RUNNING GERMANY: BERLIN – The most important changes for the 40th BERLIN MARATHON – Safety regulations

As in past years, we are very concerned about the safety of all marathon participants, volunteers, spectators, partners and employees of the marathon organization. We have initiated a few changes this year in collaboration with the responsible city offices of Berlin, and the Berlin police and fire departments.

These measures will be in place both at the BERLIN VITAL Expo from September 26-28, and at the start and finish of the marathon on Sunday, and will be strictly followed. We ask you to read through this information carefully so you are prepared for the new measures and you, as participants, can enjoy a smooth and exciting anniversary marathon event. We are depending upon your cooperation, and we are looking forward to an amazing marathon weekend with you.
    
         CONTENTS     
        
1.     New: ID Control for Race Number Pick-up
2.     New: A wristband for every participant
3.     New: Only the official clothing bags will be allowed into the event venue
4.     New: Start at 8:45 am
   

1.     New: ID Control for Race Number Pick-up

    
Every participant must pick up his or her race materials IN PERSON with a valid ID (national ID, passport, or driver’s license). Unfortunately, in the past, situations have arisen that made adequate medical care difficult because race numbers were sold or traded, and athletes could not be correctly identified in an emergency. For the wellbeing and personal safety of every participant, from now on we will be strictly controlling the race number distribution.

Personal data and any illnesses or medications being taken must be documented on the back of the race number, so that in the case of an emergency, the medical teams can provide rapid and safe assistance. It is NO LONGER possible to provide someone else with a letter of attorney to pick up your race materials for you!

2. New: A wristband for every participant

    
In order to guarantee the clear identification of each participant (see above), every runner will have a wristband placed on his or her wrist at the race number pick-up, which may NOT be removed until the race is finished. In addition to the above measures, this will assist in preventing race numbers from being sold or traded. The wristbands are made from Tyvek, a super-light material that cannot be torn (also used at many VIP events and other occasions). They are comfortable to wear, non-transferable (due to a strong glue) and tamper-proof.

3. New: Only the official clothing bags will be allowed into the event venue

     
No other bags or backpacks will be permitted to be taken into the restricted area at the start. Please note that you will only be granted access to the start area if you use the official clothing bag, which you will receive when with your race materials! The clothing bag drop-off will begin at 6:30 am. Any kind of fireworks, weapons, glass bottles or any other dangerous or sharp objects will not be permitted into the restricted event area.

Liquids: Water bottles and/or shower gels are permitted inside and will not be controlled.

4.  New: Start at 8:45 am

   
The start for the 40th  BERLIN MARATHON on September 29th is being moved ahead by 15 minutes. The planned programming for the new television broadcast partner, ARD, is the reason behind this change. The event organiser, EVENTS GmbH, has contracted HBS to produce the worldwide images.

ARD will be reporting live from 8:20 am to 11:30 am, and then RBB will take over and continue until 1:30 pm. Eurosport will broadcast live from 8.40 a.m. until 11.30 a.m.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be sending out newsletters with pertinent information on a regular basis, detailing everything you need to know about the 40th BERLIN MARATHON. You can also find all kinds of important information on the web (News/Facebook/Twitter).

Source: BERLIN MARATHON