Introduction
Race information
| Name | BMW Berlin Marathon 2025 |
|---|---|
| Date | 2025-09-21 |
| Distance | 42.2 km |
| Location | Berlin, Germany |
| Website | https://www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com/en/ |
| Time | 04:17:00 |
Goals
| Goal | Description | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| A | Sub 03:30:00 | No |
| B | 03:30:00-03:40:00 | No |
| C | Sub 04:00:00 | No |
| D | Finish | Yes |
Splits
Information were taken from the official results page.
| Split | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 00:30:04 | 06:01 |
| 10 km | 00:57:48 | 05:33 |
| 15 km | 01:24:48 | 05:24 |
| 20 km | 01:51:52 | 05:25 |
| Half-marathon | 01:57:42 | 05:19 |
| 25 km | 02:20:25 | 05:50 |
| 30 km | 02:51:36 | 06:15 |
| 35 km | 03:26:02 | 06:54 |
| 40 km | 04:02:46 | 07:21 |
| Marathon | 04:17:00 | 06:30 |
Training
Pre-training
After I learned that I got selected for the marathon, I did two training plans before I started the marathon training that were taken from Pfitzinger and Latter’s Faster Road Racing book.
- Base Training: Build Up to 60 Miles (97 km) per Week
- 5K Schedule 2: 45 to 55 Miles (71-88 km) per Week
The first was during winter and early spring and the second was late spring and early summer.
I decided to go through these two plans because I saw a particular comment in Reddit that it is recommend for runners to improve their speed and endurance by targeting shorter distances. These will in turn carry-over and improve the performance in longer distances.
Marathon training
I specifically chose Pfitzinger and Douglas’ Advanced Marathoning (which I will refer to as “AM” for the rest of the review) as my source for my first full marathon after a successful personal record of 19:55 for my 5K with the previous book. I was already used to the demands of the previous two plans (mainly the long runs that I learned to appreciate) and it was natural to choose the version for marathons.
In the book there are four plans that differ in peak distances from 55 miles (89 km) to 85 miles (137 km) with variations of 12 or 18 weeks in some of them. Out of all four, I chose the 18/55 plan because the last 5K plan had an average of around 50 to 60 km per week. The first week of 18/55 had a Sunday long run of 19.30 km with a total of 53 km and that was the most doable and realistic to my level of fitness at that time. The next plan of 18/70 has a 24 km long run and a total of 87 km in its first week which was impossible for me at that time or I might injure myself with the sudden climb in demand and running volume. A more detailed explanation of my decision can be read here.
I actually was able to reach an average of 90 km in the first three weeks of 18/55 because of another Reddit comment from an AM thread. The commenter stated that they did all the recovery runs at least 10 km to gently increase their weekly volume safely because they found the average of 60 km per week in the first four weeks were too easy (but the jump to 18/70 is too high to switch to). I followed this and I actually had the same results though the first two weeks were genuinely taxing on my body because of the gradual introduction of tempo and long runs in the middle of the week followed by another long run in the weekend.
I eventually considered moving up to 18/70 around the second week because the empty rest or cross-training days in 18/55 was making it easy for me. I wanted to run more because I was starting to feel too comfortable though the thought of doing double days in the first was a deal-breaker. Eventually I found Aaron or thebottlefarm’s unofficial Pfitz 18/63 (up to 100 km) plan from another Redditor that combined elements of the two aforementioned plans: the hard workouts of 18/70 and the lower volume of 18/55. It was the perfect fit of what I was looking for and I made the decision to switch my fourth week with this plan. I stuck with it until the end and never looked at 18/70 anymore because it was already demanding as a first-timer.
I wrote my experiences from following 18/55 and 18/63 each week in more detail here including specific things about the different struggles I faced during tempo and interval days and having fun testing different potential race day shoes during long runs.
Pre-race
Taper week
I initially entered a goal time of 04:30:00 when I signed up for the marathon and declared that it was my first marathon so I got put in the Group J out of A to K. I just learned after the race that I can change the goal time a few weeks before but it doesn’t matter because Berlin will always put first timers in the same group regardless of goal time I believe. According to the schedule, our groups’s gun time will be at 10:40 so I had a lot of time in the early morning to prepare.
Friday and Saturday were spent eating carbohydrate-rich food such as pasta and stir-fried noodles with rice for both lunch and dinner. I didn’t change the amount too much because on a regular day I eat lighter dinners. I also drank a liter of water with electrolytes each day due to further help my body.
