Last Sunday was the 33rd annual Vattenfall Berlin Half-Marathon. The very first half-marathon race I’ve ever run…and definitely not my last.
We have been training the past 4 months for this race, after completing our first 5k and 10k races at the end of 2012. And of course, all of this is a lead up to the Berlin Marathon at the end of September 2013.
A few weeks before the race, we ran the entire race course and finished in 2 hours 15 minutes. That’s a fairly good time for just starting out, but Stefan was convinced we could do better. So he set a goal of 2 hours 10 minutes…with a whisper number of under 2 hours. And if it hadn’t been for me feeling like my feet here crumbling beneath me and my legs just not wanting to go any further, we probably would have kicked that whisper number’s butt.
As the race approached, my nerves definitely started to kick in. Thankfully it was more excitement than fear. Probably because we had already run this far once before. And while I remembered how sore I was on the run before, I at least knew I was capable of finishing the job. But running the track with 30,000+ people who are also racing is a whole other ball game….
Pre-Race
On Saturday afternoon, we already began to gather our gear and make preparations. I think Stefan was far more wound up about it than I was and he started really going through everything possible in his head. Despite this being our third race, we still hadn’t created any pre-race checklists (although we finally have now and I’m sure I will share some insights on that later) so we were still kinda flying by the seat of our pants.
I packed my gear drop bag with a fresh t-shirt, a fleece-lined shirt I sometimes wear for running, a light fleece jacket and some running pants to pull over the pants I was already wearing. I didn’t want to end up being too cold after the race, which is entirely likely since it gets here if clouds appear — and a good portion of my body was still sweaty from the run.
We were trying to hydrate a lot during the day because you lose a lot of liquids when you run and your body has trouble absorbing all it needs during and after the race. So we had some chia- seed-lemonade and I must have peed 50 times during the day due to all the extra water I was drinking.
Race Day for the Berlin Half-Marathon
We got up at 7am and did our usual pre-run routine, I ate some toast, drank some water, had another chia-seed-lemonade and started getting dressed for the run. Our babysitter was slated to arrive at 8:30am, with the first heat in the race starting at 10:05am.
By 8:45am we had left Mackenzie at the apartment, feeling a bit feverish, and hit the train station. It was pretty awesome to see so many people heading out with their gear bags in hand and all decked out in runner gear. I’m not sure I expected to see so many people already that were going to the race. But 30,000 competitors have to sleep somewhere!
With each stop closer to Alexanderplatz, more and more runners loaded onto the train. Unfortunately, the trains were only running every 10 minutes (since it was a Sunday) but everyone still managed to fit. It was very full and rather warm — but at least none of us were sweaty and stinky yet, which made it bearable. As soon as hit Alexanderplatz, people just poured out of the train, mostly runners and their “support team” of friends and family.
You’re supposed to dress for the weather when you run. But since the entire 4 months we have been training it’s been bitterly cold and often snowy and/or icy, we were a bit perplexed that the weather forecast was calling for temperatures of 50°F or more! In fact, it was just above freezing when we got up in the morning. And there were still ice patches around Alexanderplatz when we arrived. But by the time we started running, it had heated up quite a bit and I was wishing I had dressed differently about 30 minutes into the run!
The race track is fairly nice for the Berlin Half-Marathon because there are lots of beautiful and historical sites to see along the way. And the entire experience is just unforgettable. The city is so rich in history that it’s hard not to get caught up by it. As we were standing at the starting line and waiting, it became more obvious than ever just how Russian that part of the city still is around Alexanderplatz. It’s by far one of my least favorite areas of Berlin, but it’s still a fascinating part of the city.
We began to line up at about 9:45am or so and it was just wall to wall people. The energy of the group was great, although most people kept to themselves (or to the group of people they were standing with). I somehow expected a bit more camaraderie from runner to runner, but so far there hasn’t been much of that with the events we’ve gone to here in Germany. Some people pushed their way forward at the last minute which was really annoying — but boys will be boys. As the first few waves of people in the starting blocks ahead of us were released, our group E was able to move forward toward the starting line…and finally it was time to take off!
