Disclaimer: I'm the founder and race director of this event, but also a two-time participant.

After bonking badly at Boston 2014 (79+87=2:46), I resolved that my next full would be on an easier course. While the BATH is the main event, my friend Tony and I aspired to run the full (he really just did it because he felt sorry for me doing such on my own, and there didn't seem to be any other "takers".) The full has it's own quirky acronym, which you can learn all about here: http://bath-time.runnerspace.com

Tony and I started 75 minutes before the BATH was slated to start, and traded off the lead every 4 laps. As early as 12 miles, I began to slow slightly, and the separation occurred. Tony went on to run a 2:43. My race did not go as planned. I'd hoped to run a 2:44 at age 44, but instead bonked to a 82+90=2:52. It was quite unpleasant, but such is the marathon.

As much as I suffered, I really enjoyed getting to see & get encouragement from all the half competitors as they passed, and lapped, and lapped, and lapped me, again and again. There were just enough runners that it wasn't crowded, but no one felt isolated for too long, due to pace variations, alliances, etc.

The goals of the BATH are to provide a fast course that is accurate (the idea formed after many of us had run races with course mishaps/inaccuracies). It is held on a 440-yard track, which is 4 laps to a mile, which makes more sense for this type of event than the more common 400 meter track.

I'd highly encourage people to give it a try. Do the full if you're a born-marathoner, but as I like to say: "The half is where it's at". And: "Half the distance, twice the fun." Almost everyone is skeptical at first, but almost everyone comes away from it excited, surprised, and looking forward to the next one! It's actually been quite interesting this event has attracted as much interest as it has. In short: It's accurate, fast, and fun!

Berlin was my first international marathon, and it did not disappoint! I can see why so many WR's have been run here. It's a very fast course! The start was well organized into corrals, and it was easy to get going since runners were seeded appropriately. I found the plastic cups at the aid stations annoying (prefer paper), but the stations were plentiful and well-staffed. The kilometres were all marked, and seemed pretty accurate (no mile markers, not a problem, but just FYI be prepared for that). The only minor improvements I could see: I'd prefer real beer vs. alkohol frei beer post-race; the chip return was not right at the finish, but way across the field somewhere; the gear drop off tables were not ordered in any logical way -- the pre-race guide talked about color coding, but when we arrived all the tents were white, and not in order by Bib #. We all 4 threw our crap in one guy's bag and just checked it at his table, since that one was obvious. Berlin is also great due to start/finish at same location- so you can stay nearby and just walk to and from- no crazy shuttles involved.