After 1,000 kilometres of walking and 34 days between hail and heat, Steven Hargarter finally caught sight of the longed-for silhouette of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain, the destination of the Camino de Santiago, on 1 May. "It felt like a rush. I couldn't believe that I had actually made it!" says REWE employee Hargarter, describing how he felt at the time. For a long time, his doctors had not believed that he would ever be able to walk again - let alone complete this exhaustingly long pilgrimage.

Market manager Klaudia Jackson supported the project. "But the worst thing was the isolation from the outside world." During the coronavirus period, personal contact was prohibited; Hargarter only stayed in touch with his wife by phone.

But instead of resigning himself to the situation, he completed his commercial specialist and his training licence by distance learning from his sickbed. Where did he find the mental strength to do this? "I didn't want to waste any time. I thought to myself, that can't be all there is to it, I really wanted to make a career at REWE," says Hargarter, explaining his mental strength. "For me, giving up was simply not an option." With great ambition and excellent results, he passed the exam at the second attempt. His recovery, however, was slow. He had to cope with repeated setbacks. During this difficult time, the Saarland native read the popular book by comedian Hape Kerkeling about his pilgrimage on the Way of St James. Hargarter resolved: "If I'm ever able to walk again, that's my goal."

Three years, four rehab sessions and countless hours of training later, Hargarter was able to walk again without walking aids.

1.000 kilometres was Steven Hargarter's pilgrimage. He returned to his job at the REWE store in Lisdorf, starting with short shifts and slowly working his way up. When he heard about the option for REWE to grant employees a sabbatical, he remembered the Way of St James. His boss Klaudia Jackson supported his plan and the tenacity with which he fought his way back to life right from the start - and so on 2 April this year, the time had come: Steven Hargarter began his pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

He started in the French Pyrenean town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, initially accompanied by his wife "just to be on the safe side". Once again, Hargarter demonstrated enormous willpower: he walked for over a month through constant rain, snow, hail and sub-zero temperatures in the Pyrenees and later through scorching heat. He felt his physical limitations every day, and the 1,400 metres of altitude difference he had to overcome was particularly difficult on the descent. But the 32-year-old steadily built up his stamina and miraculously progressed without blisters on his feet ("My most important recommendation: merino socks!"). Steven Hargarter carried his rucksack with fifteen kilograms of luggage with great determination, and was rewarded with the most beautiful scenery and the friendships he made with people from all over the world. "You motivate each other on the route. Some companions stay, you grow together," Hargarter describes. "You don't think about the whole route, you just take it step by step