2014

100 Miles Berlin on august 16./17. 2014 - 100 historical Miles through and around Berlin ©100MeilenBerlin Organisation

100 Miles Berlin on august 16./17. 2014 – 100 historical Miles through and around Berlin

By GRR 0

Greetings from the Patron Rainer Eppelmann: Dear Runners, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am happy to see how the Berlin 100-Meilen Run has developed into such a success story and is attracting more participants than ever in 2014. 25 years after the fall of The Wall this is an impressive way of remembering the inner German border and its fall in 1989.

From one day to the next, the Berlin Wall divided families, separated friends and made a normal life in Berlin nearly impossible. Personally I was not able to attend my school from August 1961 onwards, others lost their jobs or university placements. Above all, this monument became a trap for the 17 million people locked-in. Especially for those that were brave or desperate enough to escape the GDR yet paid for their attempts with long prison terms, heavy fines or even with their lives.

This year we want to especially remember one of the most joyful monuments in recent German history 25 years ago, on 9th November 1989, the majority of the GDR population had enough of inprisonment and dictatorship. The citizens opened the borders and The Wall finally fell. Today only a few remnants of The Wall are left to remind us of this inhuman border that locked-in West Berlin while also turning all of the GDR into a prison. Therefore, it is very important to remember the decades of German division and of course all of its victims.

The Berlin 100-Meilen event along the former Berlin Wall path has become a major achievement. I hope it will continue to grow as successfully as it has the past few years and continue to attract many exceptional athletes to run this historic course. I wish every participant a successful run.

Sincerely yours,
Rainer Eppelmann

100 historical Miles through and around Berlin

The 100MeilenBerlin event will take place on August 16th/17th, 2014 in memory of the numerous Berlin Wall victims. This is the third race since 2011. Most of the run is on the paved Berlin Wall Path which leads around what was once the West Berlin border.

The 100MeilenBerlin is an annual event occurring after the August 13th memorial date of the Walls original erection. That day, in 1961, the construction of the border began using concrete and steel barricades. At least 138 people lost their lives attempting to escape the East-West-Border before 1989.

Each year, 100MeilenBerlin is dedicated to another Wall victim. This year, it is devoted to Peter Fechter who died during his attempt to escape in 1962 near the well-known Checkpoint Charlie. His death changed the world's perception of the Berlin Wall. As he laid bleeding to death in the border strip, neither the GDR Border Guards nor Western Allies helped him.

The Finishers-Medal will bear the likeness of Peter Fechter in the same way Chris Gueffroy was remembered at the „Mauerweglauf“ premiere in 2011 and Günter Litfin in 2013.

This year, once again, the 100Meilen-Patron is former GDR-Civil Rights Activist Rainer Eppelmann.

Similar to 100Meilen-Premiere in 2011, the Wall Path will be run clockwise. Each year, the direction of the run alternates. For the first time, the Start and Finish of 100MeilenBerlin will be at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark near the 'Mauerpark'.

Here is a list of the most important information for the 'Mauerweglauf':

Start Times: 6 a.m. Single Runner, 7 a.m. Relay Run
27 Catering/ Aid Stations with a total of 300 Volunteers along the Path (every 6 km)
13 Online Time Checkpoints (times can be checked online)
Time Limit: 30 Hours (Single- and Relay Run)
Relay Run for up to 28 Team Members (runner exchange points are flexible)
Back-to-Back-Medal for all Finishers that successfully participating in 2013 and 2014
100Meilen buckle for a race time that is less than 24 hours
Finisher shirt in co-operation with "Künstlerinitiative East-Side-Gallery e.V."
Limit of Participants is 500. The deadline for registration: July 1st, 2014
Bib Number entitles free rides on Public Transportation (BVG/VBB) during the Event
Pasta-Party (August 15th) and Final Dinner (August 17th) is included
Special Rates at hotel partner RAMADA Hotel for all participants and coaches (limited)
Free of charge Dormitory style facilities

Slipping On History: The Finishers-Shirt

This year the 100Meilen-Finishers-Shirt will display artwork from Berlin's East Side Gallery. It illustrates the special rock music art of The Wall image by American artist Lance Keller and the legendary British band Pink Floyd. While Pink Floyd was performing in 1990 at 'Potsdamer Platz' in front of thousands of people, Lance was brushing the record cover of the rock opera "The Wall" onto the Berlin Wall. In September 2013, Pink Floyds co-founder Roger Waters came to Berlin to protest the partial demolition of the East Side Gallery, and as a result Lance Keller's artwork had to be on the 2014 shirt!

