September 16 brought over 44,000 runners from around the world to Berlin for the 45th Annual BMW Berlin Marathon, one of six of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the series of marathons that determines the best runners in the world. Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge set a new world record and finished the course in 2:01:39, a minute and 18 seconds faster than the previous record holder.

I've discovered five runners who wrote their stories and thoughts, both the good and the bad, about this year’s Berlin marathon on their blogs and I wanted to share them with you.

MARK

Mark shared his experience as a third-time Abbott World Marathon Runner on his blog. “You can see that it's a very international affair, 133 different countries are represented in the race and there are a multitude of flags and encouragement from the side is being shouted in several different languages,” he wrote in his blog post. “I pass a huge crowd of vocal Danish supporters and decide that as I don't have anyone supporting me, I will pretend all shouts of 'Danmark' are actually 'well done Mark' - you have to take what you can get in these situations.” You can read the rest of his story here.

Photo from adventuresinrunning.info

PRISCILLA

Priscilla, a first time Abbot runner, loved the city and its energy. She wrote, “This had felt surreal to be actually running through it because it is a sight that I usually see in the television broadcasts of the Berlin Marathon, so I had to pinch myself to make sure that I was really there, and that it wasn’t a dream. As we had neared the gate, there were plenty of spectators cheering us on, as well as runners who had already completed the race. In short, it was beautiful.” You can read the rest of her story here.

Photo from prischew.com

RUSSELL

Russell, a seasoned runner, had some highs and lows to this year’s race and ended up finishing just under 2.5 hours. He wrote, “the marathon is littered with stories just like mine. The marathon is humbling. And my lesson came relatively cheap. I have walked away without any lasting damage. I will be back.” To read about his experience, click here.

Photo from russellrunner.com

NATASHA

Natasha, a Malaysian runner, wrote a short and concise description of the expo and the race. On her blog she wrote, “The routes were nice and flat. I loved checking out the city on foot and enjoyed the crowd cheering and playing music along the way. I think there were close to a dozen of performers playing music along the way and outside of cafes.” You can read the rest of her review here.

Photo from blog.natasha.com

CLARE

Clare, who is no stranger to running, wrote about the marathon in a way that made you feel like you were there with her. She wrote about what she learned from the experience. “When I run 26.2 or 26.8 in my case, I am reminded of the immense strength that I have. That reminder that against all the odds I can still come out fighting gets me through so much more than just running miles. It makes me who I am. Every single marathon delivers you something, a new perspective, something to fight for, something to go hard after. I’m in love with the way it challenges me and changes me. This moment refocused my mind about what I want, and how I’m going to get to that place. I very nearly typed get back to that place, but there is no going back, there is only going forward.” Read the rest of her story here.

Photo from thinkingclarely.com

My name is Elizabeth and I am a community manager at Racemappr, the online platform which helps people discover their next sporting challenge, from organised club races to the biggest mass participation events. Search different racing events in your area from running, triathlons, swimming, cycling and obstacle races. Download the Racemappr app today discover your next challenge today.

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