Berlin Marathon

It got us by surprise, but we happen to be in Berlin on the week-end of the world famous Berlin Marathon. This is more than just a marathon. There is a skater marathon on the Saturday - and many skaters happen to live in our hostel and happen to skate along the long corridors. Finally on Sunday, the wheelchairs and the runners go to the start line.

From our hostel we walk a few meters down the road to meet the marathon parcours at kilometre 21, halftime! It's a good spot to watch with a large bend and not too many spectators who mainly wait near the finish line.

We ask a few officials, and they tell us that the first runners will be exactly where the helicopters are hovering over the city. They also tell us that the first runners are expected at 10:17 am (in 17 min from when we enquire at 10:00 am). I am impressed that they have such a precise estimate of the runner's arrival.

The publicity preparations below Siegessäule.

First come all those athletes is wheelchairs.

They have all different sorts of wheelchair designs.

This man is taking a marathon video with his GoPro.

Finally, the first runners: all are black.

A long time later the first white runner.

Looking and waiting and looking and waiting.