Saturday was for preparing my bag that contained my sunblock, petroleum jelly, change of clothes, a power bank, homemade gels and my pair of Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3. I’m glad it was large enough to carry all of those inside because the shoes, though light, were large enough to occupy half of the entire bag.
I spent a lot of time in the last week reading people’s tips and advise for marathoners and one thing that stood out the most is to make sure the Friday night’s sleep is at least the recommended eight full hours in case of nerves on Saturday night. Fortunately I didn’t have any trouble in both nights because I wasn’t too hung up on a goal time faster than 03:30:00 compared to the two days before my half-marathon last month where I know I had to prove myself when I have something I know I had to achieve (which I successfully did). I wasn’t nervous at all for the entirety of Friday and Saturday because I know my goal was doable based from all the long runs I did every Sunday for 18 weeks. The confidence helped me a lot in preventing my usual overthinking up to Sunday morning.
Race morning
I woke up at 6:00 and stretched my body a bit. I went back to bed to chill because I planned to leave at around 8:30 to arrive an hour early before Group J’s scheduled 10:40 gun start. By 7:40 I was eating a chocolate oatmeal and banana bowl (no nuts for the day) to keep it all simple and took one loperamide tablet. I also prepared another bottle of water with electrolytes that I sipped on as I left the house, during the commute and all the way to the race grounds.
By 8:30 I was already done with my shower but I left at 8:50 because I changed the top that I was planning to wear. It was originally an oversized cotton muscle shirt but I checked the forecast and it was going to be around 25° Celcius so I chose my plan B - a thinner, lighter tank top that’s just fits exactly on my body but not too flattering for my taste. Good thing I did several long runs wearing it so I know how it will feel and it’s not something new.
Race grounds
I arrived at around 9:40 as planned in the race grounds in front of the Reichstag. I came from the Friedrichshain S-Bahn station and it was surprisingly not too full that time. I walked for around ten minutes and it was helpful in keeping the creeping anxiety within me at bay.
I still had one hour so I sat on a free bench near the Bundestag U-Bahn station and changed into my race gear. I just had to take off my jacket (it was a bit cold during the commute) and shorts (I was already wearing my half-tights under it) and neatly put them back in my bag. I also applied my sunblock all over my head, neck, shoulder, both arms and legs followed by generous amounts of petroleum jelly on both under my arms (were they will rub with the tank top), my chest where my heart rate monitor is placed and behind my ears because I brought my over-the-ear headphones.
After I was content with my pre-race ritual, I looked for the bag drop-off area, took one last sip of my drink and surrendered them to the lovely personnel. It was a bit difficult to find at first because there’s not much signs around and luckily I found a group of people with their baggages in tow to follow. I found an entrance with a lot of volunteers checking people’s transparent bags and arms with the official tag and that led me to the tented area for bags and a lot of runners warming up.
It was around 10:00 that my stomach let me know that it wanted one last toilet break and I waited for 30 minutes near the main race road alongside other people. I used that time to warm-up my arms and legs in place. Fortunately by 10:28, it was my turn to go inside a free portalet and I was able to do my business. Thanks to the Redditors for mentioning to bring your own tissue pack inside the grounds because it is expected that there will no longer be rolls of tissues inside with the amount of people that use it.
I had around five minutes left after I was done. I took one last loperamide with my gels and briskly walked to the race road together with other people. The sun was starting to show its presence but I was more amazed by number of people I was going to run with even though we were the last two groups. The hosts were fun in leading the warm-ups and the music was thankfully modern and upbeat to fully set the atmosphere. I officially crossed the starting lines at exactly 10:47:42 in the Tiergarten road.
Race
Plan
My plan of execution for the marathon was a warm-up followed by eight five-kilometer blocks that increased in pace ranges:
| Step | Distance | Accumulated Distance | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 km | 2 km | Zone 2 |
| 2 | 5 km | 7 km | 5:25-5:30/km |
| 3 | 5 km | 12 km | 5:20-5:25/km |
| 4 | 5 km | 17 km | 5:15-5:20/km |
| 5 | 5 km | 22 km | 5:10-5:15/km |
| 6 | 5 km | 27 km | 5:05-5:10/km |
| 7 | 5 km | 32 km | 5:00-5:05/km |
| 8 | 5 km | 37 km | 4:55-5:00/km |
| 9 | 5.2 km | 42.2 km | 4:30-4:55/km |
I wanted it to be a reflection of the long run paces I was able to do comfortable during the training period with the last 10 km to be the fastest depending on my state that time.
