Short story from the Berlin Marathon 2023 🇩🇪
🏃🏻♂️ Last Sunday, September 24, I ran a marathon at the 49th Berlin Marathon. There were a lot of people participating (almost 50,000 people) because the Berlin Maraton is one of the six world major marathons.
🏃🏻♂️ I went racing with the adidas Runners Zurich (AR Zurich) which sponsored a bib for me 😜 I knew that
I would be running in Berlin about 1.5 months before race day, so I had very little time to prepare but
I tried to train as much as I can. Because it is not so easy to run on a world major course, and more importantly,
this is my first marathon, so I want to do my best.
🏃🏻♂️ I ran in group D of the first wave (the same wave as Kipchoge but he of course was in the front row!). The start time of the first wave is exactly at 9:15 a.m. but I actually started running around 9:30 a.m.!! Now you have an idea how crazy a number of runners in front of me is! I listened to musics along the long run because fast, exciting musics make me feel good and keep my legs awake 🤣
🏃🏻♂️ There were a lot of people in the first 10 kilometers. It was almost impossible to run very fast because many runners trying to find their own space to run fast. Then, it was difficult for me to overtake and I had to be careful as I did not want to trip or cause others to fall. After the first 10 kilometers the traffic was much better (no more traffic jam) and I had more space to run. My goal was to finish in 3 hours 20 minutes (aim too high, probably 😅), but my actual run was not as what I expected..
🏃🏻♂️ During the first 20 kilometers (First half marathon), I achieved the desired speed, which was around 4.30 min/km pace. But something happended in the beginning of the second half marathon at around km 21. I felt a strange sensation in the back of my left thigh (Hamstring), which I knew immediately that it was cramps!! There was nothing I could do except slow down or stop running. What I did was decreasing my speed and walked taking water at refreshment station from time to time, resulting in my pace of 5.30-6.00 min/km and then I had to keep running until I reached the finish line. Ultimately, I did it in 3 hours and 42 minutes 😇
🏃🏻♂️ Ask if I am disappointed, yes, a bit, because the running didn’t go as planned. But this gives me a lesson. I learned that I still lack experience; taking a glass of water or finding a moment to take over other runners in front of me. I also didn’t plan to run whether a positive split or negative split. During the second half where I had to run slow, I had more time to focus on the supporters on the sidelines, seeing people cheerings, taking some photos/videos as memories. It made me very happy and I could feel the strength throughout the run which helped me reach the finish line in the end 😊
To conclude the Berlin marathon, the race is totally amazing. The event was very well, professionally organized. There were a lot of officers and they provide crystal clear information, also first aid units and security units. There were also drinking water and energy drink stations for you along the way (every 5 km) as well as fruits such as bananas and apples.