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Apr 27, 2024

Berlin Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.7

Organization 4.2

Spectators 4.6

Number of comments: 120 [displaying comments 51 to 61]

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James Murphy from Chicago, IL (11/23/2009) "First-Class Book, Too" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Berlin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I want to update my comments on the 2009 Berlin Marathon, which I made shortly after the race, which I summarized as "First Class Event." I just received in the mail the souvenir book, which presumably is sent to all participants (I don't recall paying extra for it, and did not expect it.) I have received nice, magazine-quality souvenir results books from Chicago and Boston, but the book I just received from Berlin is really outstanding. First of all, it is a hardback book, not a magazine. It is the size of a magazine, and filled with beautiful color photos of all the events of the weekend, from the roller blade marathon the day before, to the expo, to the kids' race, to the pre-race run (breakfast at the Olymic Stadium), and, of course, to the marathon. It is extraordinarily well done and quite the keepsake. However, unlike other results books I have gotten from other races, this one does NOT list every runner's result. They do have several pages listing the times of those who have run at least 10 Berlin marathons, and of course, the top elite finishers.
James Skinner from Gloucestershire, England (10/6/2009) "One of the world's great marathons" (about: 2008) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Berlin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Berlin offers a fantastic marathon: A flat, fast course that takes in some of the main city landmarks and provides the ideal environment in which to run well. The crowds and organization are second to none. You can tell that this is a well established event that means something to the people of Berlin. The pre-race expo is excellent, with plenty of merchandise on offer, something that disappoints at some other events. Everyone always says that Berlin offers a great chance for a PB, and whilst this is true to a point (flat course/fast), it really depends on your grouping at the start and how congested things get during the race. Several times, the course narrowed as you entered a new street, and this had the effect of bunching and slowing everyone down. I know this has been mentioned in previous posts. The highlight of the race is running underneath the Brandenburg Gate, through the middle arch, and along to the finish line. At this point, the crowds are several-people deep and the atmosphere is electric. Overall, no serious marathon runner would leave Berlin off of his or her CV/resume.
R. H. from Houston, TX (10/5/2009) "Great marathon, but can still improve" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Berlin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Course: No complaints here. The start and finish and every kilometer in between was flat, scenic, and historic. Crossing over the site of the Berlin Wall four times throughout the course was very memorable. Organization: The expo was great; they should definitely keep it at Tempelhof in the future. There were tons of booths to peruse, and if you wanted decent pasta, lunch was available too. The start line area was great and well organized, especially the large patch of grass in front of the Reichstag that was the perfect place to relax before the race. The main area for improvement that I would comment on deals with the water tables. For a field of 40,000 runners, they really need to have water on both sides of the street. Only some of the stations were set-up like this, but on the ones that weren't, it was chaos as everyone was crowded onto one side trying to get a drink. Secondly, the water cups should be paper and not plastic. I am one of those people that like to run through a water stop, so I usually take a paper cup and fold it so I can drink on the run. It's impossible to do this with a plastic cup and you end up spilling half the water if you try to drink and run at the same time. Please, please, please use paper cups next year! My final comment on organization deals with the finishing area. Please have water available immediately. It felt like I had to walk forever before I finally came across some water. Spectators: Far and away the best spectators I've seen at any European marathon that I've done. They were loud, supportive, and energetic. The bands were great as well. Crowd support was tremendous. Overall a great race that is definitely worth the trip. Highly recommended!
