It was an overwhelming moment for everyone on September 30, 1990, when about 25000 marathon runners passed through the Brandenburg Gate for the first time. This year's Berlin Marathon commemorated this day under the motto: 20 years of running without borders.
When I ran through that middle column of the Brandenburg Gate, I knew I was taking part in something very special. To run in a city and country divided by one of the most devastating events in history, aside from the pain I was experiencing in my legs, I couldn't help but feel a few more emotions when running through that gate. Sadness, for those that lost their lives needlessly through man's cruelty. Happiness, for those reunited after the fall of Die Mauer 20 years ago. And pride, for all the hard work that I put in over the past six months to get ready for this event, and the vast improvements that I've made in my running. And I believe that my best is still yet to come.
I still remember the day that I registered for the event. It was February 23, 2009. At that time, I couldn't believe that I had entered one of the biggest marathons in the world so easily. Before I came to Europe, I had always wanted to do Berlin, just like I always wanted to do London or Paris. I knew it was one of the fastest marathons in the world and that the world record was broken at Berlin three times in the last five years. What I didn't know was the significance of the course and the history behind the city. To me, that increases the profile of running the Berlin Marathon ever so highly, and why it is arguably the 2nd best marathon in the world.
Even though I registered in February, I didn't start proper marathon training until April as I was still training for the Reading Half Marathon in March. I was excited, and a little afraid at the same time. I hadn't run a marathon in nearly 18 months. A half marathon is manageable, but a marathon is an entirely different beast. I had no idea how I would perform on the day, or how I would react to the demands of training. So I kept mum about the news and only told a couple of people, namely my parents and my housemate, Tina, as she is German. When I ran the Reading Half Marathon much faster than expected, I knew I was capable of getting a fast time at Berlin.
So from April to September, I dedicated myself to a training programme designed to give a fast time. Initially I wanted sub 3:30:00, then I modified it to 3:20:00. When my training picked up the intensity in the latter half of the programme, I started to believe that 3:10:00 was possible. To be fair, I really didn't know what I was capable of. Sometimes I doubted myself, other times I was optimistic. Looking back, I may have been too optimistic aiming for 3:10:00, but as they say, if you shoot for the moon and miss, at least you'll land among the stars. In the end, and given perfect conditions on the day, I wasn't too far off. But one thing was clear - at the end of my last training run I was in the best running form of my life, and I was due to smash my marathon PB to bits.
Berlin is such a fantastic city. The day before the race, I walked around parts of the city, which were closed off for the marathon, just to appreciate the surroundings and to get a feel for the course. I had a great chance to learn about the history of the Berlin Wall, and to see the remains of the wall, now in the form of a brick line on the ground to show where the wall once stood. The course starts west of the wall, then crosses to the east at around 6-7 km. After 12-13 km, the course crosses west again, which is where most of the course is run. Only from the 38th km onwards does the course cross east, until the runner reaches the Brandenburg Gate. The course crosses west one more time after the gate, with another 400 metres to the finish.
The race was extremely organised in typical German fashion. The start was so orderly, until the starting gun sounded. And then the chaos began. Over 45000 runners ran through the start line in Tiergarten on Straße des 17. Juni. It took me 5 minutes to cross the start line, but I used this time to prepare myself mentally and to get ready for the race. The theme music of Chariots of Fire was playing from the loudspeakers, coupled with the release of hundreds of yellow balloons slowly rising high in the air. Such symbolic imagery, it was a special moment before I even took my first stride.
And when I crossed the start line, I was in full swing. For the first couple of kms, I was mostly weaving through the masses of runners, sometimes pushing through them, and also getting a few nudges from behind. The first 5 kms were very comfortable. I was going at around 4.7 mins/km pace, which is slower than the required pace for 3:10:00, but I believed I could claw back the deficit. I did claw back some time, getting slightly faster with each 5 km split up to the half way mark. I was hoping that I would still have enough in me in the second half to go faster or just hold on.
The crowds along the street were fantastic, the best atmosphere I have encountered in any running event I have done. Kids were putting out their hands and I was more than happy to give high-fives. Some of the older women gave me high-fives when I stuck my hand out to them. I had my name on my race number so occasionally they were shouting my name as I ran past. It was such an uplifting feeling when you can feel the support of the crowd. Live bands were also out in force on the streets, but I was running to the music from my iPod, to provide me with the extra kick I needed at certain stages of the race.
