Page 1/2 real,- Berlin Marathon 2008

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 will probably be there on September 28, when the 2008 version of the race is taking place. 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 2007 version of the real,- Berlin Marathon, 23,000 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 latest version (2007) of Berlin Marathon featured a new world record. Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie beat the former world record also set in Berlin in 2003 by 34 year-old Kenyan Paul Tergat. Gebrselassie took 29 seconds off the former record and finished by 2:04:26.
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 2008 Course
Please click here to examine the course of the real,- Berlin Marathon.


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