Harvey Lee from Centennial, CO (9/27/2009) "Consider Berlin for your next destination marathon" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Berlin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I was drawn to Berlin as a major and as a fast course. It's an exciting destination city that has a wonderful vibe and plenty to do. There are countless museums, cafes, and historical monuments to enjoy besides the race. Registration and Pre-Race Information: Signing up is easy off the official website; just ensure that your credit card is pre-authorized to be charged in Europe. Once you register, you can confirm your entry online. About a month before the race, you start getting emails from the organizers. There is an important email that you need to print out that contains your bib number and acts as your ticket into the expo. When I got my bib number, they actually tore off the part with my name and number, so I assume it is absolutely necessary to bring this with you. The other emails are mostly informational, with health, nutritional, and general preparation facts. Also on the official website, you can print out the entrant information guide that has a summary of the race weekend and logistics for how to get to the expo and race and how to navigate around the race compound on the big day. The Expo: Templehof Airport was an excellent location that is easy to get to and is large enough to hold all of the vendors. You do have to walk a long ways to the end of the expo to pick up your bib number. All of the major running companies are represented with Adidas as the official vendor. The pasta dinner was only 4 euros for a very heavy portion of rigatoni in Bolognese sauce. There is also an inline marathon as part of the weekend, and there is a separate area of the expo dedicated to skaters. Breakfast Run: I normally don't partake in pre-marathon fun runs, but the opportunity to run into Olympic Stadium, home of the 1936 Olympics and the 2009 World Athletics Championship, was too great. The fun run (which you do not need to pre-register for) begins at the Schloss Charlottenburg and jogs about three miles to the stadium. You actually run through the marathon tunnel onto the blue Mondo track and are given the chance to roam the stadium and grounds and also receive a free breakfast of fruit, bread, pastries, milk, and yogurt. Pre-Race: The most organized bag drop I've seen and good access to the start chutes. Curiously, the 4:00 pacers were mispositioned in my 3:30-3:50 chute and the 3:45 pacers were nowhere to be found. It only took me 6 minutes to cross the start line. Port-a-let lines were very long (but there is plenty of green area on the way to the chutes to relieve oneself). They also distribute these yellow Adidas plastic bags that you can wear to keep warm before the race. Bling: If you want a finisher shirt, you must pre-order as part of registration. Your bib will have a tear off coupon that you present at the expo for your shirt. I still don't get people who wear the shirt BEFORE the race or even during the race, but oh well. The course: Flat and fast with decent shade provided by trees and buildings. However, some of the roads are just too narrow to handle 40K runners. It was frustrating having to slow down just because of throughput issues. This made it difficult to run the blue line (shortest line through the turns) and my GPS watch reported that I actually ran 26.9 miles. I felt the aid stations were too short, causing massive chaos as runners tried to merge in and out. The only non-water drink is German tea Basica, which is dangerous for those of us who subscribe to the "don't try anything new" theory. Support: Excellent. Large crowds the entire course with no memorable gaps of support. Only about 800 of 40K registered were Americans. Great support for European nations, especially Denmark. Demographics: Unlike most American races, where the male/female ratio is about 50/50, the ratio in Berlin was about 80/20. The Finish: Possibly the best last kilometer of any marathon, going through Brandenburg Tor and a last few hundred meters to the Ziel. Excellent energy and experience finishing this race. Bleachers on both sides and energy music blasting through the speakers. Organizationally, however, it took a lot of effort post-race to get a cup of water. I stood in a line of about 100 meters on a hot day, dehydrated, and then had to go through one last fight to get close to the last water station. They also do not distribute anything to affix the Champion Chip to your shoe, so I had to use my laces, which was very inconvenient after the race. About the last thing I wanted to do after running 26+ miles was to unlace my shoes and take my chip off. The weather: In 2009, the weather was HOT. For a 4-hour runner like me, the start was in the low-60s and the finish in the mid-70s. Past years seem to have been sunny, although not as hot. Drink lots of fluids. Overall: A worthy destination marathon with a wonderful finish, huge crowd support, and a flat and fast course. A few recommended tweaks to make this a better experience: reduce numbers by about 5,000 to fit the streets of Berlin, stretch out the aid stations to make water more accessible, and hand out plastic ties to affix timing chips.
