With big green spaces, lots of lakes, olympic infrastructure and even one windy open space on an abandoned airport, Berlin is a perfect city where to practice a wide variety of sports. Thus, the city offers also a calendar full of small and big sportive events.
January: The Six Day Race
You don’t have to face the Berlin winter head on to participate in The Six Day Race, an indoor cycling event held at the Velodrome on Landsberger Allee. A favourite haunt of celebrities (though not always on the track), the Six Day Race offers a huge array of events ranging from Derny racing, Sprinting and motor-paced races.
March/April: Berlin Half Marathon and Inline Skating Half Marathon
The Half Marathon is a whistlestop tour around the southern centre of Berlin, beginning and ending around Alexanderplatz. Over 30,000 participants complete the course, with numbers rising from year to year.
April: Berlin Airport Run
With no set date for completion, Berlin Brandenburg Airport is put to good use with the 8th Berlin Airport Run. With both 10km and half marathon, the main draw here is being able to jog it in on what is turning out to be one of the most expensive runways in the world.
May: Velothon and Avon Running Women's Run
The second largest cycle race of its kind across Europe, the Velothon’s profile has continued to grow since its inception in 2008. Whether 60km or 120km, as a solo effort or in a team, this cycling festival descends upon the capital at a generally perfect time of year to take to the streets on your bike.
Five or ten kilometres power walking, running or Nordic walking. Almost 19,000 women participated in the 2014 Avon Running. The women’s run starts on Straße des 17. Juni, passes through the Tiergarten park and the Brandenburg Gate. The start is located between Yitzhak-Rabin-Straße and Kleiner Stern. The finish line is near the Soviet war memorial on Straße des 17. Juni.
June: #WeRun Nike Women's 10 kms Run, the Berlin Triathlon and the Berlin Respect Gaygames
With the new year underway, Nike introduces fresh motivation for women looking for a challenge with the new Nike Women’s Event Series. The series — which includes the Nike Women’s Race Series and N+TC Tour invites more than 200,000 women around the world to celebrate and experience the power of sport through a series of one-of-a-kind, high-energy running and training events.
The series kicks off March 8 with the Nagoya Women’s Marathon and N+TC Tour Shanghai and wraps this fall with the Nike Women’s Half Marathon San Francisco.
The Berlin Triathlon offers best conditions for competition beginners, professional sportspersons and relay teams.
Organized by the Berlin Lesbian and Gay Association (LSVD Berlin-Brandenburg) it is about to play with gay and lesbian football together, to attend workshops on breakdancing and graffiti and afterwards to celebrate together.
July: Yoga Festival
Competitive sports are all well and good, but what about soothing your soul instead? Step (or indeed, stretch) forward the Yoga Festival, an introduction and celebration of the fine art of breathing, extending and releasing. In the beautiful setting of Kladow, a varied programme of classes, workshops and events will celebrate its 10th year in 2014.
September: The Berlin Marathon
After 42 years, the Berlin Marathon has carved a reputation as one of the most legendary runs to complete – and comes with the added bonus of being one of the flattest. Times are fast, with events for both skaters and runners, and all manner of participants creating a competitive and yet totally relaxed atmosphere.
Extra Resources:
For more information on running events, be sure to check out Berlin Läuft, an excellent resource for anyone considering pounding Berlin’s tarmac…
