Page 1/2 real,- Berlin Marathon 2010/2011

The real,- Berlin Marathon started in 1974, and has appeared annually ever since. The very first person to win the Berlin Marathon, Günter Hallas, still runs the marathon today and was also there when the 2008 and 2009 versions of the race took place. And our guess is that there is a good chance og seeing him running the streets of Berlin on September 26, 2010, too.
The Berlin Marathon is part of the marathon series, World Marathon Majors, together with four other large and tradition bound races: Boston, Chicago, London and New York marathons. In the 2008 version of the real,- Berlin Marathon, 35,000 runners was cheered on by more than 1 million spectators.
In the early years of the Berlin Marathon it was set in Grunewald – a large forest in West Berlin. Seven years later, the race was moved to the city centre of West Berlin, and finally in 1990 – almost one year after the Berlin Wall collapsed – the course was led through both parts of the German capital. Running through the famous Berlin icon, Brandenburg Gate, was a symbolic action that brought out tears in the eyes of many participants in 1990. The course of the real,- Berlin Marathon is well-known for its flatness, which makes the race great for first-timers and for experienced marathoners looking to beat their personal best, as well as for its sightseeing potential. The course takes runners past several of Berlin’s historic landmarks, such as the Reichstag, Potsdamer Platz, Berliner Dom, and of course the Brandenburg Gate just before the finish line. Running the real,- Berlin Marathon can feel like taking part in a modern history lesson, only with a million exhilarated fans in stead of text books, and ancient buildings mixed between modern hi-tech shops in stead of a teacher.
More than one world record has been set on the flat, low-altitude course of the real,- Berlin Marathon. The 2007 and 2008 versions of the Berlin Marathon both featured new world records - even by the same man. In 2007 Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie took 29 seconds off the former record and finished by 2:04:26. And then in 2008 he improved his own breathtaking accomplishment by another 27 seconds and finished by 2:03:59. In 2009, he won yet again in impressive fashion (for the fourth year in a row), although not in record time. However, he did pass the 30K point in 1:27:49 which is a world record on road.
Registration procedures and various information regarding the full and 1/2 (half) marathon in Berlin, Germany, can be found at the official Berlin Marathon website here.


real,- Berlin Marathon 2010 Course
Please click here to examine the course of the real,- Berlin Marathon.


Results and other information on the next page:
Berlin Marathon 2010/2011 Results and Information