Sunshine and a lively atmosphere – runners and spectators along the route transformed the S 25 Berlin into a running party on Sunday (May 11, 2025). We started from the Olympic Stadium and meandered through a residential area before, unlike previous years, heading to the Grunewald forest. The new route had become necessary due to the demolition of two major bridges – and was well received by the runners as the route provided welcome shade from the sun. The downside was missing out on historical landmarks and having the kudos of running under the Brandenberg Tor as per the original route, but it did mean we got to see a different side to Berlin.

The Grunewald forest includes an area to the north, Teufelsberg, where debris from buildings hit in WW2 was moved to, but you would never know as trees now cover what was once a massive area of rubble. The forest reminded me of Clumber Park but with wide tarmac paths, it is actually a bus route running alongside Lake Havel, a really big lake. The course was undulating with a couple of challenging hills, 16km to 17km was a real drag uphill just as my ill prepared quads began screaming at me, top tip – taking on distance requires consistency in training, something I hadn’t managed to do recently.

There was a great atmosphere amongst runners, lots of smiles and thumbs up (my attempt at the German language is just embarrassing), when my hands were too sweaty to unleash a gel, a kind runner from Hamburg helped me out and I handed him a Kendal Mint gel as a thank you. He looked puzzled by the minty content.

A real sting in the tail came at 22km, this was a twisty climb on cobbles greeted by a squad of Police at the top, probably to make everyone got up the hill in one piece. Finally heading towards the Olympic Stadium was just a wonderful sight, we merged with the half marathon runners for a kilometre before we swung down the tunnel and into the stadium for an emotional finish on the track to the cheers of spectators. Priceless. No goody bag, instead there was a complimentary cold beer waiting for all finishers.

Photo of Nancy Stuart after the field of doom.