20014 Berlin Marathon Race Recap

The Berlin Marathon was very special to me for many reasons. First, the 41st BMW Berlin Marathon took place a few weeks after my 41st birthday. I thought it was nice that we both had birthdays on the same year. Second, the race was scheduled for September 28th which happens to be my 18th wedding anniversary. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than travelling to Germany and then Austria to visit my family during Oktoberfest. Third, eight of my closest running friends were travelling to Berlin to run too. This was going to be a big event! Fourth, one of my running goal is to complete all the World Marathon Majors ( New York, Chicago, Boston, London, Tokyo and Berlin).  This was my second of the WMM series. 

Race Course Profile

The Berlin Marathon is known for its flat and fast course. I can attest to that. This is probably the flattest course I've ever run. Was it the fastest for me? Not really. When I signed up for the fall of 2013 I was in perfect running shape but by 2014 I started experiencing all kinds of injuries. It's now December 2014 and I am slowly recovering from chronic hip bursitis. 

Thursday, September 25th - Arrival

We arrived in Berlin on Thursday night after a looooong flight from San Diego. We had a 4-hour layover at the Heathrow airport ( my kids' favorite) which made it easier. Once in Berlin, we took a cab to our new home for the next 4 days, Motel One. I must admit I was a little bit nervous at first about staying at a "motel" with my family but this was what the international (running) travel agency recommended. Soon after our arrival, we were all smiles. Motel One looked like a 4-star hotel with a modern & stylish reception, bar, nicely decorated bedroom & bathroom, great wifi connection. Our package also included full breakfast. Bonus!

It was also conveniently located a few blocks from the Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) and 10-minute walk to the majestic Brandenburg Gate, where the marathon's start and finish line would be few days later. 

Friday, September 26th - Exploring Berlin

The jet lag was apparent among the youngest members of my family but that didn't stop us from doing a 3 hour walking tour of the city. We visited the Pariser Platz, the Brandenburg Gate, the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe, the site of Hitler's Former Bunker, the Luftwaffe HQ, the Berlin Wall, the Former SS HQ, Checkpoint Charlie, the 1920 Cabaret Mile, the Old Royal Blvd and the TV Tower. 

To my surprise, my daughter was all ears, paying full attention to our tour-guide and asking lots of questions. She was fascinated with the history of Germany and more specifically about the Berlin Wall. My five year old son, on the other hand, was equally entertained with the popular Ampelmaennchen ( East Germany's pedestrian traffic lights). 

Around 2 pm, jet lag kicked in and my son rapidly fell asleep in my husbands arms. I honestly don't know how he was able to carry him around for the next few hours! Kudos to my wonderful hubby! After the tour, everyone was famished, hungry and sleepy. We grabbed a quick bite and head back to the hotel.

A few hours later, I met my SoCal friends in front of the Reichstag building. We had made reservations a few months earlier to visit the Reichstag Dome. The views from the Reichstag rooftop and dome were breathtaking.

After visiting the Reichstag, we walked to the Brandenburg Gate, took some pictures and called it a day.

Saturday, September 27th - Expo

A good friend of mine already warned me that the expo was going to be a tad chaotic, large and unorganized. While I admit it was a little bit crowded, I didn't find it chaotic at all ( perhaps because we arrived very early in the morning). To me, this expo had its charm. It was held at the old Tempelhof airport and the ambience was fantastic.

Since I run a lot of races in the US, I tend to see the same vendors over and over. When you visit a major international race like this one, you learn about races you never heard of before. You discover new running products you didn't know existed. With this thought, I entered the first enclosed space at the expo. What did I see as I entered? Running Skirts from San Diego. I stopped and briefly talked to the Running Skirts distributors for Germany (or maybe they were distributors for Europe). I told them that I knew the owners and that I work just 5 minutes from their warehouse in Carlsbad. Small world! I cut the conversation short since I really wanted to pick up my bib and I'd told my husband and kids I'll be back at the entrance in one hour.

To pick up the bib and shirt, you need to walk quite a ways.  It's hard for a running shopoholic to pass hundreds and hundreds of vendors without even taking a peek, but I told myself "I'll be back". Finally after crossing two, three, four perhaps five enormous  "warehouses" ( I lost track at that point), I arrived at the pickup location. As soon as I turned in my waiver and showed my picture ID, my bib was freshly printed before my eyes and matched to a chip. Hmm, I had never seen this before at a big race.

I was also given an almost empty plastic bag. No shirt. Really? Yep, no shirt. I was unpleasantly surprised at first! Wow, this is one of the world marathon majors and they don't even give shirts to their runners. That's odd!

Note to the race organizers - Please consider giving race shirts to participants!

Around the corner, jussst few steps ahead, I spied the most amazing Adidas apparel. It's the official store of the race. Nothing is free but WOW everything looked amazing! Usually at the expos, I find one or two items that I like. Here, I could have bought the entire store. I looked at my watch and realized that I only have 25 minutes to shop and walk back to the entrance which would take me at least 20 minutes.  ""Whaaat? I haven't started yet!"

I picked up an awesome & sexy shirt for my husband ( Did I ever mention that I find men wearing Adidas sexy? Hmmm go figure!). I also grabbed some tops for me, a pint glass and 2 backpacks for my kids. Hmmm I should have left the wallet in the hotel.

