The Event
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards) is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate. First initiated in 1974, the event traditionally takes place on the last weekend in September.
With 40,827 enrolled starters from 107 countries, 35,913 official finishers and more than one million spectators for example in 2008, the Berlin marathon is one of the largest and most popular road races in the world. Along with four other races, it forms the World Marathon Majors, a series offering a $1 million prize purse to be split equally between the top male and female marathoners.
The event is split over 2 days. About 8,000 additional inline skaters compete at the marathon course the Saturday before the running event. Power walkers, handbikers, wheelchair riders, and a children's marathon (4.2195 km) are also part of the marathon weekend, which is organised by SCC Running and currently sponsored by BMW.
The Course
A map of the course can be found to the left here which includes many of the iconic landmarks that Berlin has to offer..
The most marathon world records for men and women have been set at the Berlin course, which is known for its flat profile, even surface,cheering spectators, and its frequently mild autumn temperatures.
The course within the metropolis starts and finishes near the Brandenburg Gate. Because of the division of city, the marathon events before 1990 were limited to the area of West Berlin. Only on 30th September 1990, were athletes able to run through the Brandenburg Gate and the unified city saw its first race running through both halves. It was reported that a great many of the runners had tears in their eyes as they ran through the gate.
Nowadays, after leaving Brandenburg Gate, the course passes Charlottenburg, around Tiergarten, along Moabit and Mitte, and then south to Friedrichshain. After that, it winds west between Kreuzberg and Neukölln, through Schöneberg, over to Steglitz and Zehlendorf, before turning north back toward the city's center. Looping above Schöneberg, the course comes full circle as it finishes by the Gate.
Introduction to my event
So, after announcing my retirement from marathons following Helsinki, here I was again. But why was I doing another marathon? Well, I did not really have any intentions to do anymore, at least for the short term future, but I had some friends from Finland and the UK who were keen on doing this, and after a little persuasion from them, I decided to give it a go. Afterall, it would be a nice little holiday too and would be my first visit to Berlin.
Leading up to the event, my training had gone very well in the early stages, but I did not probably do enough of the long runs towards the end. However, I felt in good spirits and was fit, healthy and ready to go.
We arrived in Berlin the day before the marathon. After a short stop at the hotel it was time to go out, meet everyone else (who had different flight times) and find a suitable venue for the all important meal before the big race. Plenty of carbs required! This was quite a challenge as the city was packed with people who had exactly the same plan. We eventually found a restaurant, but it was very busy!
After a stroll round to see some of the sites, we were back in the hotel for an early night in preparation for the 9am race start.
Race Day
It was an early wake up call at 6am. After getting into my kit, it was time to meet John and Mehmet for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After breakfast, a few last minute checks were made before we left the hotel for a quick team photo.
We were outside by 8am, and the morning was off to a chilly start. However, there was not a cloud in the sky and the forecast for the day was that it was going to warm up quite nicely, with temperatures possibly reaching the mid-20's by the afternoon. I think it was going to be important to do as quick a start as possible before it started to get too warm!
Further details to come soon! Watch this space
Results
Summary of the results will be available soon