Each year, just as the leaves are beginning to change color and fall, thousands of sporty runners flock to Berlin for the annual Berlin Marathon. The event, spread across two days, begins on Saturday with the Bambini Run, a 500 and 1,000 meter run for children, a mini Marathon and Inline skating marathon. On Sunday, the main event takes place with wheelchair users, hand bikers and elite runners or individuals seeking to achieve a personal best. Of course, no sporting event in Berlin would seem complete without the participation of GameDuell team members. Stefan, a Java Developer with GameDuell since 2005, running his 4th Berlin Marathon completed the course in 03:58:47, a new personal best time. Christian, a flash game developer, also running in his 4th Berlin Marathon, who’s worked on the hit game Belote, completed the run in 03:08:17.
The Berlin Marathon, first held in October 1974, is a 42.195 kilometer (or 26 miles) long mostly flat course which attracts runners of all ages from all over the world. Snaking through the city streets lined with cheering friends, enthusiastic spectators and music bands, the Berlin marathon takes runners past world renowned historical sites such as the Reichstag (seat of the German parliament), Berliner Dom, Berlin Fernsehturm (television tower) and the impressive and iconic Brandenburg Gate, one of Berlin’s most well known landmarks, just to name a few. Over 40,000 runners from 130 countries took part this year cheered by many thousand spectators along the course.