Unfortunately, we were able to get a flight to Berlin on Saturday, meaning that we would only have a few ours to recover from the journey before the marathon. Although we flew into Berlin, it took us nine hours to arrive at our hotel in Neu-Köln. It was a hot, sunny day and, especially for me, the journey was extremely strenuous.

Although I slept really well, I wasn’t feeling too well when I woke up at 5 am on Sunday. I looked out of the window and knew that it would become a hot and sunny day, conditions, I did not expecially flourish in. Anyhow, I didn’t care too much and was really excited in anticipation of a great sports event. I was aware that there would be an ungraspable crowd of runners and I had also heard that there would be thousands of spectators creating a breathtaking atmosphere.

The three of us left the hotel early at 7 am and approached the preparation area in front of the Reichstag with the Berlin underground. It was already packed with people – runners from all over the world – and gave us a first taste of what was waiting for us. The preparation area was set up in front of the Reichstag. There you could cue up in front of the toilets and leave your stuff in one of the many tents.
There was an incredible mass of people and we were lucky enough to head towards the starting area at the Brandenburger Tor early enough in order to be able to fit into the narrow mass of people waiting for the starting gun.

It was incredibly narrow in there – it was impossible to fall – hot and unpleasant. I was anticipating the starting gun and as it finally came it took me almost a minute to cross the starting line although I was in block A just twenty meters away. It was a liberating feeling to be able to run. Although we started out into a five lane road it was extremely narrow and it was impossible to run as fast as I had planned to. I finished the first kilometer in 4:20 minutes and was only able to run my running spead after kilometer 4. Still, I didn’t care too much much more focused on the many spectators and the uplifting atmosphere they created with their cheers, trumpets and drums. Shivers were running down my spine.

At kilometer 6 I reached a ridge from where I was able to see about two kilometers ahead. It was breathtaking. Before and below me a throng of people were moving along so that I was neither able to see the street nor the end of where the mass was moving towards. Being aware that I must be in the first fifth of the field, it was hard for me to conceive how many people would be running behind me: 44′000 runners is a big, big crowd.

Thus, I swallowed kilometer after kilometer. I didn’t have my best stride and had problems with my race number which was getting loose a couple of times, forcing me to stop and reattached it to my running shirt. At other occasions this would have destroyed my rhythm but with a million people at the side line cheering and jumping, I persisted and finished the half-marathon in 1:26 hrs. The atmosphere at the half-marathon reached a new peak and I felt like participating in a World Cup final.

The temperatures were rising quickly and I was starting to feel the heat. The spectators, still, were pushing me on and I tried to keep up my speed. I made good progress until kilometer 30 where I had to pay for my keenness and nearly experienced a stand still. Cramps were building up and I realized that I had drained all my energy. By then, a new personal record was out of question and at a different marathon I might have given up; but not in Berlin! I reduced my speed as much so that my body agreed to carry on. I had been running at about an average speed of 4:05 min/km until there. Now I was making much slower progress with a speed of 4:45 min/km. This was a bit of a knock out for me at first. But then I turned my attention back to the crowd cheering at us runners incessantly, quickly forgetting about my distress.

Thus, I reached Am wilden Eber another hotspot of the marathon. There it was again: World Cup final stadium atmosphere. Cheer Leaders were dancing in the street, Berlin’s Jamie Oliver was preparing delicious hand food for the spectators and a brass band plunged the whole area in a sonic atmosphere that was deeply trance inducing. Thinking back, it seems as if I had spent an hour there but looking at my splits, I must have continued without stopping there.

Kurfürsten Damm was hot and noisy and I was hoping that my legs would be generous enough not to stop here in front of so many happy, cheerful people. I passed another check point, taking in some carbos and fluid, realising that the kilometers had melted away, even with my reduced speed, and that I was approaching the last five kilometers. I suddenly found my legs picking up speed and when I reached Unter den Linden I was able to return to my former running speed of 4:05 min. Among a ever swelling crowd I reached the Brandenburger Tor, thinking that I had already reached the finishing line. I ran through the Tor but there was no finish. It was still almost another kilometer away. They had set up stands here on that last stretch of the marathon thus making it impossible for almost every runner to quit on the last few meters. And as the ultimate reward for the struggle, there they were again: shivers down my spine – uplifting, soothing, energizing. Thus, I finished my first major marathon in 2:59:12 hrs, becoming 1.030th out of 35.000 finishers.

