Thought I'd get in early and ask if there was anyone out there doing the Berlin Marathon on the 24th September 2006?
Anybody who has already done it, and can recommend the best airport, what train to catch, where to get a cheap hotel near(ish) to the finish line, what to do, where to do it etc. etc.
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I've been a bit ludicrously organized and got registered for this about a month or so ago.
Not done the marathon here before but visited last October - it's a really good place to go, like walking around a 20th century history lesson.
Will be flying into Tegel with Air Berlin this time. Schonefeld's pretty basic and a little way out (30 minute or so train ride). As for hotels, the nearest ones will be next to the Brandenburg Gate/Reichstag and tend to be the priciest in town.
I'll be staying in Mitte at the Arcotel Velvet - it's a little further out but still within walking distance of the start (as are most places near the centre of town - Friedrichstrasse, Potsdamer Platz etc.)
The course itself is renowned for being flat and fast so I'm hoping to do a pretty decent time with any luck. Can't wait to finish and sink a weisse or ten.
I will by flying in the Schonfeld from Liverpool and staying at the A&O Mitte, which I assume is in Mitte. It was only £155 for return flights, b&b, which is considerably cheaper than the £540 that SportTours wanted.
Stayed out at an Ibis in the suburbs. It's so easy to get around on the tube system (can't remember it's official name) and the trains seemed to run like clockwork. Typical German efficiency. People were friendly and the sun never stopped shining (perhaps a bit too much on race day so take precautions). Breakfast run on the saturday was worth doing, lots of grub at the end of that and the saturday rollerblade marathon was also fun to watch. They put on loads of market stalls and food places etc by the end of the course (the marathon and the rollerblade more or less the same course and the same finish) so there's a real festival atmosphere. Oh and I got a pb!
Wish I was coming now but we decided to try Budapest this year instead...
I stayed at the Quality Hotel, Berlin Tegel which is a 10 minute walk from the U-Bahn but has the airport bus from tegel stopping right outside.
It's a 3 star hotel and we paid £123 for two of us for three nights via lastminute.com. The hotel was good and the staff really friendly.
I am thinking about entering the marathon in September, but not decided yet
Just back from Rotterdam,got a PB,but not the time i wanted....so i want to go back for more to get that sub4!!
Just got to check out flight and hotel prices.
We flew from Schoenfeld (or however you spell it) and it is quite a way from the centre so would go from Tegel to make the journey easier.
Just back from Rotterdam marathon where I did 3.33 so may give this a go in an attempt to get under 3.30!
I found that once I'd established a pace i didn't need the monitor. At the moment I am getting over a virus and my attempts to do a 4.30 at Lochaber in a couple of weeks have been severly dented.
Depending on how I do (hopefully finish!), I will set my pace for Berlin. If I do go for a faster pace (which I intend too), I will use my HRM to pace my Fartlek runs. Sprint until HR goes high, walk until it drops, jog keeping it steady. This , for me, is it's 'killer app' as they say.
Are you doing it too?
It was between this one or Amsterdam,other half wants to go to Berlin,so depending on cost of it all,this is most likely.
Or do they post numbers out in advance?
I am thinking of flying on the Saturday before the race.
Berlin was my first marathon last year and I had a pretty terrible time
Nothing to do with the course or the atmosphere (both superb) but I came down with some kind of cold/flu a couple of days before. It was my own stupid fault, I shouldn't have run, but my colleague was running and we had trained together and ...
Anyway he's already registered for this year and I'm still not certain, however seeing as I'm searching for this years thread I guess I'm nearly decided...
I would love to run the course Tergat set the world record on, pity my time will be twice as much.
I am going to give it a couple of weeks then register. I guess I will be flying from Edinburgh to Heathrow then out to Berlin.
you should be able to fly fron Edinburgh.
I know you can definitely fly from Newcastle with easyjet
Try: http://www.davengo.com/e.php/en/B66E181A/pro
or try to spot the "Resister Now" button off the main www. Just right an up a little from the centre of the home page.
I registered for this as soon as registration opened and am happy to see a thread on it already.
I can't wait to start my training properly and keep in touch with you all as we support each other through those pleasant summer runs! Ah, the bliss of the Autumn marathon.
Based on my recent 5 and 10K times I am "supposed" to be able to do 3:29 by now. P.B. to date is only 3:56, but a) Berlin is flat, b) I joined an awesome running club and c)I now have 3 marathons under my belt in the last 12 months. d) I do much better with my running in the summer months!
So I'll do my best. This'll be my fourth marathon, but only the second I'll have trained for seriously. Hopefully I'm still improving.
See you all later.
My trainings going well at the moment, I'm doing the Kirkbymoorside 10k next weekend. I've got my times down to 7.45 a mile over 10k. That might sound slow to some of you but to me it's a milestone. Watched the London today, wish I was there, 5 times and they keep turning me down, according to their entry rules I should get in next year, mind you I hate running in the winter.
Hi Left foot, I have 2 of them, the Berlin will be my 4th, I'm not as fit as you, I hope to do 4 to 4.30.
I'm fit for short stuff, but "not as good as I should be" with my long distance stuff yet. I think I am slightly more predisposed to speed rather than endurance. Problem is, I'm not very patient with keeping the steady 8.5-9 minute mile pace required for a solid 3:30-4 marathon and always seem to hare off and suffer later. So my tack now is going to be stay fast for the first half because I like it, but practice keeping up that pace after the 19 mile point!
I went out to watch the finish line of London today and saw everyone who finished around the 4-4:50 mark. Really inspiring!!
If your looking at around the 4hr mark for the Berlin it sounds like there will be a load of us aiming for that time, it might be worth running as the "Runners World masive".