Eugene Nyunt from London, England. (9/24/2009) "Still a great race with fantastic crowd support." (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Berlin Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 It was the third year in a row that the expo was sited at a new venue, and Tempelhof has to be the best; it's reasonably close to the center of town, and without last year's confusion over bus provision. There was certainly a lot more room in the expo itself, and although there'll always be confusion with runners looking at freebies, gear and other running paraphernalia, we all at least had room to circulate freely. Fortunately we didn't have last year's trip up to the mezzanine to collect the race packet. This was the first time I've ever experienced race day pandemonium as a horde of us ran through park and thicket to get the start; there was an approximately 10-minute difference between my gun and chip times. One large group of us were stranded on the wrong side of a seven-foot-high barricade; two brave runners climbed over these. A few more - myself included - later had to hurdle over a set of standard crowd barriers to even get onto the Strasse des 17. Juni. I shouldn't really complain - most runners probably didn't experience these things and got to the race site with ample time to spare. This year the general noise and music were more noticeable than twelve months ago, as were the various sets of cheerleaders.
S. R. from London, England (9/23/2009) "Fast and flat, but might depend on start zone" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Berlin Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 The entry was straight forward, although I did not receive any information emailed to me just before the race - I had to look on the website and download it. The expo not very well organized. There were lots of queues, but it was not clear for what, so it was slightly frustrating to discover that I had been standing in a queue for mini-marathon. But the free beer (alcohol free) made up for it. On race day, it was easy to get to the start, and there were plenty of toilets (there were lots near the Reichstag that lots of people didn't find!), but getting to the starting pen was chaotic. There were bottlenecks as some people tried to queue for toilets and others tried to get though them to pens. Many ended up outside of the pen, and like many others, I had to climb over them. Additionally, the F, G, and H runners were all mixed together. It was very difficult to get on pace for the whole route, and it was congested at water stations. Organizers: please consider using water bottles rather than plastic cups. But due to hot weather (26 degrees, which seemed unseasonably hot) there were extra water stations laid out, which was good. There were fantastic bands all of the way around - especially the 20 or so drummers under the bridge. Spectators were more plentiful than I was expecting and very supportive. Coming through Brandenburg Gate at the end made for an amazing finish, although beware, as there are 200 more meters to go once you go through. Post-race, it took a long time to get the medal, goody bag and water, but more alcohol-free beer was good. Overall I enjoyed this race very much, but as a 4:10 runner, I felt it was too congested for a PB and it was hard to get on pace. This might be different for faster runners. If I do it again, I hope it is cooler! I had a great time sightseeing for a few days before, though - it's an amazing city.
J. M. from Chicago (9/21/2009) "First-Class Event" (about: 2009) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Berlin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Berlin, but I have run other large marathons (Chicago, Boston, Marine Corps). It looks like the race organizers read the comments on MarathonGuide.com because just about every shortcoming from last year's comments has been addressed. First, the expo, has been moved in town to the now-closed Templehof Airport. The expo was easy to get to and volunteers were standing outside the subway station making sure you turned the right way. Yes, you still pick up your chip separately from your bag and bib, but you are directed to get your chip, and the traffic flow (which is enforced by security guards) requires you to go through the chip pick up station before you can get back to the expo. So chip pick up is really idiot-proof. I thought the expo was a nice size and had plenty of excitement, although it was not as large as what they have at Chicago or Boston. At the race, the bag check was very well done, with the bags carefully hung up, and then put in large plastic trays, which were wrapped in plastic and moved to the pick up area. There was plenty of water at the start - and I mean at the start. There are water tables alongside the corrals. Everything else is great - the course, the fans, and a great, historic city to visit. English-speakers should not have any significant language barriers. Just about everyone I dealt with spoke at least a little English, and most spoke English fluently. Whether associated with the marathon, or just when doing the tourist thing, I found the locals to be friendly and helpful. They do some things differently from the races I have done in the US, particularly at the aid stations, First, about half of the aid stations had water only. The sports drink, Basica Sport, was unfamiliar to me, and it did not taste as sweet as Gatorade, so I wondered if it contained fewer carbs than the equivalent volume of Gatorade (I don't know the answer, but the taste was watery and salty, not sweet). They also served banana segments (thankfully pre-peeled so we did not have to run on wet, slippery banana peels, as I have done at other races) and slices of apple. The thing which was most foreign to me was the serving of warm tea in cups. I tasted some (when in Berlin, do as the Berliners do) but the last thing I wanted on a hot and sunny day was warm tea. An American I met who has lived in Germany for almost 40 years told me that many Germans think a cold drink would be too much of a shock to your system if you were hot. For me, cold drinks on a hot day is what I could use, not tea. As a matter of fact, the tea did not seem all that popular with most of the runners. Now there is one thing, a pretty big thing to me, that they could do to improve the race: start earlier. The race started at 9:00. Even the men's world record-holder complained of the toll the sun and heat took on him. For us middle- and end-of-the-pack runners, we were in the sun for hours when it was at its strongest. The temperature was 77 degrees when I finished, and there were almost no clouds. Although there is a fair amount of shade on the course, I sure wish we had started at 7:00 or earlier. Considering the serious potential health effects of a hot race (see Chicago 2007), and the facts that almost everyone does better when not running at the peak strength of the sun (and associated higher temperatures), I really don't understand why the race starts so late.