What a run, what an experience. This was so very different to any other marathon I had ever run and it was simply “GEIL”! I was really happy to have come here although I had learnt my lesson and would never come to a marathon one day prior to the event.

I was filled up to the top with endorphins and thus feeling quite relaxed, savoring the moment for ever. Now walking, it was pleasantly warm and I returned to the big meadow in front of the Reichstag, putting off my runners and wet running shirt, in order to run a few meters barefood in order to get a bit of the lactate acid out of my muscles.

Jörg had finished in 2:35 hrs and became 100th, and we met by accident on the way back to the hotel. There, David, who had run a personal record, joined us and we headed back into the city to Alexanderplatz for some food and a couple of Weizenbier, celebrating a great day and an unforgettable experience.

Haile Gebreslassie won the marathon in 2:06 hrs after completing the first 30 ks in a new world record. Even he suffered from the heat and struggled on the last 12 ks.

Live video at kilometer 35

Kärnten Läuft Halbmarathon: 1:21:15 hrs, 3:51 min/km, 15:58 km/h, pos 66, age-group m-35-pos 12
0-9k 9-15k 15-21,1k
0:33:50 0:24:16 0:23:08

The Ex-Socs spent a great weekend in Amsterdam and played a tough and fast match against Ben & Rich’s team, the name of which is escaping me at the moment. We agreed to arrange for a return match. And here we have arrived in the present, in the near past, to be accurate. Last weekend saw 21 guys from Amsterdam check out Gabersdorf and surrounding, facing once again the Ex-Socs for a international cap at the Pappelstadium in Gabersdorf.

Their visit opened fittingly with a visit to the Bundesliga match SK PUNTIGAMER STURM GRAZ – RED BULL SALZBURG, on a hot Thursday afternoon. The atmosphere in the stadium was tremendous, the match was ok, the beer flowed. One of our Dutch friends couldn’t cool down enough which eventually forced him to shed his clothes and explore the field with only his socks remaining. He made it into the newspaper and was spared a stay at the police station.

Next day, after a Wiener Schnitzl at Neuhold’s, we visited my brother Stefan and were introduced to his wine and newly built wine cellar. Then we cruised along the Weinstraße, went up Kreuzbergwarte, a great look-out, and once again had the doubtful pleasure of finding ourselves in the eye of a terrible South Styrian thunderstorm.

The shock was quickly forgotten when we arrived at the estate of the Polz winery and embarked on a food and drink feast that lasted for four hours. As was the case the night before, this was only a warm up for our Dutch friends, who, again guided by local insider Hellfried, hit the Leibnitz “Club” scene, not one of the best preparations for an international cap but one which in similar fashion proved to spark surprising performances by some Ex-Socs back in 2007.

On Saturday we were again greeted by grand summer weather with temperatures around 25 °C, just right for an afternoon match. The Ex-Socs’ team only displayed a fraction of the players who conquered the Dutch team on their own grounds in a dramatic penalty shoot out in 2007 but was strong enough to face their challenge again. Before the match the teams stood to their respective anthems and served an entertaining match to an almost sold out house.


The Dutch started with fierce forechecking which paid off immediately resulting in a 0-1 lead after 10 minutes. The Ex-Socs managed a quick equalizer only to see another great move from the Dutch which was superbly finished with a precise cross and a great header. A bad challenge in the Dutch penalty area led to a penalty which, cooly converted, marked the turning point in the match. With their strengths declining, the Dutch team found it harder and harder to exercise their technical skills. Thus the second half saw two more Ex-Socs goals with half a dozen wasted chances.

