Our German SportsShoes ambassador Elli is running the Berlin Marathon this year. We met up with her and asked her why she chose this race and what about it makes it so special for her?
"I believe the best way to explain my love of the Berlin Marathon is through two experiences. I ran the Berlin Marathon for the first time in 2019 before living in Berlin. There are three things that have stayed with me:
"FOR ONE THING, THE START! HOLY COW. THIS KIND OF ATMOSPHERE MAKES THE ADRENALINE PUMP THROUGH YOUR VEINS LIKE CRAZY."
As the Berlin Marathon is part of the "World Series", we asked Elli if she had run any of the other big marathons?
"That has never really been a goal of mine as I do not enjoy traveling long distances, I find many things too expensive and the organisation would be too much for me personally. But I have other marathons, also abroad, that I would like to run. The World Series is not necessarily on my list though."
How does your preparation for this marathon differ from other races?
"The important thing when preparing for a marathon is the long runs. The body has to get used to withstanding a certain amount of stress over a longer period of time. Of course, I start my training at a good level because I have been running very regularly for almost 10 years, but it is still important to integrate long runs consistently. 30-35 km is a good distance to aim for."
We were also interested in what time she was aiming for?
"I have not, in fact, set a target time for the Berlin Marathon. Firstly, it will be the first official marathon for me after the whole Corona lockdown phase and secondly, I am supporting a friend who wants to run a 03:45. The plan for me is to run it as a casual training marathon. My aim is actually to set a new PB a month later at the Frankfurt Marathon.
"THE PLAN FOR ME IS TO RUN IT AS A CASUAL TRAINING MARATHON."
To be honest, chasing PB's is not that important for me. I prefer having fun and enjoying the race instead. If my legs are feeling good on the day, I might want to go for it and see what happens. Running and also the races are and will forever remain a passion of mine. I don't want to spoil them by adding needless performance pressure. I will simply play it by ear and see how it goes!"