If you fancy running in the footsteps of Eilish McColgan, who was first woman over the line this year, the Berlin half might be for you.
It’s a flattering course, along wide streets with fairly minimal elevation, taking in many of the sights of mainly West Berlin.
The race starts by the Tiergarten, heading west to Charlottenburg before turning towards Kurfürstendamm and on to Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie, Gendarmenmarkt and Unter den Linden, finishing just beyond the Brandenburg Gate.
The weather today was dry but cool, almost perfect conditions. On a hotter spring day,
there’s quite a lot of shade from the buildings.
Very well-organised bib pick-up on the Saturday, and ample bag drop and toilet facilities on the grass in front of the Reichstag, from where it’s an easy five or 10 minute amble to the starting pends.
Top tips. There are quite a lot of toilets by the starting grid, and queues are shorter there. And don’t be fooled into thinking the race finishes at the Brandenburg Gate - you still have about 150 metres to run after passing through it. For a reasonably priced light lunch after, the cafe at the Humboldt forum, about half a mile east of the finish is good value.
If this half whets your fancy there’s also the S-25 Berlin half in June, which finishes with a lap of the 1936 Olympic stadium.
Ryanair and EasyJet fly daily from Edinburgh, with flight times about 1hr 50 mins.
Comments