Steffen Liebetrau had been dealing with heart problems for many years now and passed away in early April and subsequently had a very private family burial. The fast riding German won the popular Viernheim Triathlon three years in the row from 2002 through 2004, and that event has since be won only by either Timo Bracht, Andreas Böcherer or Sebastian Kienle. Liebetrau came to the sport from cycling in 2002 and was especially fond of Ironman Lanzarote where he finished second 3 years in a row, twice behind Ain-Alar Juhanson. But Liebetrau is best remembered as a person who truly enjoyed life and made friends easily, and several pros who knew him and raced against him kindly shared their thoughts.
“Steffen and I have been very close friends. We met in 2005 and connected like you do with truly good friends. We trained together and were many times together in Lanzarote. We spent 3 weeks together in 2008 in Hawaii and then the crazy thing was when I stopped the sport in 2009 with my heart issues, Steffen also ended up with heart issues that year. So we were in the same situation, even though his heart problems were far worse than mine. He actually truly survived two miracles,” said Torbjørn Sindballe. “We went on a hiking trip late in 2009 and then we saw each other once or twice a year. He was a friend, a dear friend and probably the closest thing to a soul mate to me. We liked to talk about life and we both loved being in nature, and he was very passionate about life, food and arts. So it is a great loss, that is for sure.”
“A few month ago I had a long phone call with Steffen and we talked about my heart surgery and my life post surgery. Things changed for me and till today I am still scared,” said Normann Stadler. “We talked about what happened while running in the Englischen Garten in Munich where he got a heart attack and ended up in a wheelchair. It was a really sad phone call but I felt like we had a connection. We talked about his kid and his life with his parents and he was not happy at all. He asked me to ask my docs in Heidelberg if they could help with being paralyzed in the legs and one arm. I tried everything, but my docs told me that he would never get back to normal. We talked about old times and we wanted to meet this summer and I am so sad that I couldn’t see him again. He was a power horse on the bike, outspoken and a nice person. I still can’t believe it.”
“It is very sad about Steffen. We battled at many regional events all the way to Kona,” said Timo Bracht. “He was a man-about-town. He was articulate and after races always had some stories about homemade cake and specialty coffee. He did triathlon not only for results and competition, but also to search for the spirit of the sport. Lifestyle was always important to Steffen. Every time I am on Lanzarote riding in the middle of the plateau near Masdache I am reminded of him. It was his favorite spot on the island, which together with the Ironman Lanzarote meant a lot to him.”
“Steffen was big athlete with a big heart. Like many Germans he was crazy about bikes and biking. He loved good food and in the beginning of my tri career he was always happy to give advices of any kind,” said Andreas Böcherer. “He was a great cook and some very lucky days I was able to taste something out of his oven - it was always crazy good stuff. One time he made me some homemade Nutella that tasted like heaven. He will be missed. Honestly I can´t really accept he is leaving a daughter behind that is the same age as mine.”
“I met Steffen in 2001 on Lanzarote. As an athlete he was always a very hard worker, who brought a lot of fun and energy to his training sessions, but could also move the sport away for a night to party, when there was a reason to party, “ said Wenke Kujala. “He motivated many with his positive and outgoing attitude. He was a very good guy, who many enjoyed spending time with, but who also did not mind getting into discussions. I think I saw him in 2010 or 2011 for the last time and am very crushed about his untimely death. I hope he is doing well wherever he is right now. My thoughts are with his family for whom this death must have hit them very hard.”
“The news about the death of Steffen hit me hard. I always knew him as a fair and great sportsman. I think we had a lot in common in terms of what we brought to the sport – not crazy talented, but athletes who fought and consequently followed goals,” said Matthias Klumpp.
“I competed in several events with Steffen and always respected him as a fair and honest competitor, and also because he was also very outspoken against the very annoying drafting issue. The heart disease also hit very close to me and although mine is a different situation, this reminds me of it constantly,” said Alex Taubert. “It is difficult to put words together, but he surely left us way too early.”
“This is really, really sad and to be honest I am struggling to accept the fact that Steffen is gone,” said Ain-Alar Juhanson. “When I first met Steffen in 2004 I saw him only as great athlete but later over the years I saw a man who was also always full of life and happiness. He was always a positive person! Over the years our journeys in sport came closer and we trained and raced a lot together. He was great friend and super athlete with true triathlon spirit. Quite often he had bad luck with finishing races in second place but that didn’t bother him too much. Wherever he went, he always found the fun and joy despite the hard training and racing he did at the same time.”
Juhanson added “I clearly remember Steffen’s coffee addiction and I mean quality coffee with freshly ground coffee beans carefully stirred. He enjoyed the aroma and taste as much as the process it self. This how he enjoyed the life as well. That is how I will remember him. Every time I travel through the Black Forrest I think of him as an old friend, comrade and competitor. I feel sad that our journeys grew apart after he finished with sport, but the memory of the always smiling Steffen will stay with me forever. My thoughts are with Steffen's family, friends and close ones.”
You may also share your memories and thoughts about Steffen below.