The second half saw me go a bit slower than the required pace. It was a combination of tiredness, dehydration, and the uncharacteristic hot temperature Berlin had on the day. I tried pushing the pace, and the effort lasted for a couple of minutes. But in the end I had to slow down. At that time I knew that sub 3:10:00 was asking too much; at the half way point I was over 2 minutes out from the required split, and I wasn't able to claw back the deficit or maintain the required pace. However, I was still on target for sub 3:20:00. It was just a matter of holding on.
As it turned out, the conditions got hotter, and I wasn't taking in enough fluid. I was dehydrated and my core temperature was rising to the point that I felt like a hot car radiator. The last few water stations were a godsend. I had to stop briefly to get water in the system, but also to pour water on my head and body to cool down. The benefits were immediate, but short-lived. As soon as I poured water on myself, my breathing got faster and my heart was racing. It was like a surge of cold adreneline in my system. It helped me to run faster for a brief moment, but not long enough to last to the next water station. Of course, I began to overheat and slowed down yet again. In the last 12 km of the race, I slowed down from around 4.6 mins/km pace to around 5.0 - 5.2 mins/km pace.
Eventually I made it to Potsdamer Platz, the important square of Berlin and once a wasteland during the days of the Berlin Wall. I had just run 38 km. I looked at my splits and worked out that to get under 3:20:00 I need to finish the race in approximately 20 minutes. This was going to be tough since my current pace had dropped to 5.2 mins/km and still slowing. But I kept pushing onwards, ignoring the pain, but wary that I could still suffer from a cramp attack anytime.
At 40 km, the last water stop was available. I grabbed as much water as I could, poured it on my head and ran hard. I knew I was very close, but the last stretch of road on the course, Unter den Linden, was extremely long and extremely straight. The Brandenburg Gate was so small in the distance that when I kept running it still stayed the same size. It was the ultimate psychological test. At this time, I noticed that one of my shoelaces became untied. A Danish runner pointed it out to me, but I was so close to the finish that I didn't even stop to tie it up. I just did the only thing that I knew how. I just kept on running.
Eventually the Brandenburg Gate became the size of a monument, and I consciously made my way towards the middle column of the structure. Running through the gate was once in a lifetime thrill, and it was there and then that I started to throw all coals into the fire and run as hard as I could to the finish line 400 metres away. As soon as I crossed the line, I raised my arms up like a champion. I honestly felt like a champion. Even though I ran the last 2.195 km faster than the pace during the 35-40 km split, in the end I didn't get under 3:20:00. My official time was 3:22:45.
The euphoria of completing Berlin was brief though because the pain started to kick in in my legs. Remembering the inspiration throughout my training, I shouted, "Yo Tina! I DID IT!", in reference to that famous line that Rocky Balboa said when he won the world heavyweight championship. I got a few weird looks from the other runners at the finish, but I was so inspired by the Rocky movies that I wanted to do it anyway. Next I had to keep on moving. I started to walk towards the water stations and took in as much water and electrolyte drinks as I could. Occasionally I would scream in discomfort. One German runner wanted to know if I was alright, but he only spoke German. I spoke back to him in German saying that I didn't understand him. He replied back in German and gave me a pat on the back. I didn't understand anything he said, but I felt a camaraderie between us, as if we were team mates. All marathon runners share a special unspoken bond, and even though I didn't know the man I definitely felt it there and then.
I've had the chance to reflect on my performance, and I can honestly say that I gave it everything. I was not good enough to run 3:10:00, but I believe I can run 3:20:00 on a good day. I couldn't do anything about the weather, so I'm happy with 3:22:45. For 6 months, I have managed to turn up to training everytime, always managing to deliver, even when my mind and body sometimes had other ideas. I am proud of the way I stuck to my training, and how much I have achieved in my running performances this year. And on race day, I can't think of anything I would do differently. I ran a good solid race, but unfortunately the weather has a part to play, and in my case it was decisive. That's marathon running, and I have to accept it.
I just want to thank all those that supported me during this event. Even though I didn't have a support crew that travelled with me to Berlin, there were many people that helped and kept encouraging me along the way. Shaun and Shanta, for procuring and transporting the energy gels across to the UK. Lance, for his encouragement and humour and constantly reminding me about Hayley and the headlines. The folks in the office, for their constant reminders on food intake and leaving me with more than my usual portions of jam donuts and heavy pastries that I could manage. And finally to my housemate, Tina, who doesn't share the same level of interest in running as me, and has called me crazy on more than one occasion, but has quietly supported me throughout those long months of hard training. After I downed copious amounts of fluid at the finish line, I got my phone and texted her from the finish line, saying, in true Rocky fashion, Yo Tina, I did it.........I did it.
