pickupthepacepaul

On 24 September 2023, I finished the Berlin Marathon 2023. Berlin is one of the World Marathon Majors and a race I am very familiar with. I first ran the Berlin Marathon in 2014, and I learned a lot about the importance of race nutrition and hydration. I learned from mistakes, which is often the best way of learning for yourself, by trying, and finding out how you can do better in the future. Since then, I have returned a total of 6 times as an official pacer for Berlin Marathon, finishing the race 7 times. This was the 103rd time I have been a pacer, 41 times for the marathon distance. It was my 140th event for the 100 marathon club and my 25th marathon for 2023.

As I have been to Berlin many times, I take the whole experience in my stride, and this year I planned a short trip for 1 night only. Ironically, I can get to Berlin Marathon quicker and cheaper from London than many races in the North of UK. I travelled alone as the short nature of the trip wouldn’t be fun for my family, and a longer trip is more difficult because of school for my children. So I set off on an 08:00 flight on Saturday morning, arriving in time to make my way straight to the Marathon Expo.

As part of your start card for Berlin you receive a 4 day travel card electronically. This makes travel very simple. From the airport you can take a quick train to many central locations, and it took little over an hour to get to the expo.

Berlin Marathon Expo

The expo in Berlin is large. It is located in an old airport, Tempelhof Airport. This year, there seemed to be some improvements with entry and bib collection, which meant, despite it being Saturday at prime time, I walked straight in without any delays or queues. Everything was very simple to get my Bib number, and I only ran into one difficulty. I ordered some Berlin Marathon kit online. So I was wearing the official top and trainers. When I tried going to the toilet, I was stopped by staff asking to see the receipt for the clothes I had been wearing all day, and clearly didn’t have a receipt for. I tried to explain that I didn’t have any other clothes and didn’t have a receipt because I hadn’t purchased them at the expo, but this didn’t matter. Fortunately, I was able to log in to my adidas account and show my previous orders. Whilst I understand staff want to prevent theft, there needs to be a better approach when people can purchase items in advance, and clearly will wear them to the expo.

I was pleased to get my Boston 12 a couple of months ago so I could wear them in before race day. Although the ones in the expo were far more shiny and new looking than mine, after I’ve used them for a couple of marathons. I was able to purchase my cliff bloks and had a few erdinger, including a free one for taking part in a game. After finishing with the expo, I made my way with some friends to get a lovely pizza before going to check in my hotel.

The rest of Saturday was spent resting and meeting friends. I managed to find a big screen to watch England play in the Rugby World Cup and then met my friends for another pizza to top off my carb loading.

At the end of the night, I prepared my kit for race day.

Berlin Marathon 2023

It is always an early start on race morning, but it isn’t too bad at Berlin as I usually stay relatively close to the race village, and it is a sociable start time for most runners, with my wave starting at 10:00. It was fantastic seeing lots of familiar faces getting ready in the morning, then speaking with lots of runners as we made our way to the start.

The start line is very busy, and it can be difficult to find people with so many runners in one place, but it is a fantastic view seeing so many runners together ready to go. I made my way to the front of H, which was my start position. I was right near Marco, who was pacing 4:15, and there was another 4 hour pacer on the other side. Because there are many start waves, there is a little overlap, which can be confusing for runners, but it makes sense and works out fine. It just means there were some slower runners ahead of us and faster runners behind us but in a different wave.

I enjoyed motivating the runners looking for a sub 4 finish. We had a great mix of first-time marathoners, first-time Berlin marathoners, and people looking to achieve sub 4 for the first time. Pacing is not just about running a consistent pace (which, of course, is needed), it is about creating a community of runners and building confidence. I spent time talking through my race strategy and answering questions about water stations, pace, and more. But the main thing was to see lots of smiles and ease anxiety. That is why a pacer is there, to help take away as much anxiety as possible to allow everyone else to concentrate on the running and achieving their best.

