Thinking back at the Berlin 25k 2006, I am filled with fond memories. I remember running down a deserted "Unter den Linden" (picture left). The fast Africans have long disappeared in the distance while the pack of 5,000 joggers loomed behind me. It seemed as if they blocked the whole boulevard just for me.Not that anyone would have watched the race on that sleepy Sunday morning. There was just the odd person here and there, having the unfamous I-need-coffee-NOW gaze in their eyes. You could see they were trying to grasp the meaning of that fat mzungo running down the deserted road .
When I reached the Brandenburger Tor, there must have been about as many as 20 spectators, most of them probably tourist that conincidently came across the race. Two or three clapped their hands, while others probably bemoaned the current standard of mzungo running. "The Kenyans must have passed, what?, fifteen minutes ago?"
Later, I caught up to a tiny Kenyan lady. It was obvious that she was hurting quite bad. Not her day. When I passed her, I said "stay with me!". She hung on. I guess she totally disappeared behind my frame. Pretty soon I heard her elevated breathing disappear and I turned around at the next bend to see where she is. She must have lost about 10 meters. I shout "come on!". She replies with a quiet, teary "wait!". Heartbreaking stuff!
This Sunday the mighty Paul Tergat is hitting the streets of Berlin again. The 25k used to be the popular distance between the 10k and the marathon in the pre half-marathon days. And it is a distance that fools you easily. You think "just a little longer than a half" and pace yourself as if you run a half which can be a recipe for desaster, particularly in Berlin where not only the weather can be quite warm in May but also the final kilometers towards the Olympic stadium are uphillish.
While the 39-year old Tergat is definitely the talk of the race, it will have to be shown if his younger compatriots like Fred Kosgei and Richard Lagat can give him the litteral run for his money. The wazungu in the race will likely have to settle for other goals such as the European record which stands at 1:14:20 by Frenchman James Kibacha Theuri. Ukrainian 2:07:15 marathoner Dimitri Baranovskiy is trying to bring that number down.
ShareThis