I still remember the day that I registered for the event. It was February 23, 2009. At that time, I couldn't believe that I had entered one of the biggest marathons in the world so easily. Before I came to Europe, I had always wanted to do Berlin, just like I always wanted to do London or Paris. I knew it was one of the fastest marathons in the world and that the world record was broken at Berlin three times in the last five years. What I didn't know was the significance of the course and the history behind the city. To me, that increases the profile of running the Berlin Marathon ever so highly, and why it is arguably the 2nd best marathon in the world.
Even though I registered in February, I didn't start proper marathon training until April as I was still training for the Reading Half Marathon in March. I was excited, and a little afraid at the same time. I hadn't run a marathon in nearly 18 months. A half marathon is manageable, but a marathon is an entirely different beast. I had no idea how I would perform on the day, or how I would react to the demands of training. So I kept mum about the news and only told a couple of people, namely my parents and my housemate, Tina, as she is German. When I ran the Reading Half Marathon much faster than expected, I knew I was capable of getting a fast time at Berlin.
So from April to September, I dedicated myself to a training programme designed to give a fast time. Initially I wanted sub 3:30:00, then I modified it to 3:20:00. When my training picked up the intensity in the latter half of the programme, I started to believe that 3:10:00 was possible. To be fair, I really didn't know what I was capable of. Sometimes I doubted myself, other times I was optimistic. Looking back, I may have been too optimistic aiming for 3:10:00, but as they say, if you shoot for the moon and miss, at least you'll land among the stars. In the end, and given perfect conditions on the day, I wasn't too far off. But one thing was clear - at the end of my last training run I was in the best running form of my life, and I was due to smash my marathon PB to bits.
Berlin is such a fantastic city. The day before the race, I walked around parts of the city, which were closed off for the marathon, just to appreciate the surroundings and to get a feel for the course. I had a great chance to learn about the history of the Berlin Wall, and to see the remains of the wall, now in the form of a brick line on the ground to show where the wall once stood. The course starts west of the wall, then crosses to the east at around 6-7 km. After 12-13 km, the course crosses west again, which is where most of the course is run. Only from the 38th km onwards does the course cross east, until the runner reaches the Brandenburg Gate. The course crosses west one more time after the gate, with another 400 metres to the finish.
The race was extremely organised in typical German fashion. The start was so orderly, until the starting gun sounded. And then the chaos began. Over 45000 runners ran through the start line in Tiergarten on Straße des 17. Juni. It took me 5 minutes to cross the start line, but I used this time to prepare myself mentally and to get ready for the race. The theme music of Chariots of Fire was playing from the loudspeakers, coupled with the release of hundreds of yellow balloons slowly rising high in the air. Such symbolic imagery, it was a special moment before I even took my first stride.
And when I crossed the start line, I was in full swing. For the first couple of kms, I was mostly weaving through the masses of runners, sometimes pushing through them, and also getting a few nudges from behind. The first 5 kms were very comfortable. I was going at around 4.7 mins/km pace, which is slower than the required pace for 3:10:00, but I believed I could claw back the deficit. I did claw back some time, getting slightly faster with each 5 km split up to the half way mark. I was hoping that I would still have enough in me in the second half to go faster or just hold on.
The crowds along the street were fantastic, the best atmosphere I have encountered in any running event I have done. Kids were putting out their hands and I was more than happy to give high-fives. Some of the older women gave me high-fives when I stuck my hand out to them. I had my name on my race number so occasionally they were shouting my name as I ran past. It was such an uplifting feeling when you can feel the support of the crowd. Live bands were also out in force on the streets, but I was running to the music from my iPod, to provide me with the extra kick I needed at certain stages of the race.
The second half saw me go a bit slower than the required pace. It was a combination of tiredness, dehydration, and the uncharacteristic hot temperature Berlin had on the day. I tried pushing the pace, and the effort lasted for a couple of minutes. But in the end I had to slow down. At that time I knew that sub 3:10:00 was asking too much; at the half way point I was over 2 minutes out from the required split, and I wasn't able to claw back the deficit or maintain the required pace. However, I was still on target for sub 3:20:00. It was just a matter of holding on.