100Meilen-Organiser Dr. Ronald Musil gets a chance to meet Roger's manager Andrew Zweck at the East Side Gallery in late 2013 showing off both the new design as well as the green Original-2013-Finisher-Shirt.

25 Years Fall of the Wall

100MeilenBerlin 2014 – Schedule

Wednesday, 13th August:

18:00 hrs – Berlin Wall Memorial Run (25 km) on Berlin Wall trail. Starting S-Bahnhof Hermsdorf, finishing at Brandenburg Gate. This run is in a group (average speed around 6:45 min./km) with short breaks for brief explications on Berlin Wall history. Participation is free of charge. On 13th August in 1961 the constructions for the Berlin Wall had begun.

Friday, 15th August:

08:00 – 09:00 hrs – Special breakfast for all the 100 Meilen ambassador at the Ramada-Hotel Alexanderplatz with Dr. Dahms from the senate administration of Berlin

12:00 – 13:00 hrs – Guidance on the grounds of the memorial "Berlin Wall" at Bernauer Strasse (only with registration)

14:00 – 19:00 hrs – Handout 100Meilen-Starter Package at Ramada-Hotel Alexanderplatz

18:00 – 19:00 hrs – Pasta Party at Ramada-Hotel

followed by Race-Briefing

Saturday, 16th August:

06:00 hrs – Start 100MeilenBerlin Individual Race at Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark, Cantianstrasse

07:00 hrs – Start Relay Race

Sunday, 17th August:

12:00 hrs – Finish Individual Runner

13:00 hrs – Finish Relay Runner

14:00 hrs – Award Ceremony 100MeilenBerlin 2014 at Ramada-Hotel

The Track: 160,9 Km along the Berlin wall trail

The 100MeilenBerlin track is almost identical to the official designated Berlin Wall Trail. The Berlin Wall Trail is a foot path as well as a bike lane and came about in 2001 as an initiative by today's European delegate Michael Cramer. It equals in most parts the former border line and runs in a large circuit around West-Berlin. Until 1990 the asphalt lane was used by GDR-Border Patrol for patrolling.

Numerous orange colored stakes, memorial crosses aswell as former watchtowers are reminders of this misanthropic barrier. Along its path at least 136 people lost their lives between 1961 and 1989.

At the premiere of 100MeilenBerlin in 2011 – which was the same year as the 50th anniversary of construction year – the run went clockwise around the Berlin Wall Trail. In 2013 it went the opposite way around. In 2014, the run will again go in the clockwise direction, beginning from the Start heading south. Every year the run will change direction.

The 27 aid points (VP) are similar to last years as they have proved themselves in practice. New for this year is VP1 in Zimmerstraﬂe at Peter Fechter Memorial. Peter Fechter was bleeding to death attempting to escape the border strip in 1962 – to him we are dedicating the Berlin Wall Trail this year. Also new, is the final aid point just before the Finish, VP27 in Wollankstraﬂe.

The following map will guide you through operating times to each aid point (VP) as well as the important Cut-Off-Times at the three points of change which are located inTeltow, Sacrow and in Hennigsdorf (Ruderclub Oberhavel). The Cut-Off-Times indicate when one must have left the point of change without being disqualified.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE BERLIN WALL:

There is a detailled and highly recommended collection of links around the history of the Berlin Wall being offered at 'Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur'.

You can also find interesting informationen around the Berlin Wall Trail on the pages of Berlin Federal State Government (Berliner Senat). Here not only the Berlin Wall Trail is displayed as it is as from today but also the history of the Berlin Wall is being documented.

For runners, cyclists, walkers the Berlin Wall Trail – Bike Guide by Michael Cramer is recommend with its detailled maps and informative notes.

Also fascinating is the Berlin Wall Trail in 3D – 1989 and at present.