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☰
Berlin Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Berlin Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 4.7 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 4.6
Number of comments: 120 [displaying comments 81 to 91]
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M. B. from Brussels, Belgium
(10/4/2006)
"Best experience ever" (about: 2006)
50+ previous marathons
| 1 Berlin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I agree with all the positive comments about this race. My only concern is that you have to BUY the finisher t-shirt BEFORE the race. I also agree that 6 euros for the chip is expensive, but if you have your own, you pay nothing. These are my small negative comments. For the rest, organization is top-notch, from the expo to the finish. | |
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Paul Mooney from Waterford,Ireland
(10/1/2006)
"Superbly organized marathon on great course" (about: 2006)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Berlin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first Berlin Marathon and I hope to return for the half marathon in April 2007. Organization was faultless and the course is as flat as advertised. Weather was very hot but the high temperatures are unusual for Berlin in September. The course was lined all the way by spectators, which was a big help, especially when it got tough in the final 10K. The expo was huge with loads of running gear, etc. available. The start and finish areas were great, with plenty of room available for the 40,000 runners. We arrived into start area E 15 minutes before the gun and were amazed to find plenty of space for a warm up. The only problem I encountered was at the drinks stations where they handed out plastic cups. Small bottles would be a far better option as this would allow runners to carry drinks farther beyond the stations. This resulted in very slippery and dangerous roads for the duration of each drink station and beyond. However this is my only complaint and I recommend this marathon to anybody looking for a well organized race on a flat course in a great city. | |
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G. W. from Worcester, UK
(9/29/2006)
"A great event but a free t-shirt would be nice!!" (about: 2006)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Berlin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was the second of five marathons a friend and I are doing in a year, for charity. We are not athletes, and we walked. Although we started near the back we got exact times based on our individual starting times and these were sent to our mobile phones stating half and full marathon times. It was a bit of a pain having to pay 31 euros for our chips and get 25 back at the end.... A cool profit of 240,000 euros for the organizers. It was also a pain having to buy a finishers t-shirt before we started.... Surely a free one at the end could have been arranged. Overall, though, a fantastic course, excellent organization and superbly supportive crowds with a great welcome at the finish. As walkers, you can sometimes feel like second-class citizens... but not in Berlin!! | |
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K. H. from London
(9/27/2006)
"This one is not as great as it is made out to be" (about: 2006)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Berlin Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Before I start with the negatives, here are some POSITIVES: Expo: While on the other side of the city and hard to get to it was one of the best and biggest I have seen. Got my bib in less than a minute. Port-a-Potties: I arrived about 45 minutes before the start and for the first time ever had less than a three-minute wait to use the facilities, and I went twice! There were plenty of facilities and cleverly spaced out so it was well done. Bag Drop: Worked great, specially nice were the plastic shirts we received so I was never cold! Course: As flat as promised. Spectators: Plenty but not always cheerful. THE NEGATIVES: Course: WAY to crowded at all turns, the race might benefit from more waves than three to stretch the participants even further... like in the Nashville Country Music Marathon. Water Stations: The biggest mess. During this race the water stations seem to be more an elbow fight than a water station. People are ruthless. And the worst, they use plastic cups that are VERY slippery when thrown on the floor. This race does not clean during the event so run it carefully! FINISH: My biggest issue. SOOOOOOOOO many fences, felt like I was being held against my will. It took 0.65 miles (per my Garmin 305) to get a cup of water and 2 miles of walking to get to the family reunion area; that is too much after you ran 26.2! Let me out when I want out, please! Spectators: I actually was amazed how many cross the course with no regard for runners, actually collided with one and fell. This is a WMM, please guard the runners safety with more fencing on the course, but I guess Berlin used all of their fences in the finish area. | |
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B. K. from Berlin, Germany
(8/8/2006)
"A great one!!!" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 2 Berlin Marathons
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 The Berlin Marathon is one of the biggest events in the world. If you are starting in the first five blocks, you'll fly the first 10K, because the crowd is amazing. The course is like a best-of sightseeing tour through the city. An unbelievable finish in the end completes the unforgettable marathon experience! | |