As it turned out, the conditions got hotter, and I wasn't taking in enough fluid. I was dehydrated and my core temperature was rising to the point that I felt like a hot car radiator. The last few water stations were a godsend. I had to stop briefly to get water in the system, but also to pour water on my head and body to cool down. The benefits were immediate, but short-lived. As soon as I poured water on myself, my breathing got faster and my heart was racing. It was like a surge of cold adreneline in my system. It helped me to run faster for a brief moment, but not long enough to last to the next water station. Of course, I began to overheat and slowed down yet again. In the last 12 km of the race, I slowed down from around 4.6 mins/km pace to around 5.0 - 5.2 mins/km pace.
Eventually I made it to Potsdamer Platz, the important square of Berlin and once a wasteland during the days of the Berlin Wall. I had just run 38 km. I looked at my splits and worked out that to get under 3:20:00 I need to finish the race in approximately 20 minutes. This was going to be tough since my current pace had dropped to 5.2 mins/km and still slowing. But I kept pushing onwards, ignoring the pain, but wary that I could still suffer from a cramp attack anytime.
At 40 km, the last water stop was available. I grabbed as much water as I could, poured it on my head and ran hard. I knew I was very close, but the last stretch of road on the course, Unter den Linden, was extremely long and extremely straight. The Brandenburg Gate was so small in the distance that when I kept running it still stayed the same size. It was the ultimate psychological test. At this time, I noticed that one of my shoelaces became untied. A Danish runner pointed it out to me, but I was so close to the finish that I didn't even stop to tie it up. I just did the only thing that I knew how. I just kept on running.
Eventually the Brandenburg Gate became the size of a monument, and I consciously made my way towards the middle column of the structure. Running through the gate was once in a lifetime thrill, and it was there and then that I started to throw all coals into the fire and run as hard as I could to the finish line 400 metres away. As soon as I crossed the line, I raised my arms up like a champion. I honestly felt like a champion. Even though I ran the last 2.195 km faster than the pace during the 35-40 km split, in the end I didn't get under 3:20:00. My official time was 3:22:45.
The euphoria of completing Berlin was brief though because the pain started to kick in in my legs. Remembering the inspiration throughout my training, I shouted, "Yo Tina! I DID IT!", in reference to that famous line that Rocky Balboa said when he won the world heavyweight championship. I got a few weird looks from the other runners at the finish, but I was so inspired by the Rocky movies that I wanted to do it anyway. Next I had to keep on moving. I started to walk towards the water stations and took in as much water and electrolyte drinks as I could. Occasionally I would scream in discomfort. One German runner wanted to know if I was alright, but he only spoke German. I spoke back to him in German saying that I didn't understand him. He replied back in German and gave me a pat on the back. I didn't understand anything he said, but I felt a camaraderie between us, as if we were team mates. All marathon runners share a special unspoken bond, and even though I didn't know the man I definitely felt it there and then.
I've had the chance to reflect on my performance, and I can honestly say that I gave it everything. I was not good enough to run 3:10:00, but I believe I can run 3:20:00 on a good day. I couldn't do anything about the weather, so I'm happy with 3:22:45. For 6 months, I have managed to turn up to training everytime, always managing to deliver, even when my mind and body sometimes had other ideas. I am proud of the way I stuck to my training, and how much I have achieved in my running performances this year. And on race day, I can't think of anything I would do differently. I ran a good solid race, but unfortunately the weather has a part to play, and in my case it was decisive. That's marathon running, and I have to accept it.
I just want to thank all those that supported me during this event. Even though I didn't have a support crew that travelled with me to Berlin, there were many people that helped and kept encouraging me along the way. Shaun and Shanta, for procuring and transporting the energy gels across to the UK. Lance, for his encouragement and humour and constantly reminding me about Hayley and the headlines. The folks in the office, for their constant reminders on food intake and leaving me with more than my usual portions of jam donuts and heavy pastries that I could manage. And finally to my housemate, Tina, who doesn't share the same level of interest in running as me, and has called me crazy on more than one occasion, but has quietly supported me throughout those long months of hard training. After I downed copious amounts of fluid at the finish line, I got my phone and texted her from the finish line, saying, in true Rocky fashion, Yo Tina, I did it.........I did it.
