I think I was expecting to love this race more than I did. There were definitely some strengths, but overall I would rate it lower than Chicago, which has a similarly flat course.

First the pros: The course is fast, flat and scenic. The start and finish are both located in the center of town with easy access from lots of hotels. Free use of the subway on race day makes getting around a breeze. The atmosphere was excellent. I can only assume that the rain chased many spectators away, but those that stuck around were loud and enthusiastic. The on course bands were a charming mix of polka music, 80s easy listening and many, many drum bands. And there was even an old German lady handing out meat and cheese open-faced sandwiches at mile 18. The start and end are well organized, the medals are awesome and the sights along the way make you feel like you've seen all of Berlin.

The negatives: the weather this year was horrible, very wet and humid. But I'm guessing that was unusual given that most people usually comment on how amazing the weather is for this race. Just bad luck. The expo was torture, crowded and disorganized. They ran out of almost all the race merchandise by the second day. The on course support was pretty limited in terms of number of stations (definitely fewer than in U.S. races) and the on course electrolyte beverage was a very strange beet based drink. So definitely bring your own nutrition/hydration strategy to this race! Finally, the drawback to the start is that for people who have never run a marathon in Germany, they count you as a first time marathoner. so regardless of your goal time or expected finish you're stuck in the last coral with the 6 hour marathoners. And the course is pretty narrow and crowded, so it makes it difficult to get out of the crowd until the mid-point. I guess that makes it a great course for a negative split, though!