Marathon Running Culture in Germany
Running
culture differs between countries, and often even among regions, as every run
is shaped by its social, ecological, economic, geographical and cultural environment.
Learning to appreciate this is what makes international running really
interesting. Of course, it is not necessary to travel to a large number of
countries to learn about the multitude of approaches to marathon running –
especially since globalisation has somewhat equalized the appearance of
metropolitan cities. Also, it might widen one’s horizon further if not
restricting oneself to marathons, but that is another story. Here I try to give
a brief overview about running marathonsand ultramarathons in Germany – I am certain that runners
with more marathons under their soles will find a lot missing here. This entry is modified from a guest entry on Maddog's Marathon Blog.
Over 450
Marathons, and 150 ultramarathons are run in Germany annually, of which more
than 40 races are of at least medium size with over 300 finishers. Due to the
federal structure of Germany, nearly every city big enough to be regional
centre, (e.g. state capitals) have (or used to have) a marathon. A large number
of small marathons are also organised in regional hotspots (especially around
Hamburg, but also Bremen and a number of other places where dedicated runners, often by 100 Marathon
Club members, and these events are generally listed or linked on the German
100MC website. These are low-cost (about 10
EUR), low-profile events with normally only a few starters, and therefore an informal
atmosphere, which make it easy to accumulate hundreds of marathons into your
biography, especially if you live nearby.
However,
even if you are based in other places, dense public transport and railway
networks should make it possible to run more than 10 marathons per year without
staying overnight, or driving once. If the cost of an overnight stay is an
issue, some events offer a sleeping place in sports halls for little or no
charge – but of course this should be checked in the race advert and with the
organiser. Many marathons are linked to half-marathons, other shorter races
(e.g. for children or special needs runners), or hikes within the same event, which often count more
finishers than the full marathons. If targeting to visit as many countries as
possible, the Schengen Area, the Euro and good public transport connections
should make it easy to organize travel to the neighbouring countries. A handful
of marathons even cross national borders, e.g. the Usedom, Goerlitz and
3-Countries-Marathons around Lake Constance.
Due to a
temperate climate, the marathon season runs through the whole year, with the
big marathons concentrated in spring (e.g. Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Hannover) and
early autumn (e.g. Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne), when weather conditions
(ca 10 – 15 C) are generally most favorable.
Non-competitive
fun runs, ‘Volkslaeufe’, were founded during the first fitness wave of the
1960s. Though marathons had been run in Germany since the first years of the
20th century, the first marathons in Germany were run on a regular basis as fun
runs, and attracted non-competitive runners, and were organised on trails and
parks in the 1960s (e.g. Essen, Schwarzwald). In the early 1980s, they were
followed by the big city marathons (e.g. Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg), and a larger
number of races were founded during the late 1990s.
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| Brocken Marathon 2010 |
The
majority of the larger or medium-sized marathons are run in or around cities,
but a few of them in scenic mountain or river valley areas, and often including
traditional hiking trails, such as the Rennsteig-Marathon (the shorter brother
of the Rennsteiglauf), or the Oberelbe- and the Brocken-Marathon. In addition
to trail races on medium-height Mountains, there are also a few in alpine
conditions, though bigger (and higher) events can be found in Switzerland and Austria. Many
marathons include local flavours, and cultures, such as local specialities
during the race or at pre-race (Pasta or Knoedel) parties. In several wine-growing regions such as
the German Wine Route, marathons are run that incorporate wine tasting along the route, in a
similar manner to the Medoc Marathon. A number of "novelty" races have been run that
include other special experiences, such as the “Mount Everest Stairs Marathon”
with an elevation gain (and loss) of 8848 m, the Prison Marathon, or the
Underground Marathon in a salt mine. Ultramarathon races (longer than 50 km) in
Germany are often trail races, in scenic trails in the mountains. A number of
the biggest trail Ultras in Central Europe are included in the European
Ultramarathon Cup, such as the Rennsteiglauf (but not in the future), the 100
km of Biel and the Swabian-Alb-Marathon.
Registration
fees for marathons start at around 10 EUR for small races, with mid-size
marathons charging about 30-50 EUR, and the big city marathons around 50-100
EUR, usually with discounts for early registration. Though many races sell out
months in advance, registration for others is possible until shortly before the
race, and occasionally even on race day, which of course it should be checked
in advance. However, the biggest German marathon, the Berlin Marathon (36,000
finishers, 98 EUR) recently introduced a ballot system, taking place 10 months
before the race. In addition, the Berlin Marathon offers guaranteed entry for
runners meeting a highly competitive time limit, also in line with other World
Marathon Major Races. A medical certificate is generally not required.
Unlike
in many countries, pure Running Clubs are rare in Germany. Instead, most
sportspeople (around 30% of the population) are organized in local general
Sports Clubs (Sportvereine), which also include sports such as foot- and
handball, gymnastics, or even chess. Sports Clubs usually have membership fees,
but might pay for the entry fees and/or organize travel to some races.
Races, including marathons, are often organized by the clubs, but membership is
not required to participate. Sportvereine also have a strong social component
and are often closely involved in the local community, which adds to the local
colour and town fair-like atmosphere surrounding a number of marathons.
‘Lauftreffs’ are informal meetings of joggers/runners with or without
affiliation to a sports club. Many Sports Clubs have a clubhouse, or club
rooms, often attached to a Sport Centre. Often, there is also a pub or
restaurant affiliated to the local Sports Centre (open to the public). In
Sports Centres, 400 m tracks are generally also freely open to the public.
Germany
has a very active 100 Marathon Club with connections to the global 100 marathon
clubs. The "Ziel-60-Marathon" is another challenge for calculating marathoners,
who aim to finish sixty marathons in sixty different times (concerning the
minutes), for example in a time frame between 3:00 and 3:59. There are sixteen
states in Germany and many runners have a goal to complete a marathon in all
sixteen states and there was a challenge/goal in 2009-2011 for runners to
complete a marathon in all sixteen states in sixteen months. However there is
no formal club for runners with this goal.
National
and international marathons are listed in national and international race calendars, such as: http://marathon.de/; 100MC, and for Ultras, the listing of the German
Ultramarathon Federation (DUV).
