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HALF MARATHON showing the way with growing numbers of participants
Off on a record course with 16,799 participants pre-registered.
2003-04-01
HALF MARATHON showing the way with growing numbers of participants. Off on a record course with 16,799 participants pre-registered.The 23rd Bewag BERLIN HALF MARATHON on April 6, 2003, Germany‘s largest and fastest HALF MARATHON (21.0975 km) – the spring classic in Berlin – is setting new standards every year.
With 16,799 runners, inline skaters, power walkers, wheelchair athletes, and FUN RUNNERS from 65 countries already pre-registered (last year: 13,686 pre-registrations), it has already well-surpassed last years total of 14,709 (including late registrations!) in the preliminary stages.
The development of the race since 1999, which has occurred in leaps and bounds, is sensational:
1999: 4,763 participants (numbers always including the FUN RUN)
2000: 8,137 participants
2001: 11,584 participants
2002: 14,709 participants from 55 countries.
2003: 16,799 “pre-registrations“ (up 15 %) from 65 countries.
The “Sightseeing Course“ through the Berlin city centre not only entices more and more joggers and leisure athletes to the Spree, but following the European records by Carsten Eich (Leipzig) in 1993 in 60:34 and Fabian Roncero (ESP) in 2001 in 59:52, the elite runners have also recognised the value of the fast course and have thus made the race even more well-known worldwide.
“It took a few years for the half marathon to reach the significance in Germany that it has had for a long time in other countries. It will not take long now for the “little brother of the real - BERLIN MARATHON“ to reach the number of participants of the marathon in the fall,“ happily predicts the long-time race director, Horst Milde.
Pre-registrations:
13,344 Runners (2002 = 10,677)
3,419 Women 26 %
9,925 Men
1,954 Skaters (2002 = 1,749)
820 Women 42 %
1,134 Men
5 Wheelchair athletes (2002 = 5)
1 Woman
4 Men
229 Power Walkers (2002 = 106)
168 Women 73 %
61 Men
1,267 FUN RUNNERS (2002 = 1,149)
TOAL 16,799 Partipants (2002 = 13,686) Late registrations for all competitions may be made on April 4-5! Organisational Fee: EUR 6.00 FUN RUN (without CHIP), EUR 10.00 (with CHIP) EUR 30.00 HALF MARATHON
Late Registration:
On Friday, April 4, 2003 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday, April 5, 2003
from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the trade fair tents – parking lot in
Alexanderstrasse.
No more late registration possible on Sunday, April 6, 2003 Only race number distribution from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Countries:
65 (264 Denmark, 210 Netherlands, 109 Sweden, 83 England, 80 USA, 44 Poland, 40
Italy, 36 Austria, 35 France, 26 Switzerland, 25 Finland)
Oldest participants:
Erika Torge 1931 (SCC Parkflitzer)
Lucie Frischke 1932 (LAVTempelhof-Marien.)
Reinhold Schulze 1926 Skater (SV DeTeWe)
"Sightseeing through the City" – with the TV Tower, Berlin Cathedral Unter den Linden boulevard with the State Opera, Brandenburg Gate, Siegessäule (Victory Column), Ernst-Reuter-Platz, Charlottenburg Palace, Kurfürstendamm boulevard with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Checkpoint Charlie, Gendarmenmarkt, Foreign Ministry, former Federal Chancellory, Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall).
Start:
Karl-Marx-Allee/near the corner of Grunerstrasse
Ziel:
Alexanderstraße (Nähe der Kongresshalle)
Starting times:
9:30 a.m. Skaters
9:35 a.m. Power-Walkers
9:55 a.m. Wheelchair athletes
10:00 a.m. Runners
10:25 a.m. FUN RUN – 4 km “Around the Berlin City Hall“
Starting shot:
District Mayor of Berlin-Mitte Joachim Zeller
Prominent participants:
Barbara Richstein (Minister of Justice and European Affairs in Brandenburg),
Peter Strieder (Senator City Planning), Volker Schlöndorff (SV Helios);
Gerd Neubeck – Berlins Police Vice-President, Ulrich Steinert
(Entrepreneur/Manager of Norddeutsche Mischwerke, 860 Mio. Euro revenue) will
start along with 35 colleagues who are in Berlin from Thursday for a seminar
after they hold their own pasta party.
Race number distribution, souvenir sales, Sport trade fair with medical services in the trade fair tent in Alexanderstraße
Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Pasta Lounge:
Friday/Saturday in the trade fair tent
Sport Forum:
Saturday from 2:00 p.m. in the trade fair tent "Energy for Running“
Moderators are the marathon doctors: Dr. Willi Heepe and Jürgen Lock.
Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church: The image of the church will adorn the medals and certificates this year. Press conference with the champions:
Expected time: 11:30 a.m. in the press tent Awards ceremony: 12 noon in the trade fair tent
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