diff --git a/src/config.ts b/src/config.ts
index 9f348a1..fbda9c6 100644
--- a/src/config.ts
+++ b/src/config.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { config as configDotenv } from 'dotenv';
 import { CountryCode } from 'libphonenumber-js';
 import ValidatorJS from 'validator';
 
-configDotenv();
+configDotenv();
 export const config = {
     internal_port: parseInt(process.env.APP_PORT) || 4010,
     development: process.env.NODE_ENV === "production",
@@ -11,16 +11,17 @@ export const config = {
     jwt_secret: process.env.JWT_SECRET || "secretjwtsecret",
     station_token_secret: process.env.STATION_TOKEN_SECRET || "",
     nats_url: process.env.NATS_URL || "nats://localhost:4222",
-    phone_validation_countrycode: getPhoneCodeLocale(),
-    postalcode_validation_countrycode: getPostalCodeLocale(),
-    version: process.env.VERSION || require('../package.json').version,
-    seedTestData: getDataSeeding(),
-    app_url: process.env.APP_URL || "http://localhost:8080",
-    privacy_url: process.env.PRIVACY_URL || "/privacy",
-    imprint_url: process.env.IMPRINT_URL || "/imprint",
-    mailer_url: process.env.MAILER_URL || "",
-    mailer_key: process.env.MAILER_KEY || ""
-}
+    nats_prewarm: process.env.NATS_PREWARM === "true",
+    phone_validation_countrycode: getPhoneCodeLocale(),
+    postalcode_validation_countrycode: getPostalCodeLocale(),
+    version: process.env.VERSION || require('../package.json').version,
+    seedTestData: getDataSeeding(),
+    app_url: process.env.APP_URL || "http://localhost:8080",
+    privacy_url: process.env.PRIVACY_URL || "/privacy",
+    imprint_url: process.env.IMPRINT_URL || "/imprint",
+    mailer_url: process.env.MAILER_URL || "",
+    mailer_key: process.env.MAILER_KEY || ""
+}
 let errors = 0
 if (typeof config.internal_port !== "number") {
     consola.error("Error: APP_PORT is not a number")
diff --git a/src/loaders/index.ts b/src/loaders/index.ts
index 5972028..96b6e34 100644
--- a/src/loaders/index.ts
+++ b/src/loaders/index.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 import { Application } from "express";
+import consola from "consola";
+import { config } from "../config";
 import NatsClient from "../nats/NatsClient";
+import { warmAll } from "../nats/RunnerKV";
 import databaseLoader from "./database";
 import expressLoader from "./express";
 import openapiLoader from "./openapi";
@@ -11,6 +14,15 @@ import openapiLoader from "./openapi";
 export default async (app: Application) => {
     await databaseLoader();
     await NatsClient.connect();
+    
+    if (config.nats_prewarm) {
+        consola.info("Prewarming NATS runner cache...");
+        const startTime = Date.now();
+        await warmAll();
+        const duration = Date.now() - startTime;
+        consola.success(`NATS runner cache prewarmed in ${duration}ms`);
+    }
+    
     await openapiLoader(app);
     await expressLoader(app);
     return app;
diff --git a/src/nats/RunnerKV.ts b/src/nats/RunnerKV.ts
index 6ab9d62..6302cd9 100644
--- a/src/nats/RunnerKV.ts
+++ b/src/nats/RunnerKV.ts
@@ -126,3 +126,65 @@ export async function warmRunner(runnerId: number): Promise<RunnerKVEntry> {
     await setRunnerEntry(runnerId, entry);
     return entry;
 }
+
+/**
+ * Bulk cache prewarming: loads all runners from the database and populates the KV cache.
+ * Uses 3 efficient queries and parallel KV writes to minimize startup time.
+ *
+ * Call from loader during startup (if NATS_PREWARM=true) to eliminate DB reads on the hot
+ * path from the very first scan.
+ */
+export async function warmAll(): Promise<void> {
+    const connection = getConnection();
+
+    // Query 1: All runners
+    const runners = await connection
+        .getRepository(Runner)
+        .createQueryBuilder('runner')
+        .select(['runner.id', 'runner.firstname', 'runner.lastname'])
+        .getMany();
+
+    // Query 2: Total valid distance per runner
+    const distanceResults = await connection
+        .getRepository(TrackScan)
+        .createQueryBuilder('scan')
+        .select('scan.runner', 'runnerId')
+        .addSelect('COALESCE(SUM(track.distance), 0)', 'total')
+        .innerJoin('scan.track', 'track')
+        .where('scan.valid = :valid', { valid: true })
+        .groupBy('scan.runner')
+        .getRawMany();
+
+    // Query 3: Latest valid scan timestamp per runner
+    const latestResults = await connection
+        .getRepository(TrackScan)
+        .createQueryBuilder('scan')
+        .select('scan.runner', 'runnerId')
+        .addSelect('MAX(scan.timestamp)', 'latestTimestamp')
+        .where('scan.valid = :valid', { valid: true })
+        .groupBy('scan.runner')
+        .getRawMany();
+
+    // Build lookup maps
+    const distanceMap = new Map<number, number>();
+    distanceResults.forEach((row: any) => {
+        distanceMap.set(parseInt(row.runnerId, 10), parseInt(row.total, 10));
+    });
+
+    const latestMap = new Map<number, number>();
+    latestResults.forEach((row: any) => {
+        latestMap.set(parseInt(row.runnerId, 10), parseInt(row.latestTimestamp, 10));
+    });
+
+    // Write all entries in parallel
+    const writePromises = runners.map((runner) => {
+        const entry: RunnerKVEntry = {
+            displayName: `${runner.firstname} ${runner.lastname}`,
+            totalDistance: distanceMap.get(runner.id) ?? 0,
+            latestTimestamp: latestMap.get(runner.id) ?? 0,
+        };
+        return setRunnerEntry(runner.id, entry);
+    });
+
+    await Promise.all(writePromises);
+}