But the result was never supposed to be important. The two teams had played a great match with no injuries in which they celebrated Ben’s last match for his team as he was stepping down as captain in order to fully focus on his tennis career. Watch out for a new contender at Wimbledon next year. This was one more reason to enjoy the day and celebrate the visit of our friends. With Puntigamer beer in hand we watched the first team of Gabersdorf lose their match against Maria Lankowitz. The after match celebrations culminated in great singing at the karaoke disco with a breathtaking performance of Opus’ Live is life by our Dutch friends, the indisputable highlight of the evening. Erwin reopened the Schirmbar which offered harder beats and disco grooves for those still able to shake their bodies. The night continued at Nite Flight and ended with daylight upon those crawling out of the taxis.


For everyone involved, I think, this was a memorable and rewarding weekend. Althoug on both sides energy and enthusiasm is fading, we hope that we can go out once more and face each other on the soccer field – maybe 2010 again in Amsterdam. Thanks to our friends from Holland for coming and giving us all a great time!

Thanks to Ben for organising everything on the Dutch end of the line.

Kudos go out to Berni who organised the match with the national anthems and the live band and karaoke singing.

Pictures from the weekend on Flickr
More match pictures taken by Karl Ritter
Karaoke pics here – also taken by Karl Ritter

Being the second fastest marathon team in Austria is quite an achievement, all the more as we took part at the championships for the first time. Everyone was surprised and nobody knew that our team even existed in the first place. I took the medals and certificates for the three heros. Considering how difficult the preparation turned out especially for Vinz and Christian and adding the fact that Jörg hadn’t been able to train more than 50 to 70 ks per week, this result is even more surprising and goes to show how much potential these superb runners have.
On the way back, Erwin phoned me, informing that on the official Pentek results page, we were only ranked third. I thought that this might be a mistake by Pentek since I had the certificates in my hands and I didn’t give it further thoughts. Today, however, I contacted the Austrian Athletics Association where it was confirmed that the organizers had made a mistake. Thus we were ranked back to 3rd position. Now, we have to return our silver medals which will be exchanged for bronze ones. Of course, we were a bit disappointed but 3rd place is still a great achievement, one which injects our undertaking with new energy and motivation. Our next common goal will be the Austrian Championships 2010. Before that we are pursuing individual goals, which will see me and Jörg attempting the Berlin marathon on 20 September 2009.

I knew it after 3 ks: this was going to be a tough race. Whenever on such occasions my feet aren’t running by themselves, I know that it is going to be a hard and long, long way to the finish line. I hadn’t felt well all through the week before the marathon and never really managed to translate my planned marathon speed into one of my training runs before the event. Thus, I didn’t have high expectations for the run but little did I know how difficult it was going to be.
I had planned for a speed of 4:00 min/km but too soon I realized that this was just a dream. Still the first half marathon went quite well with 1:25:39 hrs (4:04 min/km) but with the temperatures rising, my speed declined very soon into the second half, clocking in at about 4:10 after 23 ks and deteriorating to 4:15 at 25 ks. With 17 ks still to run, my stomach started to churn and I had to stop and seek the bushes: diarrhea. It was terrible and a very difficult situation. My feet started to cramp and I found it very hard to gather speed again. It turned out, however, that it was a good decision to stop and get the bad stuff out of my body. At least, I could keep up my former speed and thus I continued, still struggling, though, along. Every kilometer seemed to be too long and the heat didn’t make things better. It was a tough run, a real struggle, and all I was running for was to see the finish line. Little did I care about the time anymore, just trying hard to set one foot in front of the other, doing my best to get enough fluid into my body, hoping that it would keep it.
Thus I was approaching the finish, getting slower with every kilometer. As the finish line was only 900 meters away, the worst thing happened that can happen to a marathon runner: my left thigh started to cramp and wouldn’t let go. I had to stop and could only walk. After 200 meters, my muscle, fortunately, relaxed again, giving green lights for me to continue along. With what seemed my last energy, I crossed the finish line in somewhat disappointing 2:56:46 hrs on position 51 overall.
It was a tough race, one of the toughest I had ever run, and disappointment soon gave way to a special kind of satisfaction about how I had continued the race despite all the problems and fall backs, still managing to finish with an acceptable time. It is easy to run with good legs on a bright day, but it is a completely different affair to run 42.195 ks when your feet are bad with the sun burning down on your tattered body.
And still the day had its happy ending: my friends from our team, Jörg, Vinzenz and Christian ran great races and thus our team, Running Team Stefflhof Adventures became 3rd in the team marathon. Congratulations, guys, that is just incredible: 3rd best marathon team in Austria.

