Girlie sent out this email.
Here's my Berlin race account:
Let me start by saying that this is the best marathon experience I’ve had thus far. The fact that it is a PW for me in terms of time at 4:32:50, didn’t tarnish the experience one bit. But, one thing I would recommend for anyone is to do this race with friends. Trust me, it is just so much better. And try to pick a year if you can, when there’s a possibility that someone will establish a new world record, it just makes the whole thing even more special. All thanks to Haile Gebrselassie, his WR time made up for my lackluster performance.
Everything about this race tips the scale over – beginning with the race expo, though a bit of a walk to get to – is the biggest I’ve seen, both in terms of population density and square footage. Not necessarily the best in terms of shopping though, I think the North American mega-marathons of Boston, Chicago and New York have by far the best vendors and the best deals. And while in Germany, as they say, do as the Germans do – drink beer, and at the race expo, you can drink all you want for FREE. I had one bottle, my husband, Ian had 3 and he doesn’t even drink alcohol – something about freebies that turn people into such lush beings! And these weren’t the same crappy light beers that they gave out in Las Vegas or Myrtle Beach marathons, either. These were very good full bodied kind.
Race morning – oh, what a feeling – a gnawing feeling that is! One really needs to know the map of the race start area in Tiergarten (similar to Central Park, only a lot prettier) – otherwise, it can be such a maze to navigate. Having done Chicago and New York, I was careful not to get swallowed by the sea of humanity of about 40,000 runners. Race marshals were busy keeping non-runners out of the fields – they really tried in vain. The path I took from the U-bahn subway) opened up to this vast field of about 10 football fields full of runners warming up, stretching, changing and to the right is the famous Reichstag, the seat of the German Parliament, which is next to the WALL (what’s left of it, anyway). It was an emotional moment for me.
The race started in perfect conditions; cool at 14C, light breeze and overcast! As we would later find out, the men’s world record was broken, which Haile partly attributed to the ideal race conditions. The race started at the June 17 Avenue (I am loosely translating in English) and in full view of the Siegessaule (the towering magnificent column of the Goddess of Victory - gilded in gold). It is quite the sight. I stopped twice to take pictures. Right there and then, I knew, this was going to be a sight-seeing marathon… The rest of the race course was littered with magnificent architectural marvels, like the Berliner Dom, the Staatsoper, Potsdamer Platz, the Konzerthaus Berlin and many, many more and of course, the most famous of them all – the Finish through the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor)! The race support was great the usual – water, electrolyte drinks, banana, apples and the best one for me, was tea which I had several times. At the 25K mark and every 5K thereafter, massage tables, which were always full of runners every time I pass by! Can that be considered German engineering, too?
After I crossed the Finish, I got my medal (nice as they come) and post race nutrition bag and made my way through the throng of runners to collect my gear bag then, heading to the Family reunion area. There I met Ian fairly shortly and then we sight-saw until it got too dark.
This race is a must do – at least once, as it isn’t financially practical for those on the other side of the Atlantic, unless you’re Bill Gates or live in the EU or both…
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