2023: Preview

The GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, Germany's largest and most spectacular half marathon, will start on the grand boulevard, Strasse des 17. Juni. Around 35,000 athletes have registered for the competition over the "half distance" of exactly 21.0975 km—to run, skate or to power through the distance by wheelchair or hand cycle. This makes the 42nd GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON also one of the largest races worldwide over this distance. The race was fully booked weeks before the registration deadline at the beginning of March. All participants will enjoy a super-fast loop course that takes them past Berlin's major sights—with the start and finish in the immediate vicinity of the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column. In this digital magazine you will find all the important information about the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON 2023: Your programme for the half marathon weekend | What the German and African stars have planned | A portrait of three amateur runners | The latest tips for sport, culture and restaurants during the half marathon weekend | What to pay attention to in the last 72 hours before the race | Lots of photos to peak your excitement.

THE ROUTE There is no

THE ROUTE There is no tourism organisation that brings you past as many historical and cultural monuments, no matter how speedy the tour is, as this race. With the CHARLOTTENBURG PALACE KM 4|5 Victory Column at your feet and the Brandenburg Gate at your back, the first few metres are brilliant. Then you passthe Technical University, head around Ernst-Reuter-Platz, and then run four kilometres straight ahead to Charlottenburg Palace. Here, where the route takes a sharp left towards Bismarckstrasse, the popular samba band Alegria do Samba will be loudly drumming. Many spectators and fans know this and come to this hot spot to cheer on the runners. Before turning onto Berlin‘s most popular shopping boulevard, Ku‘Damm, the course runs for about three kilometres with a short detour past the idyllic Lietzensee lake. A short climb is followed by a few hundred metres „downhill“ along Kantstrasse, where you can pick up speed for the rest of the journey. On Ku‘Damm, the beats of the live musicians increase, more and more people line the route, the atmosphere rises. Past the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the route goes straight across Wittenbergplatz, home of the famous department store KaDeWe, and Nollendorfplatz to Potsdamer Strasse. Behind KM 15|16 POTSDAMER PLATZ » Marieke Fiona Wittneben vom WWF

MEMORIAL CHURCH KM 11|12 metres. These proceed as if in a frenzy along the magnificent Unter den Linden boulevard to the Brandenburg Gate, before passing through the landmark of Berlin‘s separation 150 metres before the finish. It is hard to imagine a more emotional finish. The course is flat and particularly fast, so it‘s always good a good race for an attempt to top your personal best. In addition, the course is very specta- BERLIN PALACE KM 18|19 Potsdamer Platz, you approach the centre of Berlin with the TV Tower towering over everything at Alexanderplatz. With Germany‘s tallest building (368 m) behind you, you make your way through the centre of Berlin past Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Palace and the Gendarmenmarkt. The most beautiful square in Berlin with the Schauspielhaus concert hall, the French Cathedral and the German Cathedral is a turbulent hot spot of the route. From here it‘s straight onto the final kilotor-friendly; many points can be easily reached by underground or S-Bahn or by bike. - 33 -