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I am just back from a week’s trip to Germany where I
ran 3 marathons in 8 days. I started off with the Cologne Marathon on Sunday 3
October. The marathon expo was one of the biggest and best I have seen. As you
might expect from the Germans, the organisation was first rate and the
post-run hospitality, that included copious amounts of remarkably palatable
alcohol free beer, was as good as it gets. Mary ran the 10Km which started at
8am. When she finished she could have had a free cooked breakfast! The marathon started at 11.30 am but runners were set off
in waves depending upon their predicted finishing times. People who start in
the wrong group risk disqualification! My
group set off at 11.45am. On a scorching hot day runners were well supported
all round the course and were entertained by the numerous percussion bands of
which the Germans are clearly very fond. I found it tough going and completed
in 5:24:38 Mary and I spent the week following the Cologne Marathon
in the Rhine Valley, riding cable cars over vineyards, walking through the
vineyards and sampling the Riesling wine, the ultra sweet Federweisser
(fermenting new wine) and the special Oktober Fest beers on offer. I have a
voracious appetite but the ample German food was even a challenge for me. After a “restful” few days we set off by train for
Hamburg. This was the main point of the trip
- to meet German 100 marathoners. It is unfortunate that nobody else
was able to join us. We were treated to marvellous hospitality. On the
Thursday evening Mary and I were guests at the home of Hiren Kurani and his
family where we were treated to a lovely meal and lively conversation. We were
joined by Mario Sagasser, the vice Chairman of the German 100 Marathon Club.
It is amazing how our two clubs have so much in common and how we share the
same difficulties with people seeking to stretch the rules to count certain
“dubious” runs as marathons! More than ever this has convinced me that we
need to have a standard international set of rules for what
counts as a marathon. Of course
people will count what they will but where records are claimed and comparison
is invited it is important that everyone is counting in the same way! (I’ll
get off my soapbox now!) On the Friday Hiren showed us round Hamburg. It was
particularly fascinating to see such a major container port at work. We sailed
round the harbour in a rather grand ship resembling a paddle steamer, which
was all set up for dinner dance cruising with chandeliers and tables with
white linen cloths. Hiren picked us up from our hotel on Saturday morning to
drive us to Kaltenkirchen for the Helmut Jung Memorial Marathon. This is an
annual event staged by Arne Franck, a member of the German 100 Marathon Club
Board, in memory of a former club member who was tragically murdered by his
mentally disturbed daughter. The undulating, moderately difficult course comprised ten
circuits of gravel path, and woodland path. The 1, 2 and 3 Km distances were
marked and we came through the finishing area on each lap. Quite a number of
German 100 Marathoners took part, including Claudia Erdmann from Kaltenkirchen,
who completed her 100th marathon on her home patch in a time of
4:10 46. I came over the line in 5:21:46. Mary completed the half marathon
distance having been paced round by old friend Christian Hottas, who is, of
course, a member of our club. The medal with a picture of Helmut Jung was a
thoughtful and tasteful momento of an enjoyable day.
The morning had been a bit chilly but the weather warmed up
significantly as the run progressed! Post marathon fare was again of the
highest order with a pasta meal laid on, and we were invited to join in
Claudia’s 100th marathon celebrations in the tented village that
had been set up for the event. Again there was some Erdinger alcohol free
beer. I consider myself a bit of a fussy sort when it comes to beer,
especially continental lagers. But
this stuff definitely beats all other non-alcoholic tipples that I have been
forced to try. This must have been the best value marathon ever. €15 entry
for a well organised event, a quality medal, a post-run pasta meal and, since
arriving home, I have received a certificate and a pack of 6 x 8 quality glossy photographs of Mary and myself round the
course. After a most enjoyable time socialising with our German
friends it was time to embark on the final leg of our marathon journey. Hiren
very kindly drove us to Hamburg Station – a good hour’s drive lengthened
by the mother and father of all traffic jams. We were in good time to catch
our train for Essen. But then came the first hitch.
The journey was scheduled to take three and a quarter hours and as we
were not due to get into Essen until 10pm we had planned to have a meal on the
train. A burst water pipe that flooded the restaurant car put paid to that. We
were limited to a couple of cups of coffee and a packet of crisps. Don’t ask
me where they obtained the hot water to make the coffee!!! It was an early start on Sunday morning. There is no
on-line entry to the Essen Marathon for “foreigners”.
I had registered all my details but I had to pay and pick up my number
at the Start Line at the Baldeney Lake in Essen. I wasn’t sure how
complicated a procedure that might be so we had a taxi to get us to the
Regatta House by 8 am from our hotel that was 3 miles from the Start Line. I
should have been more confident of the efficiency of registration. It took all
of 5 minutes, so I then had a couple of hours to while away before the 10 am
race start. Baldeneysee is an absolutely gorgeous spot, made all the more
spectacular by the sparkling sunshine on the deep blue water and the white
sails of the yachts. But that sun was to get hotter and hotter as the day went
on. The race followed a panhandle course, going twice round
the lake (just over 11 miles in circumference) with an out and back run at its
far end. It was a most pleasurable run though I had to jerk myself out of my
lethargy to avoid the 5:30 cut-off and get away from the sweeper bus. (But I
don’t think anyone was removed from the course.) The last kilometre along
the lakeside would have been a lovely run at any other time but by that stage
I could hardly raise a gallop so the beauty of the occasion rather passed me
by. I did, however, finish in 5:08:17, 13 minutes quicker than the previous
day at Kaltenkirchen. The alcohol free evening and fasting had obviously had a
beneficial effect. But I’m not sure that I want to repeat that particular
experience. The last time I attempted 3 marathons in a week was back in 1992 when I was two months shy of my 45th birthday. I finished then in 3:29, 3:27 and 3:41 respectively, considerably slower than this time round but I was content just to finish all three runs. Mary and I had a lovely break to see her into her life of
retirement and I managed to increase my marathon total by three so it was a
successful trip. But as I mentioned earlier in this article, the prime purpose in visiting Germany was to cement relations with fellow 100 marathoners over there. Although I was an envoy abroad on my own, I believe I have made a good start. I have actually joined the German Club (third claim!) I have established a few good contacts. People over in Germany are keen to take this initiative forward and I have been asked to explore what our members would be willing and able to support. Would people be prepared to go to a smallish run in Germany if they had sufficient notice – Kaltenkirchen next year perhaps? Or would it be better to plan a Club trip to a bigger event – Berlin, Munich, Hamburg or Cologne, maybe? The idea would be to have a pre- or post- run get together with our German friends. Most speak English so communication isn’t a great problem. It would also be good if we could welcome them to an event in this country. The idea would be to have a get together for a pasta meal perhaps, the night before a run. I would welcome people’s views on this. I know that some people are going to Antalya in Turkey next Spring. I do hope that affords an opportunity for German and UK runners to engage? I can probably set up a meeting somewhere if folk were interested. I’d be grateful for any feedback on these ideas. 
Peter with German friends 
A smile and finished!
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