Dan Gritton from London, England (9/21/2009) "Great Marathon; a REAL experience!" (about: 2009) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Berlin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Berlin Marathon, which I chose to do after it was recommended by a friend. If you like big-scale events, then this is for you - it had 40,900 runners this year! The course is flat and fast, which means excellent PB potential; plus, the crowd support is superb the whole way around, so even when you flag, there are thousands of voices cheering you on. The finish through the Brandenburg Gate is awe-inspiring. Even though the expo was moved to a new venue this year, I did not encounter any problems whatsoever! The only thing I didn't enjoy was the weather - it was too damn hot, but you can't do anything about that! I thoroughly recommend this event and will definitely run it again.
S. B. from Exeter, UK (9/21/2009) "One of the best, and still improving" (about: 2009) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Berlin Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 This excellent event continues to improve, and if I could only run one marathon every year, it would be this one. The main improvement, in my view, was the expo, which is now held at the new locale of the old Tempelhof Airport. It's much easier to get to on the U-bahn and more logically laid out. I got there as the doors opened and was at the front of the queue, so I can't comment on whether there were delays in registering, collecting chips, and so on this year. The race itself was as good as last year, as set out in all the comments below about the 2008 run. It was far too hot but that can hardly be blamed on the organizers. I would note one change for the better and mention two issues that still need addressing. The improvement was that there are now no paramedics on bicycles pointlessly weaving in and out of the runners - those I did see were sensibly waiting to one side until needed. The two difficulties both relate to the drink stations. Although 5K- (and in the final stages, 3K-) intervals made more sense to me than drink stops every mile, even on a hot day, they still need to be on both sides of the road to avoid unnecessary congestion. More importantly, a new innovation this year involved peeled bananas and slices of apple being available. The bananas were whole, but those runners who did take them tended to have one bite or maybe two and then discard the rest. Running on the plastic water cups makes the road hazardous enough without adding bananas to the equation. It would make more sense to have small pieces, so nothing gets thrown down for later entrants to slip on. These are, however, minor quibbles about an event that otherwise sets the standard for all other marathons to emulate.
M. B. from Northampton, UK (10/29/2008) "Fantastic course and crowd, but room for improveme" (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Berlin Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 Berlin '08 completed my set for the majors. I did the 25K just after the wall came down in 1990, and so it was nice to see how the city's changed. The expo was poor. Major traffic congestion getting there and few directions when inside. Why not do what other majors do and have bib collection at the entrance? The race itself is fantastic. Pancake flat, lots of tree cover, and mostly wide roads. Brilliant support from the locals all the way. Water stops need to be longer and on both sides of the road. At the end, I experienced major congestion getting my medal. Massages were great and plentiful, though post-race refreshments were on the meager side. Echoing other comments, no T-shirt (unless you buy one)!! Will certainly come back again.

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