An average of one million people watch the Berlin Marathon from the side of the road.
If you choose to be one of them you will see over 40,000 amateur runners, power walkers, hand cyclists and wheelchair athletes from over 120 nations run, walk and roll (feels like the wrong verb) the 42,195 metres through the Straße of greater Berlin. If you are around for the whole weekend that number increases to over 60,000 as marathoners are joined by mini-marathoners and skaters, as well as the all-important Elite Athletes.
Berlin offers a wide range of spots from which to view the marathon the first being the start. The Wheelchair athletes generally start about 8.30am followed by the runners at 9.00am and you can expect to be entertained not only by the runners but also by some great live music and general revelry.
If the start doesn’t take you then another Berlin-Mitte hot-spot is at 6.5km where you can watch the race from the Moltke Bridge, with a view to Central Station and in the company of some excellent street music.
At 12km the marathon is in Berlin Friedrichshain and the best viewing is at Strausberger Platz. In 2010 you would have been joined by 70 Danish Drummers who helped the runners with a rousing beat that could be heard for miles!
In fact there aren’t many metres of the Berlin Marathon where you won’t hear some of the best international music as well as the roar of the crowd. Neurkölln, Kreuzberg, Tempelhof-Schönberg and Charlottenberg-Wilmersdorf had some amazing enterinament including Saxophone Orchestras, Jazz bands and Samba bands. You won’t get bored waiting for the runners!
The Berlin Marathon by Bike
If you want to see more of the marathon then get on your bike. Bike hire in Berlin is plentiful including the excellent Berlin on a Bike team. Our recommended Berlin Marathon bike tour is: Start 0.5km along the route at the Siegessäule.
When the runners have passed your can take a shortcut along Altonaer Straße and right through the Lessing and Stromstraße to Alt-Moabit – about 5 kilometers in total.
Then back to the Siegessäule and you will reach the 22.5km point at the corner of Grunewaldstraße and Martin-Luther-Straße.
Then it’s back over Lützowufer to Potsdamer Platzr and km 38. Finally on to the Ebertstraße where you can observe the finish line at the famous Brandenburg Gate.
If you’re watching family or friends this is a great way to maximise your support… and it’s a great day out for kids and marathon widow(er)s!
Expect to see the last runner finish about 3.58pm (this is the official approximation – well you are in Germany ;) and the prize giving is around 2pm.
The day ends with a party for all runners at Tempelhof Airport, the site of the Berlin air Bridge. Non runners can join it for a small charge (6€ in 2010).
So there it is, done with a bit of forethought watching the Berlin Marathon can be almost as thrilling (and tiring) as running it!