RUNNING GERMANY – BERLIN – The Berlin Cross-Country Race on the Teufelsberg Mountain from 1964 – 2006 – „Fear not! Be a part of it and hang in there! – For a real cross-country runner, every hardship comes at a good time!“

On November 8, 1964, the 1st Berlin Cross-Country Race took place with 700 participants on the Teufelsberg Mountain. The event was put on by the sport department of the Free University of Berlin. Students of the FU Berlin, who were also mid-distance runners for SCC, had participated in university cross-country events in Greece and France.

Running on difficult terrain — and not on cleared forest paths — was a challenge that had been pursued intensively in the Anglo-Saxon countries. The innovative element in this planned cross-country race was that it was to be open not only to runners from sporting clubs, but also to the general public. This idea was so new, however, and not in accordance with the regulations, that the association did not allow the club to put on the race.

The FU sports students, however, led by Horst Milde, had a “hunting license” and simply carried out their idea nonetheless.

Sensation with 700 participants

While forest races normally had 50-70 participants, it was a sensation when suddenly 700 participants showed up at the start in three competitions in the Grunewald Forest. There was "Cross Race for the Aces,” a so-called “People’s Race,” and a 2.5 km youth race (a women’s race was not yet on the agenda, the first one taking place in 1966).

The race had been advertised all over the city with pithy slogans like: “For a real cross-country runner, every hardship comes at a good time!” “Fear not!” and “Be a part of it and hang in there!”—the numbers of participants proved that the organisers had the right idea. The prize for making it through the off-road ordeal was a “cross country pin” at the finish.

The wild sow

Already by the second edition of the race in 1965, the symbol for the course had become the wild sow, as the course on the Teufelsberg was securely in the hands of the wild pigs, who would not be chased away.

"Tümmler flew by Hecht" … was written in the paper the next day

Bodo Tümmler (SCC Berlin) was the first victor in the 9.9 km main race, ahead of Bernd-Dieter Hecht (PSV). For Bodo Tümmler, this marked the beginning of a great running career, later becoming European champion and Olympic bronze medallist in the 1500m. Rainer Podlesch, the stayer world champion from the sporting club Zehlendorfer Eichhörnchen, won the People’s Race. A good number of the participants came from rowing, canoe, and cycling clubs.

The birthplace of races for the general public and for regular group training runs

The event on November 8, 1964 was the birthplace of running events for the general public in Berlin and Germany. It was also the first race of Horst Milde and his big career as an race-organizer (-director) (he took part as a runner in this cross-countryrace in 1964 too) till today with these big events he "produce" like BERLIN-MARATHON, HALFMARATHON BERLIN, AVON ladies race a.s.o.

It was also a precursor to the regular group training runs — prior to the race, a group training was set for every Saturday at 3 p.m. at the bottom of the sledding hill on the Teufelsberg Mountain, in which anyone could participate in order to prepare for the race. That was previously completely unheard of.

 

Running celebrities

Numerous national and international celebrities have participated in the long distance race on the Teufelsberg Mountain, including Lutz Philipp, Manfred Letzerich, Christoph Herle and Dieter Baumann.

Female participants have included Charlotte Teske, Grete Waitz (NOR), the 9-time winner of the NYC Marathon, as well as Marleen Renders (BEL), who later went on to win the BERLIN-MARATHON and the Paris Marathon.

The Berlin Cross-Country race was for decades the figurehead for running.

The German Cross-Country Championships have taken place twice on the Teufelsberg Mountain.

For ecological reasons, the course was relocated for several years to the Maifeld (May Field), part of the Olympic Stadium, but the participants did not like the flat course in the stadium with only one incline up to the riding stadium. Thus, the course has returned to the Grunewald Forest, with the start and finish in Eichkamp Stadium, where there are changing, showering, and bathroom facilities.

On Sunday nov. 5th, the 43rd Berlin Cross-Country Race took place with the start and finish in the extended Harbigstrasse at the Eichkamp Stadium.

The most important cross-country race in Germany take place in Darmstadt on sunday 19th, 2006.

 

Organisers