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J. B. from USA
(4/24/2006)
"Great fun, but crowded" (about: 2005)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Berlin Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The whole experience was very well organized from registration to packet pick-up to race-day. Flat course through one of the most fascinating cities in modern history, and the finish through the Brandenburg Gate gave me chills. Start area was fantastic with many porta-potties (no lines!) and water. Aid stations were plentiful but crowded, and people were pushy - placing tables on both sides of the street would have helped ease the congestion. Course was crowded overall, and never really thinned out enough to get into a comfortable pace. I would not say it is really a PR course for mid- or back-of-the-pack runners due to sheer number of people (though I did get a PR, it was not what I felt I was capable of). Crowd support was fantastic. My biggest complaint is the finish area - it was WAY too crowded and congested. They had erected fences along the edge of the road, and there was not enough space for all the people. Water/ISO/food was almost non-existent (I managed to find a cup of tea and a banana), and there were no porta-potties. Despite the problems at the finish I enjoyed the weekend overall, and would definitely recommend the race. | |
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J. A. from USA
(3/12/2006)
"Great race!! Here are some items I noticed." (about: 2005)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Berlin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Here are some items I forgot to mention: - You actually get your "finisher's" T-shirt at the expo. - Of course, all course markings are in kilometers, not miles. - You have to pay an extra 31 euros at the expo to "rent" the timing chip. At the finish you receive 25 euros cash back upon return of the chip. - You do not receive zip-ties to fasten the chip to your laces; instead you thread your laces through the chip. This wouldn't normally be an issue; but while walking to the start I felt my shoe rubbing against my ankle, and I had to re-do my laces/chip a few times before I was ok with it. - There is a 6K "Breakfast Run" the day before the marathon, from Charlottenburg Palace to and into the Olympic Stadium. The Berlin Marathon is a great event. It is an experience not to be missed!! | |
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J. R. from New York, New York
(1/25/2006)
"Great Race!" (about: 2004)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Berlin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 I ran this in 2004 and had a good experience. The people of Berlin really turn out, and there are plenty of water/bathroom stops along the way. I'll be back! | |
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M. S. from Shanghai, China
(11/14/2005)
"...setting a PR" (about: 2005)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Berlin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I'm responding to comment about getting to front of your corral as well as first-time runners being sent to the back - best thing to do is 'stretch the truth' about your best time. If this is your first marathon and you think you can run 4h, then put a PR of 4h. If it's not your first, but you've trained for 3:15, put it down on the sign-up sheet. I had a friend stuck in the 'H' (no experience) pack, even though he regularly races 38:00 10k's. It was frustrating for him, dodging traffic for 1/2 of the day. I will say they could have done a better job opening up the space toward the end. As you're winding down, the last thing you want is a crowd pressing down on you and forcing you back together with your fellow runners. | |
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J. A. from U.S.A.
(10/16/2005)
"A great event!!!! But..." (about: 2005)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Berlin Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I would like to echo A.B.'s below information. This is a colossal event, but the sheer mass of all the runners make it more difficult for those intending a PR. Here are the start blocks (based on your previous best time): A < 2:20; B 2:20-2:50; C 2:50-3:00; D 3:00-3:15; E 3:15-3:35; F 3:35-4:00; G 4:00-4:15; H > 4:15 & 1st marathon. The blocks line up behind each other. Blocks A-E started at 9am, then F & G were walked up to the start and began about two minutes later. Then H was brought up and started. If you intend to stage early (45-50 minutes before) and if you are so inclined, you could probably move up a start-block without too much trouble. The race people did not seem very attentive early in the staging. Closer to the start, there were more race officials checking on this. If you would like to find out more about this race, the German web pages have more info than the English pages. I used the Google language tools to translate them. You can get the general idea. There is also a German web forum/board linked to the website with all kinds of background/info. The public transportation in Berlin is excellent; you can get a 3- or 7-day pass good for unlimited rides on bus, subway, and streetcars/tram. This is a fabulous marathon and I will definitely do it again soon! |
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