next stage. There is life after Effzeh.”
The former national player had already completed a triathlon last year. At the “Top Race Germany” at Bostalsee in northern Saarland, Hector competed over the Olympic distance.
There he also showed a remarkable performance: out of 140 starters, the ex-FC captain crossed the finish line in 26th place, all with a strong time of 2:28:49 hours.
After his career, Hector is not only active in sports as a long-distance runner, he is also a passionate golfer and this year, among other things, took part in the 1. FC Köln charity tournament at Gut Lärchenhof.