The reunion of the finishers of the “1st Berlin People’s Marathon” from 1974 in the “Eierschale”: A success!

Karl-Heinz Schöttler was the oldest participant at the age of 93 – Photo: Andreas Gora

A total of 33, including 2 women, of the runners at that time were found after an extensive search, also with the help of the media.

These were the participants of the meeting (in alphabetical order):

PETER BARTEL / KNUT BECKMANN / JÖRG BREDENDIEK / GERD-VOLKER BUSCHE / DIETER EIFLER /
BERNT-J. GIESE / JUTTA von HAASE / GÜNTER HALLAS / BERND HÜBNER / REINHARD KETELHUT /
PETER KUPKE / JÜRGEN LANGE / GÜNTER LOESER / EBERHARD MEYER / HORST MOHR / GÜNTER MULZOF / MANFRED RESCHKE / MICHAEL SCHIMMEL / KARL-HEINZ SCHÖTTLER / KLAUS-J. SCHUHR /      NORBERT SCHULZE / HELMUT SORDON / ALFRED SPYCHALLA / INGRID WINTER / ERNST-DIETER WÜSTENHAGEN

Now all with commemorative medals: (from left): record holder Wilfried Köhnke, Karl-Heinz Schöttler, the oldest participant at 93, Peter Bartel – second from right: Horst Milde, Rotraud Zylka, the medal distributor in 1974 and 2024 – to her left: Jutta von Haase and behind her Günter Hallas. – Photo: Andreas Gora

Cancellations came from these participants who do not live in Berlin or had other reasons for not being present:
MICHAEL HEINE / HANS-JÜRGEN KRÄFT / HENRY KNAUTH / MANFRED KUCZYNSKI / WILLI KURELLA / UWE MESEBERG / THOMAS STRAUCH and Martin W. Teague (USA).

The circle of participants in the Eierschale included Horst Milde, founder of the BERLIN-MARATHON and chairman of the SCC athletics department, who supported the search for finishers from the very beginning, and Rotraud Zylka, who was the department’s sports director in 1974 and handed out the medals at the finish line at that time – and who still actively supports the organization of the BERLIN-MARATHON and the ISTAF as a “ volunteer” to this day.

Winner and the founder of the “1st Berlin People’s Marathon”: (from left): Günter Hallas – Horst Milde and Jutta von Haase – Photo: Andreas Gora

Not a finisher from 1974, but the record finisher of the BERLIN-MARATHON was Winfried Köhnke, who has finished the BERLIN-MARATHON 47 times to date – replacing Bernd Hübner, who was the top finisher for many years.

Record-breaking finishers enjoying an “Apfelschorle”: previous winner Bernd Hübner and current “title holder” Wilfried Köhnke – Photo: Horst Milde

Toasting 83 BERLIN MARATHON finishes: Bernd Hübner (left) 36 races and Wilfried Köhnke with 47 races – Photo: Monika Hübner

Wilfried Köhnke wants to achieve the record number of 50 successful finishes in the next few years.

Günter Hallas and Jutta von Haase – the winners from 1974 – were also present at this extraordinary meeting, much to everyone’s pleasure.

The career of 1974 finisher Reinhard Ketelhut, who took part in the premiere as a student at the Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin), is also extraordinary. 13 years after his start at the 1st BERLIN-MARATHON in 1974, Dr. Ketelhut examined runners before and during the BERLIN-MARATHON 1987 as a medical doctor and wrote the research reports: “The influence of training quality and performance on cardiovascular risk factors in marathon runners” and: “Elevated diastolic blood pressure at rest – hypertension in marathon runners”? And now, as Prof. Dr. Dr. Reinhard Ketelhut – internist, sports physician, he was one of the 74 finishers in the “ Eierschale”.

Martin W. Teague (USA), was a member of the US Berlin Brigade Allied Marathon Team in 1974. He started with ten of his US colleagues at the premiere, nine of whom finished. He registered with the organizer SCC Events to run the 50th race. He will be at the start with starting bib “6” as in 1974. Martin W. Teague lives near Chicago and is being prepared for his start in Berlin by his colleagues from the Chigago Marathon. In addition to Martin W. Teague, Uwe Meseberg, registered with SCC Events as a runner, as well as the winner Günter Hallas and Peter Bartel as a walker (runner) have also registered. Martin W. Teague (USA) will now receive the bib number “6”, which he received from Horst Milde in 1974 and which is reserved only for TOP athletes, from race director Mark Milde.

Rotraud Zylka (left) and Peter Bartel handing out the medals – Photo: Andreas Gora

Wilfried Köhnke had the idea of presenting a commemorative medal to the 1974 finishers. Rotraud Zylka, as in 1974, handed over the medal and hung it around the necks of the surprised veterans. The back of the medal bears the name and starting time from 1974.