Berlin Brilliance for Boyes & Brenchley

** Race Report by Chris Brenchley **

 

Berlin Marathon 2024.

 

 

The 50th Berlin Marathon held on Sunday 29th September was an attempt to break a world record to be the largest participation of runners in a marathon, previously held by the Paris and New York Marathons.

 

 

Nikki and Chris were to be two of the 54,280 runners to complete the course proudly wearing our TRAC vests representing the ‘club of the year’.

 

 

Even with German organisation this amount of runners often meant queues and crowds, both at the expo picking up numbers, merchandise and getting to the start.
The old airport now an exhibition venue was used for the expo.

 

 

The start at the Tiergarten.
I had an early start in wave 1 on a cool, still, sunny autumn morning, after some previous windy weather this was most welcome and ideal race conditions.

 

Soon it was race time, albeit with a little queue to use the WCs. Some anthems, happy birthday for 50 events, some champions league style flames, countdown and then at last running.

 

I started on pace exactly as my training had predicted ‘see how you feel at 32k before any heroic efforts’ as the textbook says.

 

However, I seemed to be being overtaken by thousands of runners trying out an elite pace over the first 5k, I guess with 54 thousand runners a small % had all the gear and no idea! I felt a little inadequate, oh well I’m here for my goal. Nikki had started in wave 2 and was keeping on pace too.

 

The Berlin route is flat and fast with a nice surface underfoot, taking in some historical sights on a clockwise route. The iconic finish is by going under the Brandenburg gate.

 

Then came water fun, side swiping runners and water cups. We crunched over the plastic cups hoping they were degradable.

 

I started to overtake the thousands of runners that thought it was a 10k!

 

After the half way marker we were both on pace for a PBs but it’s all about mile 20/32k when you know if it’s going to be a good day.

 

Many more runners had now slowed, most of which had overcooked it in the first half. I was still on pace and onto 32k. Checkpoint Charlie where I had paired up with a runner from Highgate harriers and we both exchanged how we could up the pace to 6:30/M for the last 10k, it felt good and I worked on my form, we pushed each other being cheered on with shouts of ‘Kristofer’ to turn onto the Unter Den Linden and views of Brandenburg Tor and the large BMW blue finish gantry that read 2:54:27 for me and 3:45:24 for Nikki.

 

 

We both achieved PBs and negative splits on the renowned fast course in Berlin.

 

 

 

 

 

We celebrated with a few stein’s and onto medal Monday for more sightseeing.

 

 

 

Thanks to TRAC for the training and well done to all the record breaking runners.

 

 

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G !! Well done to both Nikki and Chris who will no doubt be riding the endorphin wave for many days to come….