Already, four weeks before the date of the run on the 7th of April 2002, the
record number of 10,474 entries for the 21.0975 kilometre race, including
runners, skaters, power walkers and wheelchair athletes from over 40 countries,
has arrived at SCC RUNNING, the event’s organisers.
This compares with the 7,342 participants who had registered on the
corresponding day in 2001. Including the usual late entrants, altogether 10,119
took on the super-fast course through the capital city. This year the
organisers are expecting some 14,000 entrants.
SCC-RUNNING is prepared for a final rush of prospective runners until
Saturday, 6 April 2002, the final day for entries. No further entries can be
accepted on the day of the event, Sunday, 7 April 2002.
Thanks to the European records of 60:34 run by Carsten Eich (GER) in 1993,
and 59:52 by Fabian Roncero (ESP) in 2001, the Bewag BERLIN HALF MARATHON
already has a near-legendary reputation. The pancake-flat course through
central Berlin plays its own part in helping runners to record times. The
women’s course record of 68:22 set by Joyce Chepchumba (KEN) in 2000 is
of a comparable standard.
The sightseeing route starts in Berlin-Mitte at Alexanderplatz, runs along
Unter den Linden, past the Brandenburg Gate, the Siegesäule and
Charlottenburg Palace, along Kurfürstendamm, through Checkpoint Charlie,
along Friedrichstrasse, past the Gendarmenmarkt, the new Foreign Office and the
Palast der Republik to the finishing line in Alexanderstrasse, giving both
local and foreign runners an impression of the City’s tourist
attractions. As well as the HALF MARATHON there’s a 4 kilometre FUN RUN
with 1,000 – 1,500 runners “Round Berlin City Hall“ for
beginners in the running scene and those out of training, while there’s
an 800 meter Bambini Race for the under 10 year-olds. These events are still
accepting entries, too.
Online registration for the 22nd Bewag BERLIN HALF MARATHON is still
possible.