ICYMI BMW Berlin 2016 Marathon Open

uvox

FYI:

http://www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com/en/news-and-media/news/2015/08/25/registration-for-the-2016-bmw-berlinmarathon-starts-on-october-19-2015.html

There will be a special starting emissions category for anyone one wearing a VW t-shirt.

See you over there.

scheister

was talking to someone that was telling me that everyone that enters the ballot for berlin gets in any truth in this

Krusty_Clown

scheister wrote: »

was talking to someone that was telling me that everyone that enters the ballot for berlin gets in any truth in this

Hardly! Not much point in having a ballot then!

menoscemo

scheister wrote: »

was talking to someone that was telling me that everyone that enters the ballot for berlin gets in any truth in this

The race always filled out, but they used to do it on a rolling basis with the first 10k places costing €70 and then price going up.
This ballot business is just a way of charging the full whack to all the entrants IMO.
I heard last year lots of people entered the ballot more than 1 time and so a lot didn't take up the place (by paying) and then more places became free after a few weeks.

RacoonQueen

I entered the ballot in 2014 and didn't get in. They sent me an email a couple months later, if I remember, offering me a charity place of something at a much higher price. There was a good few I know that didn't get in for 2014.
I've entered ballot anyway. See what happens - might be doing Ironman again next year so this prob wouldn't be a goer anyway.

belcarra

I've been there the past two events.
I failed with the ballot in 2014 (€98) but then in springtime there were an extra 1,000 spaces made available for charity for an extra €60.
I booked myself in this way for €158.
(I had originally entered the ballot twice as there was no financial commitment but failed with both attempts)

This year I succeeded via the ballot for €98 but the OH had to wait until the extra 1,000 spaces became available again for €158 and booked in this way.
(This year they changed the rules saying they would automatically debit the entry fee if you were chosen in the ballot. This stopped most/all of the multiple ballot entries as people didn't want to be charged several times if lucky on multiple attempts)

Generally it is quite easy to get in via the charity spots but is literally a lottery via the main ballot.

Duanington

Entered the ballot for 2016, good to read about the charity entry option

ASIMON0V

I'm in, flights booked and all. Happy to be 45 next year cos it's has a way softer GFA.

Ruu

I entered the lottery when it opened, will see beginning of December if I am in or not then will try for NY.

Psychosis

Im also entered in the lottery, fingers crossed.

I think if I don't get it i'll be doing Frankfurt instead, wont wait for a "Charity" entry.

Krusty_Clown

I'm in also (fast runners) and also have flights booked. That's probably a bad sign Asimonov. We have issues!

village runner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I'm in also (fast runners) and also have flights booked. That's probably a bad sign Asimonov. We have issues!

Did you go to tegel too ??

Krusty_Clown

village runner wrote: »

Did you go to tegel too ??

Uh... Yeah?

village runner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Uh... Yeah?

My English was poor...
I have to wait a month to see if I get in.
Which is faster Frankfurt or berlin ??

Krusty_Clown

village runner wrote: »

My English was poor...
I have to wait a month to see if I get in.
Which is faster Frankfurt or berlin ??

Good question. Berlin is the faster course (there are a few bumps along the route in Frankfurt), but Frankfurt yields better results. They consistently have faster average times than Berlin, but that could be because Frankfurt doubles up as the German Championship.

Berlin had 64 runners, between 2:28 and 2:33.
Frankfurt had 35 for the same time band.
But... Berlin had nearly three times the number of runners. So Berlin is faster, but you get a higher ratio of faster runners at Frankfurt. Also, the 'fast runners own nutrition' tables in Frankfurt are pretty usable (largely they work), but I understand that in Berlin, they're so over-crowded you don't really have a hope.

village runner

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Good question. Berlin is the faster course (there are a few bumps along the route in Frankfurt), but Frankfurt yields better results. They consistently have faster average times than Berlin, but that could be because Frankfurt doubles up as the German Championship.

Berlin had 64 runners, between 2:28 and 2:33.
Frankfurt had 35 for the same time band.
But... Berlin had nearly three times the number of runners. So Berlin is faster, but you get a higher ratio of faster runners at Frankfurt. Also, the 'fast runners own nutrition' tables in Frankfurt are pretty usable (largely they work), but I understand that in Berlin, they're so over-crowded you don't really have a hope.

Already thinking of 2.28
Lol.

Krusty_Clown

village runner wrote: »

Already thinking of 2.28
Lol.

Haha. No! I had to include some kind of range!

Ruu

Lottery results in a little over a weeks time I believe.:)

paulers06

Definitely tempting fate but I booked a cancellable hotel last night just in case. Am working under the assumption that all the good reasonably priced rooms will be snapped up once the lottery results come out. Will cancel the room if I don't get in.

village runner

paulers06 wrote: »

Definitely tempting fate but I booked a cancellable hotel last night just in case. Am working under the assumption that all the good reasonably priced rooms will be snapped up once the lottery results come out. Will cancel the room if I don't get in.

It's a no brainer....

Ruu

On that note, can anyone recommend a hotel near start/finish?

Psychosis

Ruu wrote: »

On that note, can anyone recommend a hotel near start/finish?

Yeah thinking I better book myself as well, recommendations?

village runner

Psychosis wrote: »

Yeah thinking I better book myself as well, recommendations?

Apartments around District Mitte and you won't be far away, but underground is so good anywhere near a station. I stayed in hotel berlin berlin 4 times. Top class but have booked an apartment this time

Van.Bosch

it says mails will be sent between 1-3 December, does anyone know if they were early in the window last year?

Also any other hotel recommendations?

ClashCityRocker

Ruu wrote: »

On that note, can anyone recommend a hotel near start/finish?

I stayed here for this year's race, hotel was basic but comfortable, standard three star i would think. Not too expensive. It was around a half hour walk from the start, one street over was the intercontinental hotel where i believe the elites were staying (not that they would have walked to the start!)

ASIMON0V

village runner wrote: »

Apartments around District Mitte and you won't be far away, but underground is so good anywhere near a station. I stayed in hotel berlin berlin 4 times. Top class but have booked an apartment this time

Agree with this, I'm booked into the Adina in mitte, good hotel and all rooms have kitchens so you can cook your own breakfast. Worth checking out.

Psychosis

village runner wrote: »

Apartments around District Mitte and you won't be far away, but underground is so good anywhere near a station. I stayed in hotel berlin berlin 4 times. Top class but have booked an apartment this time

Thats super thanks, thinking of booking today but dont want to jinx the lottery

village runner

Psychosis wrote: »

Thats super thanks, thinking of booking today but dont want to jinx the lottery

Book in bookings.com and you can cancel it free

belcarra

We stayed in the Cosmo Mitte Hotel this year and it was beside the U-Bahn, only 3 stops/5 mins from Potsdamer Platz, which was then only a 5 min walk to the start area.
The year before we stayed in the Pestana Berlin Tiergarten which was near KuDamm. Good hotel again.
From my experience you can barely go wrong with hotels in Berlin. Great quality and decent prices - much better than London/NYC/Boston imho.

dcorcaigh

anyone receive the email yet??

EauRouge79

acceptance emails going out now lads/ladies.
Just got an acceptance for a friend, I used my email address for his entry. I thought I was in....my heart sank when I saw his name......the b******d.

Not sure if the emails are all sent in one batch or will we be drip fed over next couple of days.