Heiko Weiner was born in Suhl, a smaller city in the Turingian Forest in the former East Germany, where his family still resides. He spent about 18 years close by, living between Oberhof and Steinbach-Hallenberg until he moved to the United States in 1994. Heiko’s parents, brother Thomas and family still reside in Steinbach-Hallenberg.

Heiko discovered his passion for running as a teenager. He has participated in countless road races, from 10Ks and marathons to trail runs up to 47 miles long. Heiko received his education through a 12-year extended secondary school in Germany. He went on to receive his masters and PhD in chemistry at the Mining Academy Freiberg in Saxonia before doing postdoctoral work at Colorado State University. Heiko is currently a senior research specialist in the Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis Group at The Dow Chemical Company.

Heiko heard about the Blue Planet Run through a conversation at work. He immediately visited the Run’s Web site and became inspired by its mission. Heiko learned firsthand to appreciate the value of clean and safe drinking water during his expeditions to remote locations. Heiko is currently training not only for the Blue Planet Run but also for the Boston Marathon, with a six-day routine covering 70 miles a week. His mileage clocks in at about 6:15 to 6:30 a mile. After the marathon, Heiko plans to take some time off and settle for a slightly easier routine before the Blue Planet Run kicks off in June. Heiko admits he needs a lot of calories to support all this strenuous activity. He is a big breakfast person and usually runs around lunch time. He eats several small-portion meals a day to sustain his energy levels. His favorite meal is a nice, juicy steak, as he is a real “meat and potatoes” kind of guy.

In addition to running, Heiko’s other passion is mountaineering. He has climbed more than thirty-five 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado, traveled to Mexico’s volcanoes and climbed Aconcagua in Argentina with 12 people from nine different countries. More recently, he climbed Mount McKinley with a team of six people from the United States, Canada and England. When he’s not scaling mountains or running marathons, Heiko enjoys reading adventure novels and relishes the company of his cat, Madeline, who has been his loyal companion for years.