Most of the roads are wide in Berlin, but these do get narrower, creating a few delays in places. There are a few other hazards, like the water stations and a few sections where runners were walking slowly in the middle of the road (please be mindful of others and try to move to the side if you need to slow down). However, none of this stopped the flow, and one thing I make sure I tell my runners in the #funbus is to not worry about slight delays. We don’t want to spend time and energy zig zagging around people if we can help it. Unlike many races, Berlin Marathon does not thin out. It is busy and congested from start to finish. You should expect it to be busy and prepare to race accordingly.

There are some good sections with crowd support, but it is nothing compared to majors like London, Chicago, and New York. You get most of the atmosphere from the runners around you.

Although the water stations are always very busy, they are well managed. At every table, I was able to battle through people to get to the long tables filled with water. Water is in cups, and there were always plenty of filled cups for everyone with cold water. At most stations, there were normal plastic cups that were easy to drink from if you squeezed the cup. At two stops, there were hard plastic cups being trialled. I assume this is so they can be reused, but to be honest, I’m not a fan. I think many would be damaged, but importantly, these create a hazard for runners, and it would be more likely someone could trip on these. It would be good to understand whether these actually have an environmental impact, as from what I saw, many cups seemed to be broken so could not be reused.

I had some fantastic runners with me during Berlin Marathon, with a few dozen who stayed with me from start to finish. There were many hundreds who ran with me at times and from a distance, but there were some lively, friendly runners who I noticed with me throughout. I made sure I shared updates about our pace and pleased to have maintained an even pace throughout. The desired pace for a sub 4 Marathon is 9:09 min mile or 5:41 min km. The reality is you need to be running faster than this in such a large marathon as you do run further, even if you are careful to run the blue line. My pace ranged from 8:49 to 9:09, with most miles at or around 09:00. It is often deceptive with what is needed as it would be great to run 9:09 throughout, but that just wouldn’t be enough. Sometimes, the GPS doesn’t work, or you get caught behind people creating a delay, so you make up a little time on a decline section. You also need to work out what your average time needs to be, so at each km marker I try to work out if my pace will be enough to get to the finish on time, or I need to adjust. This can not be perfectly predicted as each runner takes a different path. Every turn made adds distance. Every time you go around someone or get water, it all makes a difference. But at Berlin, there is no need for a massive change in pace, so I am pleased to have averaged a 9 min mile and went no different than +/- 10 seconds. The main thing for runners is, this is why pacers are there. To worry about all of this so you don’t have to.

I love the turn with less than 1km to go when you can see Brandenburg Gate. This creates such a buzz, and I always try to get people to get ahead of me. It is also a time of concentration as a pacer. A balance between encouraging everyone around you to finish on time and making sure you don’t get carried away or underestimate how long is left. I usually speed up with people around me, but try to bring others along, giving that final push so very one gives their best at the end.

I had a lot of runners at the end waiting for me. There were so many happy faces and smiles of those who had raced ahead at the end, some getting a 3:58, others just dipping under 4 hours. There were others who joined me who just missed 4 hours, but with mixed emotions. Some didn’t make 4 hours, but one got a 20-minute PB, so lots to be happy for. We all have our individual journey, and this is what makes this so special, being able to be part of these experiences and hopefully helping in some way.

My official finish time was 3:59:43, which I am really happy with.

Unfortunately, at the time I usually enjoy the finish, and phone my family, I received notification that my flight, which was supposed to be leaving at 18:00 hours, had been cancelled. Fortunately my wife had seen this and rebooked an alternative, but the best alternative was an indirect flight the following morning, meaning instead of landing home at 19:00 on Sunday night, I didn’t land until 12:00 the following day.

Although the flight cancellation was disappointing, mostly because I wanted to see my family. It did mean I could go with friends for a pork knuckle and a stein, so this was a silver lining.

Overall, Berlin Marathon was once again brilliant. Have you run Berlin Marathon before, and did you run this year? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Are you hoping to run Berlin Marathon in the future? If you have any questions, I will try to help.