Berlin Marathon

Berlin Marathon

Berlin Marathon

( 37 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Berlin,
    Germany
  • September
  • 26.2 miles/Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Tim Murphy

Portland, Oregon, United States
275 54
2016
"So flat, so fast!, great race!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Tim Murphy's thoughts:

TL;DR - Great race, very flat and overall a positive experience. Not the strongest major marathon I've run, but I'd definitely recommend it despite a few nit-picky things.

I gained entry to the Berlin Marathon via Marathon Tours - it was my second time using the service for an international race (London Marathon 2015) and once again, they didn't disappoint. Great hotel, super close to the start, solid value.

Expo and packet pick up were pretty smooth, I have to say. Bib pickup was super easy and fast, and the expo was pretty solid despite the Adidas booth being a total madhouse of people looking to get their hands on official race swag.

Race day morning was easy as pie - start line was super mellow, easy entry into our corrals, and because our hotel was so close to the start we were able to jog to the corrals. To be able to do this at a major marathon is a real treat.

Race course is SUPER flat and no 180 turns like London, and weather cooperated so it was set up to be a great day. Aid stations were full of helpful volunteers, but they had sport drink positioned after the water, meaning if you drank some of the Powerade, you couldn't rinse out the taste until the next aid station. This is a pretty big pet peeve of mine, and I'm really surprised the race ordered the drinks that way. Also - plastic cups! Gah - so much harder to drink from than paper!

Crowds at the race were surprisingly thin - fewer spectators than, say, a Chicago or London. Even at mile 25 - which is admittedly not a scenic part of the city - there were hardly any spectators. If you really rely on or are expecting huge crowds to carry you through the race, you might be underwhelmed here. Doesn't matter a ton to me, but I was surprised so wanted to note it.

SWAG bags were pretty damn solid. Full bottle of sport drink, dried apricots, body wash, and other odds and ends. Overall race management was top notch and the whole event went off without a hitch. I didn't order a t-shirt because race shirts rarely fit me, but the medal was pretty darn cool with a sweet engraving of the Brandenburg Gate and a German flag-colored ribbon.

As for my race - it was another missed goal but still walked away with a PR so definitely can't complain there. Just seemed to run out of steam by 18 and it was a battle from there. The finish line past the Brandenburg Gate is extremely cool, and is definitely an amazing way to finish a marathon!

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