After the expo, we took the train to the city center and visited Checkpoint Charlie for the second time. 

Checkpoint Charlie was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-know Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.

We also stopped at some deliciously interesting places we passed by on our tour the day before like the Fassbender & Rausch, the largest chocolate store in the world, first opened on 1863.

Chocolate replica of the Reichstag Building

Around 2 pm, jet lack kicked again. They boys went to the hotel to rest. My daughter and I went back to the train station and headed to the Berlin Wall East Side Gallery. As some of you know, I love street art. I am fascinated with the juxtaposition of nature and art. Here, I was in paradise. The Berlin Wall East Side Gallery is a 1.3 km long section located near the centre in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. It consists of 105 paintings by artist from all over the world painted in 1990.  A must-visit for all art lovers.

Sunday, September 28th - Race Day

As mentioned before, my hotel was at walking distance from the start & finish line of the race. The starting time was 8:45 am. If I remember correctly, I met with my friends around 7:30 am. Two of my friends were staying in the same hotel while the rest rented an apartment not too far away. We all met across the Reichstag and took some pictures before heading to our corrals. 

The start of the races is at the Tiergarten Park. I was in "Block G". 

Unlike the RnR Madrid Marathon, there were many female runners at this race. I was also surprised to see so many Marathon Maniacs too. You could feel the international presence here,  especially Danish spectators! There were so many I remember thinking "Where is my friend Lynne? Her whole adopted country is here! Is she the only one left in Copenhagen?"

A few minutes before the race started, Greek music was blasting from the speakers and many runners, complete strangers to one another, started dancing together. There was great energy in park!

Soon after the gun went off, we crossed the Victory Column. 

I had a big smile on my face. I knew it was going to be a hard race for me ( as I arrived with practically no training - due to injuries), but I told myself to take it easy and enjoy it to the max. My goal for today was to have fun.

 The race had a total of 14 stations: 8 fluid stations and 6 fuel stations.  At the fluid stations, we were given the option of drinking water, some PowerBar sport drink and/or Suedtiroler Apfelsaft , a 100% organic warm apple cider ( sans alcohol). This was something different and truly delicious. I know the rule of thumb is not to try anything new on race day. I hesitated at first but after my first try I noticed that my body welcomed the warm & sugary natural drink. I stopped at each station for a little of water and a sip of apple cider. At the fuel stations, we were given apples, bananas and PowerGels.

Südtiroler Apfelsaft

Now, something I really REALLY disliked about this race were the plastic cups given at the water station. My running friend, Lynne, had already warned me about it. But one thing is to hear about it and another is to see a person falling on the ground, ON A PLASTIC CUP!  It's ridiculous! As you can imagine, after each water station there was a long trail of plastic cups on the floor, leaving the runners with no options but to run with their eyes glued to the ground.

Note to the race organizers - Please consider switching to paper cups or some alternative solution. 

I crossed the half point in 2 hours 23 minutes.  This was very slow but completely expected.  I dedicated a few miles to my father and my Oma who passed away few years ago. I made a promise I would run in Austria someday. This was not Austria but close enough (geographically speaking), at least for now.  I also dedicated a few miles to the rest of my family. You see, I was feeling very grateful for being able to run today, for being able to enjoy the dozens of music bands playing for us runners, music of all kinds of genres from classical to jazz. I was grateful for the perfect mild temperatures, the soft winds and the sun on my face. 

All this good feelings, however, soon dissipated. After reaching the 30 km marker, my legs started feeling heavier and heavier.  My legs were saying "NO MORE!". My mind was screaming "BUT YOU CAN DO IT!". It usually works the other way around ( mind fails first). My pace dropped significantly mile after mile from that point on but my mind never let me down.  "YOU WILL FINISH THIS RACE RUNNING. NO WALKING".

After the 38 km marker, I started thinking about my daughter who got really sick the night before the race and jokingly told me  "Mommy, run as fast as you can! Imagine that they are building a new wall! We want to be in the same side of Germany!" I smiled. With this thought and the Brandenburg Gate in the horizon, I gathered all my strength and crossed the finish line.  My finishing time is not memorable. It actually hurts to write it down. ok I'll do it. It's 5:28 ( my second worst time ever). But believe it or not, I already made peace with this. I will come back to Berlin some day and PR! 

We ran together for 10 miles. 

Free beer at the finish line

Meeting with my friends at the Reichstag

Proud Finisher

Wilson Kipsang set the World Record at the Berlin Marathon in 2013. His finishing time was 2:03:23. He is featured on the finisher's medal that I took home :-) A new world record was set in the 2014 Berlin Marathon by Dennis Kimetto. He finished in 2:02:57. My guess is that the Berlin Marathon medal will changed faces next year.  

YES, this is the perfect race if you like flat courses. The only negatives are the plastic cups and the no t-shirts for the participants ( two easy things for the organizers to fix. don't you think?)

The day after the Berlin Marathon, we travelled to Munich to enjoy the Oktoberfest celebrations. Everyone was feeling a bit under the weather. However, this didn't stop us from having fun. I was just happy to see my family in this beautiful city, where I spent most of my summers as a child.

BIG thanks to my husband for supporting me on this crazy journey!

Congratulations to all my friends that completed this race! Our first international race together! Let it not be the last!