Fantastic event with amazing crowd support throughout the course. Runner names are printed on the bibs which is a nice touch. A general tip I'd say is that additional toliets are located next to the start wave area and they are much less congested so not much of wait in comparison to the main bag drop area.

Throughout the course water/sweet tea/maurten drink mix was provided in cup and maurten gels/bananas were handed out too. As usual with Berlin finishes shirts are not included as part of entry. I was able to buy the event merch off the Adidas website (promo code could be applied too), this was a good improvement from previous years.

A great event with amazing crowds. But sadly I dont think I will do it again because dealing with the organising company SCC is such an unpleasant experience. I get that it's a big event so they probably have to deal with a lot of people but for the that's why you pay a very high fee! I would particularly warn beginners who want to run a fast time not to run the first marathon here because they automatically put you in the slowest wave: no matter what your expected time is and it's a very big deal for them to put you in the correct wave when you pick up your bib. if you do: try make sure you print off loads of other races -they even wanted to see the average time of my training runs and even then I was still put in a slow wave which really didn't help me with pacing on the day. So I fell just short of my target time so now I have no idea if I sign up again will I be in the right wave or not it's not worth the hassle

The Berlin marathon should be on every runners list and I was lucky enough to get a place for 2019. As one of the Abbots, demand is high for places.

Being a race in the heart of the German capital, everything, as expected, runs smoothly and efficiently, starting with the expo. Expect large crowds. Expect to queue if arriving late Friday or Saturday. But expect it to be efficient, and it is. You will move through the lines quick enough and once inside there is literally everything that a runner could want or need. Only real gripe is that you pay extra for the finishers t-shirt, which given the overall entry costs, etc., one would feel that this should be included already.

Race day itself is run like clockwork with everything marked clearly and the pens easy to navigate. Marshalls make sure that you cannot move up, but there is flexibility to drop back.

The atmosphere is amazing and local support is awesome. This event is embraced by the city and it shows as crowds followed you throughout the route, cheering and shouting all the way to the finish line. And what a finish line. Through the iconic Brandenburg gate and then a short distance to the tape, where you receive an great medal, goody bag and beer (although alcohol free, just like in Munich).

This is a very fast and very flat course so if, unlike me, you are chasing a PB, then this is a good marathon to run and the sights along the course will only spur you along to run faster.

Value for money: Good but you still need to buy your own finishers shirt.

Travel tip: Book early for hotels and do not be afraid to book away from the center. Travel is, like most big city races, free on the day, but to be fair, Berlin is an easy city to walk and navigate around.

Cannot wait to run it again.

My 2nd major marathon after running Berlin in 2018. With that being the case it's quite easy to make comparisons between the two. I think the organisation was good overall, it's always difficult to arrange the massive amount of people that enter an event like this. The start was a little chaotic, too many people were crammed in to a small space. It might need a further wave or more sectioning to space people out.

The race was good, wet, but good! It's. Very flat course so you don't have to worry too much about tactical running, it's all about keeping a consistent pace.

The crowds were good but don't top Chicago, which was insane. I also felt the build up wasn't quite on the scale and didn't have the same buzz as Chicago. Still this is great race to enter.

You get to see some amazing sites in Chicago whilst running and the finish through Brandenburg gate is phenomenal.

The feed stations are good and regular with energy gels at about 28k. Before that there are frequent intervals of water and energy drinks.

The medal was a great touch and this is an event I'd consider in the future. 

This was the first time I've done Berlin mara and absolutely loved it!

I got through on the ballot and I got regular updates in the run up to the event. The expo was fine, a bit busy when I went on Friday afternoon but didn't take that long to pick up my number.

The day itself went very smoothly, dropping my bag off and getting into the pen. 

Support along the way from crowds and music was superb as were the aid stations.  The course itself is very flat and therefore fast so good if you're looking for a PB and takes you past the main sights. The final run through the Brandenburg gate is amazing. 

Would definitely do again.