I had abstained from eating dinner yesterday in order to have a more relaxing sleep and went running early this morning. After 10 minutes of warming up, I ran 8 track rounds in marathon speed. The first kilometer went really well, with my heart rate remaining in the mid 150ies, where I would like to see them on the first 10 ks in Salzburg on Sunday, too. But, right after finishing the first kilometer, my heart rate shot up like a rocket, bouncing between 165 and 170, much too high for a marathon.

My legs weren’t fresh but that didn’t explain that sudden jump. It seemed that without breakfast, my batteries seemed on the lower end and thus empty after the first kilometer, which would explain the jump. Going to the Sauna is always a bit risky for you stand a much higher chance to catch some virus. Also the Kneipp therapy is a challenge for the body and you can easily walk away with a cold. So I hit the break after my mid-day appointment with a client, switched off the phone and took a very relaxing afternoon nap. It was very refreshing and seems to have been the best thing I could have done. As I said, sleep is crucial in the very last week and I hope I can throw in another of these high quality sleeps as the week progresses.

Counting down the days to my 5th marathon in Salzburg on May 3, I was able to throw in an excellent training session with the guys from our Running Team. Christian had arranged an 8 am Sunday morning meeting for a crisp come together, which should serve as a last proper training before the marathon. With a personal marathon best of 2:26 hrs, Jörg is not only our best runner, he also boasts a certificate as endurance trainer. Naturally, he led us through this training with his expertise and experience. We started out with a slow warm up jog, followed by extensive stretching. Then we practiced our running skills with specific exercises in order to train coordination and flexibility. Thus we warmed up properly, getting ready for some fast tempo runs.

We started out with running one after another at about 3:50 – 3:55 min/km. The last in the row, then, had to overtake the rest with a fast tempo run. Each one had to follow suit after the former runner had reached the front of the row. We completed 5 rounds thus training speed and tempo variation.
In the very last part of preparing for a marathon, the focus is laid upon short fast distances in order to fresh up one’s legs and to prevent the body from switching to stand-by while giving it the chance to relax and gather strength. Another excellent run in this training session was supposed to adapt the body to the planned marathon speed. We had to run 600 meters, increasing the speed after every 200 meters: we started out with a speed of about 3:50 – 4:00 min/km, speeding up to 3:45 min/km after 200 m, and finished with a 3:30 – 3:35 min/km tempo run on the last 200 m. After three repeats, we called it a day and finished our training session with a slow and relaxing cool-down jog after 90 minutes. This was an excellent and very valuable training. Thanks to Jörg for his expertise.

Training as a team is especially valuable. Not only is it easier to get your feet moving faster than usual, but it is also a great opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences.

The Salzburg marathon will be especially interesting for I have been training according to a completely new plan and I am set to improve my marathon best from last year’s 2:53 hrs in Linz. Let’s see whether it works out.

Here are some photos from Christian, Jörg, Vinzenz, Robert and me.

Check out this site for more information about my Salzburg marathon preparation next week.

Time: 1:18:55 hrs, 3:44 min/km, HRav 168, 16.04 km/h

Our team performed extraordinarily well, winning the 10ks (Jörg Achten, 35:02 min) and 15 ks (Christian Kleineberg, 53:17 min) competitions. Vinzenz Kumpusch was a strong runner up over 10 ks (35:06 min) just a breath behind Jörg and I became 3rd in a personal 10 ks record of 37:26 (3:44 min/km).

Extrapolating from our performance on Sunday, much can be expected at the Austrian marathon championships in Salzburg on May 3, 2009. We have a strong team and are be contenters for one of the top spots in the team competition.

On picture: Bernhard Rath, Christoph Potzinger, Jörg Achten (and his daughter Marie), Vinzenz Kumpusch, Erwin Huss (from left to right)

For more pictures click here.