To be honest, I’m rather glad I was able to run all parts of the race multiple times previously (albeit not on the street as we did during the race) because I totally was not able to concentrate on what was happening with all the buildings we were passing. In fact, I was focused on myself, the crowds of cheering people (WAY more than I expected to see all along the route — with a tally of more than 200,000 spectators) and the people shoving past during the race that seemed to think they actually had a chance of winning. I had more than one elbow thrown into my chest and face, and mostly be people wearing headphones. While I think it’s great to be “in the zone” and doing your thing to achieve your goals, I’m not really sure I like that people can wear headphones during these events because you really lose touch with the other people around you. To me, that’s really a bit component of the run…and it’s just totally inconsiderate and irritating to the people around you when you shove past them, just to gain a second or two in time.
Along the route there were several bands set up (something that they do approx. every kilometer for the Berlin Marathon) which were so valuable for boosting my energy level. I also got tons of high-5s from little kids along the course which was awesome. I did my best to draw from their energy and also to remember things I’d read and learned about running to keep myself going.
I was still doing pretty well up to about km 12, and then I started feeling a bit winded. Maybe it was knowing that we were getting closer and closer to home — or that there was still quite a bit of running left. But as we neared km 14, I had to take my first walking break. From there, I continued to deteriorate, until about km 18, when Stefan basically gave me a verbal butt kicking in German…which managed to shake my funk and we got back on track. The following photo was somewhere around km 19 or 20, and although I was hurting, I still remembered to strike a pose.
Please excuse this poor quality image — but I just couldn’t stand the thought of paying €25 for one image on their website!
All of the streets along the race route are in fairly good shape. There were a few sections near Ku’damm that are in need or repair, but nothing too horrible. The street is definitely more comfortable and cushioning to run on than the cobblestones and pavers we use run on along the sidewalk. But at the same time, the totally different running surface was a bit strange to get used to. And just being able to run down the street with no regard to stoplights and pedestrian crossings felt a bit odd since we often find ourselves dodging traffic on our usual morning runs.
After the butt kicking and feeling the energy of the crowd as we got closer to the finish line, we were able to turn our turbo jets up a bit and really started to kick it up at about 19.5km. Shortly thereafter, we saw the evidence of the first runner who had collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital, and we were thankful that we were still able to continue at this point in the race. And once again, about 100 meters from the finish line, another run was receiving medical attention, which is always sobering. This half-marathon actually claimed the life of a 25-year-old, and our thoughts and prayers have been with the family of that runner since we heard the news. Unfortunately, these sorts of tragedies do happen and there is little one could have done to prevent it at such a young age, since it’s often some underlying, undiagnosed condition which causes the collapse.
Once we rounded the last corner toward the finish line, we really gave it our last final push, and managed to cross together, with Stefan only 1 second ahead of me in timing. We are extremely proud of ourselves, and looking forward to setting a new personal best at our next half in August. 
About the Race Organization by SCC Events
To be such a large event with so many participants, I found it to be a fairly well organized race. One of the more amazing things about this race is that most of the aid stations and runner’s areas are built up literally overnight. Since the race track goes right by our house, with an aid station just down the street, we could actually see when they started on things. And the night before there was absolutely no sign that there would be 30,000 people racing down the street on the following day, aside from the signs hung up asking people not to park on the street because of the race.
Near the start/finish line was an army of trucks for the gear bag drops. This system worked awesome and you didn’t have to wait while dropping off the bags, or while picking them up. In fact, the volunteers who were on bag detail watched for you from a distance and usually had your bag in hand by the time you got to the truck.
There were lots of volunteers around and strategically placed along the race course, watching out for people who were in trouble and needed assistance. And the volunteer power on these races in general is incredible. A big thank you to everyone who donated their time to make this race possible!
I only have a few things I’d like to see improved:
- It would be nice to have a place to rest for only the runners that were suffering closer to the finish line. There was a big area fenced off for the first 30-50 meters at the right of the finish line where no one was allowed in. I’m not saying all runners should have had access, but if someone from SCC Events was standing there and saw that people needed a place to sit down immediately, this seems like it would have been a good place for it.
- Next time, a drop box for discarded clothing (the warm up stuff that people bring with the intention of tossing out) would be practical. I actually asked about where I could leave my old sweatshirt and pants, but there was nothing arranged, so I had to throw them away which I really hate doing.
- This is sure to be a problem with all big races, but it was rather frustrating to pass very overweight people who had classified themselves into group D (finishing under 2 hours) who clearly had no chance of accomplishing that. Self rating is always tricky — but I fear some people were just clueless as to what is realistic.
Click here to read my post race report and get some insights about what I learned from this race!
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