News
Inline Skating Marathon Race again on Saturday afternoon
2005-05-11
The real,- BERLIN MARATHON will continue to set the international
standards for inline skaters. For the third time in a row, the skaters’
race will take place as a separate event on Saturday, September 24, one
day before the runners’ race. Unlike last year, when the skaters had to
start at 10 a.m., this year the skaters will not take the start of the
real,- BERLIN MARATHON until at 4:30 p.m.
The event thus returns to the afternoon, like it was two years ago,
which makes it much more attractive for both participants and
spectators. With over 8,000 inline skaters last time, the real,-
BERLIN MARATHON was the largest skating marathon in the world—despite
the early starting time. It is expected that this year the race
will continue to grow and strengthen its position at the lead, as the
later starting date will likely bring more participants.
The organisers from SCC RUNNING were able to arrange the later starting
time desired by the participants through the cooperation of the
leading department stores along the marathon course—Galeria Kaufhof at
Alexanderplatz, Karstadt at Hermannplatz and KaDeWe at Wittenbergplatz.
The head of the Berlin-Brandenburg Trade Association e.V., Nils
Busch-Petersen, assisted the negotiations. The inline skaters can
still finish their race before darkness falls, and those from out of
town can still arrive in Berlin on the day of the race, if necessary.
This is important, as with a 10 a.m. starting time, the out-of-towners
did not have a chance to get to Berlin on the day of the race and still
have time to pick up their race materials.
“I am certain that we have found a viable compromise for both sides,
even if we had trim the maximal race time for the skaters from 3 hours
to 2 and a half hours, in order to alleviate the burden on the city,”
says race director Mark Milde. The Saturday race was an absolute
success story both of the past two years, with several hundred thousand
spectators cheering on the inline skaters. The atmosphere along the
course reminds one of the legendary cycling race, the Tour de France.
“We really hope that through this balancing of interests we are once
again successful in making the skating Saturday into another great
success within the framework of the 32nd real,- BERLIN MARATHON.
The event is now truly an integral part of the city image and
beneficial to all involved,” says Nils Busch-Petersen.
SCC RUNNING also accepts online registration. Further information is available online at: www.berlin-marathon.com.
Advertisement
Advertisement