Race Day

Back in January, when I was deciding which marathon to register for, I read a review describing Hamburg's as "what you'd expect from a race in Germany"! All the reviews mention what a well organized and community-supported event it is. Plus, the course was described as really flat! Sold!
Paul and I flew into Hamburg Friday night, then headed to the race expo first thing Saturday morning to pickup my kit. In addition to my number and timing chip, it contained a bottle of alcohol-free beer. The expo had lots of great merchandise as well as offering more alcohol-free beer! (I'm sure it's no surprise that it was also given at the finish line.) On our walk home from the expo, we watched the kids mini-marathon (a 4.22 km race) which got Paul and I excited for the big event Sunday. With over 15,000 runners, the Hamburg marathon really is a big event! The day was cooler than I expected and although the sky was threatening, I was lucky not to experience more than a very brief drizzle. The course took me all around Hamburg, starting with the red-light district early in the race then through the main shopping area, past city parks, beautiful historic buildings, and the busy shipping port. From start to finish the roads were lined with people - apparently about 800,000 of them. There were people cheering, blowing horns and blasting music, some offered cola and bananas, there were a number of bands and DJs, as well as groups having picnics and BBQs. Somehow, I spotted Paul in the massive crowd at kilometre 41. It felt wonderful to see a familiar face and be so close to the finish! My training had me well prepared and I managed to avoid the dreaded "wall". That's not to say the last 10 km were easy, but that they felt more like a surmountable challenge than an impending defeat. I crossed the finish line ahead of my goal and with a smile on my face, in a time of 3 hours and 38 minutes, then realized after stopping just how tired and sore my legs were!