Berlin marathon 2011

TheRoadRunner · 28-06-2011 5:01pm

4 stars (good)

Pity about the plastic cups but to be honest they don't really bother me, I can drink from them no problem. Can be hard to catch hold of from a volunteer though.

I heard the start can be a bit of a disaster, bit of a free for all and have been advised to get down to start an hour before the start. Guy who recommended this is a good runner and I'd normally listen to what he has to say. Any opinions or comments on start from previous years?

Krusty_Clown · 28-06-2011 5:42pm

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Pity about the plastic cups but to be honest they don't really bother me, I can drink from them no problem. Can be hard to catch hold of from a volunteer though.

I heard the start can be a bit of a disaster, bit of a free for all and have been advised to get down to start an hour before the start. Guy who recommended this is a good runner and I'd normally listen to what he has to say. Any opinions or comments on start from previous years?

You need to get down to the starting area nice and early (as finding your bag drop can be mayhem), but you don't need to get into your corral too early, particularly if you are in A, B, or C. Both times I have lined-up with about 20 minutes to spare (after a pee in the bushes) and it has been fine. Village runner tends to line up just behind Haile, so probably needs to get there 10 minutes earlier.

Line up beyond fast runners (try and avoid the corral jumpers) and you should get off the blocks without any issues. The start is on a wide street, so plenty of room for everyone. Last year, I bumped into two girls who I had previously met in the hotel, lined up in front of me in the corral. they were both 4:30 runners. Imagine being passed by 15 thousand people in the first few miles of your race. :eek:

Caprica · 28-06-2011 6:26pm

On the saturday I done a recon up to the tiergarten to see the start & baggage drop area so I was familiar with the area come race morning, it was a 15min stroll from my hotel and I had registered the previous day so I had the time to spare. It does get very busy with nearly 40,000 entrants and you could end up in a queue to drop your bag.

I was in the 2:50 - 3:00hr pen, it was packed when I got there so I just stood to the side and once the gun went I hopped in when a bit of space appeared. I got over the start line in 2mins, I then spent the next few miles passing out hundreds of people who were nowhere near sub 3.

When I did Paris this year your number was colured for sub 3 and you got into the correct pen otherwise you were turned away, it should be like that everywhere.

liamo123 · 28-06-2011 7:49pm

4 stars (good)

Baggage area a bit crazy but I found start area fine and not too crowded...

As a matter of interest have ye booked ur flights yet ??? Aer Lingus have bumped ur their prices alot recently ... I travelled on the Fri morning flight with Ryaniar last year but they now appear not to b flying in the mornings anymore..... Book now or wait.. That is the question

TheRoadRunner · 28-06-2011 9:04pm

4 stars (good)

Thanks for above comments regarding start. Doesn't sound too bad. To be honest I generally never drop a bag off for a marathon. Rock on up with extra layers and throw them away then usualy lucky enough to have somebody at the finish with a change of clothes. Will be the same again this year thankfully.

liamo123 wrote: »

As a matter of interest have ye booked ur flights yet ??? Aer Lingus have bumped ur their prices alot recently ... I travelled on the Fri morning flight with Ryaniar last year but they now appear not to b flying in the mornings anymore..... Book now or wait.. That is the question

Yep I've my flights booked since January. Flying with Aer lingus Friday afternoon

menoscemo · 28-06-2011 9:16pm

3 stars (average)

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Yep I've my flights booked since January. Flying with Aer lingus Friday afternoon

Same as myself, Back on the monday night €150 return all in IIRC

neilc · 28-06-2011 9:29pm

4 stars (good)

menoscemo wrote: »

Same as myself, Back on the monday night €150 return all in IIRC

Same here €150 all in, first flight Saturday morning to last flight Monday night.

liamo123 · 28-06-2011 9:40pm

4 stars (good)

Aer Lingus flights now at least 240 return !!!.... I wouldnt mind I usually book early for foreign trips ... Ah well I'l wait a bit longer and c what happens.....

Marthastew · 28-06-2011 9:48pm

3 stars (average)

liamo123 wrote: »

Aer Lingus flights now at least 240 return !!!.... I wouldnt mind I usually book early for foreign trips ... Ah well I'l wait a bit longer and c what happens.....

My husband booked our flights in May, Aer Lingus Sat Morn and back Monday lunchtime flight ( we've got someone to mind our kids so we don't want to be gone too long), they were 220 each then, you might be better off booking soon.. It's a tricky one, they might get cheaper but could get even more expensive. I wouldn't leave it too long, less than 13 weeks to go...

shels4ever · 28-06-2011 10:02pm

menoscemo wrote: »

Same as myself, Back on the monday night €150 return all in IIRC

Yep on the same flight too on the Friday but coming back on the tuesday so planning a mighty session on the Monday night.

plodder · 28-06-2011 10:08pm

liamo123 wrote: »

Aer Lingus flights now at least 240 return !!!.... I wouldnt mind I usually book early for foreign trips ... Ah well I'l wait a bit longer and c what happens.....

Same here - no flights yet, or hotel either ...

psychozeb · 28-06-2011 10:20pm

ryanair flights are good at the moment out fri-back monday €144 without administration fee.

