We ran the Berlin Marathon

It was sometime in November 2022, and a good friend of mine Matt sent a message to a WhatsApp group informing us the the ballot for the Berlin Marathon closes at midnight. Emma and I were laying in bed at this point, looked at each other and thought, f*** it, let's enter. Given how difficult it is to get a spot in one of the 6 major marathon events, we weren't holding out much hope.

A few weeks later, a notification popped up on my phone from my bank telling me that my payment for the Berlin Marathon has just been processed.

Ot oh. It's happening!

Fast forward a few months and both Emma and I are slowly upping the frequency in which we head out for a run. Having never ran more than about 15k before, this was going to be a challenge. We wanted to prepare for this with the right amount of training, but also to not change our lifestyle too much.

As the weeks went on, we had some sort of routine that was working. I was running before work, then doing my longer run on a Sunday. By this point we are very much in the middle of summer, and the temptation to spend Saturdays in a beer garden with friends was a hard one to refuse. The odd couple wont hurt!

As race day got closer, the Sunday morning runs got longer, and the temperatures in Berlin got higher. I don't cope well with the heat, it makes me tired, and my pale skin burns easily unless I'm lathered in sun lotion. For these longer runs, I headed out at around 6am most Sundays to avoid the heat. It was interesting running around Berlin at that time on a Sunday, especially through Kreuzberg where you'd see dozens of people still out clubbing.

With race day being a week away, we're now fully prepared for it. We have our nutrition sorted, we've been eating the same meal the night before a long run; chicken, rice & chips, and we've even bought a new top for the occasion.

A few days before, we headed to Tempelhof to the Marathon Exhibition to pick up our race pack. It was nice to see the inside of the old terminal building - maybe I'll go back someday for a tour of this place.

Sunday 24th September 2023 — Race day!

We tried to have as normal a day as possible the day before; good breakfast, short and slow run, followed by some home cooked dinner in the evening. Emma's parents had joined us by this point, and they had popped over for the evening for a few board games too.

We leave home at about 8am in order to get to the starting point for a 10:30 start. The trains were packed! If you ever end up running in an event like this, do allow yourself enough time to get to the starting point.

As our start time gets closer, the nerves creep in. What if we cant do it? What if I get injured? Have we got enough nutrition? What if I need the toilet? All of these questions are going through our head. At the same time however, everyone around us is being very supportive to one another. Wishing each other well. Giving words of encouragement to those who also look nervous. It feels more like a big group effort that an individual one. We all have our own plans, we've all trained differently, we all have our own goals, but yet we're all running together.

My goal? Just finish the thing. I wanted to do a sub-4 hour 30 too, which given my training, and this was my first ever marathon, I thought was a realistic target.

And we're off...

Emma and I decided to not run together as we both run at different speeds, so it would have been difficult for the both of us to stay together. The first 10k went well, and wasn't that crowded with runners so I could maintain my pace with ease. Matt hatched a plan the day before, which involved him leading a cheer squad to various parts of the course - which helped us immensely. Given the amount of people on the streets, it's great when you see a familiar face supporting you.

During my training I'd not ran more than about 32 kilometres, so when I passed this point in the marathon I was entering unknown territory. Surely I can do another 10!

By the time I was at kilometre 37, my lower back was beginning to ache, as were my ankles. It's at this point where I regret not doing more strength training in the build up. I notice that I'm stopping more often to stretch out the pain and take in liquids by this point, too. This is now a mental challenge.

As I reach the 40k mark, the sense of achievement is sinking in. I've got this! As I wind through the streets of Mitte for the final 2 kilometres, I can now see the finish line ahead of me. It's right there! Just beyond the Brandenburger Tor!

I've done it. 14 minutes under my target time, too!

Once I collected my medal, I headed for the competitors area in front of the Reichstag where I found a spot of grass and collapsed. I was done. I needed to replenish the calories and get some water in me. It was a strange feeling, quite overwhelming at first, but about 40 minutes or so later, I could start to appreciate what I'd achieved.

Emma and I proceeded to meet our friends and family for some well deserved food and beer.

As a whole, I very much enjoyed the whole experience. Even parts of the training! I wouldn't rule out doing another marathon in future, but I do think that the half marathon distance is what I'm more suited for.

Big thank you to Barbara, Pat, Tamer, Matt, Wouter, Maaike, Mary, Yury and Paul for coming out to support us.

View the activity on Strava.