Loved the Berlin Marathon. It was my 5th major - I set a new PR and my first negative split (by 3 minutes!). Getting out in the beginning was a bit more difficult than other races, which may have kept me inline and aided in my negative split. At the 2018 race I was also informed of the new WR during the second half so I think that may have also aided in a speedy 2nd half :)

Course - flat and fast. Cheering from the crowds was great, although not as intense as NYC (my favorite major) but definitely more energetic and lively than Chicago (my least favorite major). I liked that they put your first name on your bib so people in the crowds were actually cheering for you specifically even if you didn't know them. I enjoyed Berlin as a city and thought it was very cool to run through. The finish right after running through the Brandenburg Gate is a great touch and I got some awesome pictures through there and other sites.

Aid Stations - water stations were not as common as NY and Boston (only every couple of miles). Water stations were also only on one side of the course which made it a bit crowded, I'm not sure their reasoning for doing that. I didn't take anything besides water from what was offered but they did hand out bananas and food earlier than I've seen in other races

Expo - I wasn't a huge fan of the expo compared to the other majors (London is the best). I thought parts of it were pretty poorly organized and others were wonderful. I liked the wristband concept and getting your bib was a very smooth and simple process. However, the extras were such long waits - getting race poster (they individually rolled each poster) and picking up pre-ordered gear. You have to purchase a race shirt which may seem annoying but a) the race cost is cheaper than the US majors so overall you're not paying as much and if you don't want one you don't have to spend the money and b) guarantees you get the size you ordered (the 2nd time I did NYC they ran out of W XS by Saturday and I was not happy about it...). The airport hanger where it was held was cool but it was annoying that the expo was so long and you had to walk alllll the way to the end to get your bib

Race Start - make sure you know where you are going beforehand. A lot of people were walking into the wrong entrances and had to turnaround and go in elsewhere since they were not clearly labeled and the security in the front was not informing people if their letters were for the wrong entrance. They also had less bathrooms than other races I am used to so plan accordingly. If you stay close though (I stayed at the Hyatt) and it's walking distance it's a late start so you don't have to head over until 8ish.