TheRoadRunner · 28-06-2011 10:43pm

4 stars (good)

shels4ever wrote: »

Yep on the same flight too on the Friday but coming back on the tuesday so planning a mighty session on the Monday night.

amen to that, hopefully I'll be too tired to drink Sunday night

Brianderunner · 29-06-2011 8:07am

3 stars (average)

Friday to Monday night from Gatwick for me, booked it along with accomodation in February.

opus · 03-07-2011 8:51pm

4 stars (good)

I'm flying out with Ryanair on the Fri & back the following Fri cause I'm making a bit of a holiday out of it to visit some friends as well I've a flat booked on the 24th floor of some tower block, planning to have 3/4 people in there. It's still away cheaper than what I had to pay the tour company to travel last year although that was hotel accommodation.

neilc · 03-07-2011 9:11pm

4 stars (good)

Hi guys, anyone know what's the weather been like for the last few Berlins. Guessing Germany in September it's still pretty good. I think I'll be doing some major goal revisions if it's anything like we're having here now! Anyone else struggling in the heat. Little baby issues has had me doing my last two long runs in the early afternoon heat :eek:

Caprica · 03-07-2011 9:20pm

I done Berlin last year and it poured rain the whole way round. Ideal for me, it was a bit nippy at the start hanging round but once you got going it was perfect conditions. The year before apparently it was a scorcher.

I done Paris this year and it was very warm in 2010 it was wet and miserable. It seems to be a bit of a lottery weather wise.

village runner · 06-07-2011 10:31pm

neilc wrote: »

Hi guys, anyone know what's the weather been like for the last few Berlins. Guessing Germany in September it's still pretty good. I think I'll be doing some major goal revisions if it's anything like we're having here now! Anyone else struggling in the heat. Little baby issues has had me doing my last two long runs in the early afternoon heat :eek:

Rained heavy last yr and warm in 2008 and 2009.........I know a lad that struggles in the heat and yet he ran a pb........Plenty of sun cream and hydrate and as a 9am start you wont be warm until after halfway.

jacquib · 06-07-2011 11:41pm

neilc wrote: »

Hi guys, anyone know what's the weather been like for the last few Berlins. Guessing Germany in September it's still pretty good. I think I'll be doing some major goal revisions if it's anything like we're having here now! Anyone else struggling in the heat. Little baby issues has had me doing my last two long runs in the early afternoon heat :eek:

I done it last year as well. It was very wet & their roads seemed to have a lot of holes as I seemed to be dodging a lot of deep puddles, feet got very wet & heavy. I was told the previous year it was too warm. So I suppose like Ireland you wont really know until the day:)

PaulieYifter · 12-07-2011 10:45am

4 stars (good)

Flights booked

Out with Ryanair Fri afternoon - €90
Back with Aer Lingus Mon morning - €130

eliwallach · 12-07-2011 9:46pm

3 stars (average)

PaulieYifter wrote: »

Flights booked

Out with Ryanair Fri afternoon - €90
Back with Aer Lingus Mon morning - €130

You was robbed.
Return for 81e.

PaulieYifter · 12-07-2011 9:55pm

4 stars (good)

eliwallach wrote: »

You was robbed.
Return for 81e.

My taxes and charges total 81!

Real robbery was entering the marathon and choosing some of the optional add-ons in my innocence - experience was worse than booking flights!

village runner · 12-07-2011 10:07pm

eliwallach wrote: »

You was robbed.
Return for 81e.

Was it not 281 ?? I remember you gave a lad 200 for accom and the horse you backed came 2nd ........

eliwallach · 18-07-2011 10:04pm

3 stars (average)

village runner wrote: »

Was it not 281 ?? I remember you gave a lad 200 for accom

By accomodation I hope the :rolleyes:ahem:rolleyes: "entertainment" girls from around the corner are included....

opus · 19-07-2011 1:35pm

4 stars (good)

See they've announced the products they're going to have on the course.

We will have the following products from PowerBar: Isoactive (Red Fruit Punch, Lemon and Orange) PowerBar Gels: green apple+Caffeine, Lemon-Lime, Tropical Fruit, Berry Blast+Caffeine, Vanilla, Strawberry-Banana, Mango-Passionsfruit+Guarana and Red Fruit Punch.

liamo123 · 19-07-2011 10:27pm

4 stars (good)

opus wrote: »

See they've announced the products they're going to have on the course.

As a matter of interest did u try any of the hot drinks at the aid stations last year???... I didnt go near any while running but sampled a bit at marathon end... I presume it that Powerbar punch u refered to....It tasted quite nice....

Marthastew · 19-07-2011 10:46pm

3 stars (average)

Hot drinks?
Did they really have drinks that were hot at the aid stations? I can't imagine drinking a hot drink during a marathon. Although by all accounts the weather was horrific.

For those of you who ran this last year, how was it in terms of water stations etc? Do they give anything nice or different? (like wine in Paris at 30K, not that I took any!).
I'll have a look on the website also.
I must try some Powerbar products again soon, it's been a while since I've had any

opus · 20-07-2011 6:50am

4 stars (good)

liamo123 wrote: »

As a matter of interest did u try any of the hot drinks at the aid stations last year???... I didnt go near any while running but sampled a bit at marathon end... I presume it that Powerbar punch u refered to....It tasted quite nice....

Same as yourself the only thing I touched was water & then got a bottle of the non-alcoholic beer at the finish, didn't notice the punch. Remember running through the Powerbar area all right, it will probably on the course map exactly where it is.

TheRoadRunner · 20-07-2011 10:03am

4 stars (good)

opus wrote: »

See they've announced the products they're going to have on the course.

Will have to try some of the power bar gels myself. Anybody know of any shops in Dublin that stock them? Will have a look myself later and am just being lazy

shels4ever · 20-07-2011 10:05am

TheRoadRunner wrote: »

Will have to try some of the power bar gels myself. Anybody know of any shops in Dublin that stock them? Will have a look myself later and am just being lazy

Had them in runworx when i was in there last week.

Berlin marathon 2011

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