For every 20 minutes or around four kilometers, I also planned to take sips from my gels. I brought four 250 ml flasks and each should last for an hour with a bit more for preparedness.
1-5 km
I stayed at the back of the group that I was in (I forgot if it was even J or K) and my plan was to stay at my Zone 2 for the first two kilometers. I started my metronome app at 180 spm to guide my cadence for the first 12 kilometers. I will increase them by two every succeeding ten kilometers and more if my confidence and body allowed.
I had trouble keeping my heart rate within Zone 2 in the first two laps unfortunately. It was a combination of the excitement, the energy all around, the music and the looming heat. It was a struggle to go slower and I believe I should have stayed at 7:00/km or slower because I would have reached the target zone.
There were hardly any shade in the Straße des 17. Juni so everyone was exposed to the sun. I’m glad I had my trusted hat on to keep me cool together with my shaved head. I was still fine with the heat.
As soon as the first five-kilometer block started, I let the cadence drive me to the target pace but it was a challenge to go through dense groups of fellow runners. This wasn’t so frustrating for me because I have experience but it broke my momentum constantly to keep up with my target paces.
6-10 km, 11-15 km, 16-20 km
I was still occupied by trying to pass through slower runners in front of me. I didn’t take this into account that much prior to the race that I will be in this position for more than an hour given that this is a major world marathon with thousands of participants. Regardless I never let it get into my head and just made sure I gave a polite warning arm beforehand to let them know I will pass through.
The targets were reached at the lower end and I was feeling fine. I made a note to be within the lower and middle points of my ranges to be conservative.
When I reached the 12th kilometer, I increased my metronome app to 182 spm. Honestly it was hard to focus during the entire run! It was loud everywhere around me and I failed to replicate the peaceful mode I was in during my solo long runs. This was the one thing that made me a bit frustrated because there were times where I was only able to follow the cadence or my pace. In this end, that is another lesson I should keep in mind if I want to do large races again.
As for my nutrition, I realised another mistake: they were heavy and added more weight to each step I did. I already felt this before in several long runs but due to my stubbornness to refuse wearing a running vest, I never rechecked this issue.
I also saw my beautiful friends in a path under the bridges in Schöneberg and they were able to give me two new flasks in exchange of two of my already used ones. Their loud excitement in seeing me help me push through and give me another layer of confidence. I was a surreal moment to see people you know in the crowd and I will cherish that moment forever. I hope I can do this to another runner friend
21-25 km
At the halfway mark, I was unfortunately succumbing to the heat from the first ten kilometers. I was starting to accept it around this time because I observed that I am no longer within that same focus as I did during my long runs. Usually I should be indifferent or still excited to do another ten or more but I was dreading the next half-marathon by this time. It bothered me but I continued on.
When I reached the 23rd or 24th kilometer, I was already slowing down and losing motivation for the remainder of the marathon. My shoes were still comfortable and reliable but my mental strength took a hit. I am now realising that I was in disbelief around this block that what conditions I trained in are not the same today. I trained in cooler summer mornings before temperatures reached 20°C and this missed detail cost me the race.
26-30 km, 31-35 km
I made a final decision to give up on following the pace targets I set by the 28th kilometer. It was super hot, my gels weren’t doing anything to improve my condition and my body was starting to break down as well.
For the first time in my life, I swallowed my pride and did a walk-run strategy in an official race. I promised myself to never stop but to make sure I cross the finish line with everything that I can do at that moment.
I remember looking at my watch at around the 32nd kilometer and it was around 3:10:00. I also saw my friends again in this mark and I told them that I don’t want to do it anymore. Of course it was a joke but I was already over it. I thought I can still do a sub-four hours if I just push more. I want to thank my past self for not listening because there were moments when I felt my vision blur and I believe that if I decided to run faster than 6:00/km, I would probably pass out in a few kilometers.
I also noted that my right hamstrings started cramping whenever I tried to go faster specifically during short moments of excitement from the crowds. I put electrolytes in my homemade gels but I think they’re either not enough or I wasn’t consuming enough. All of these will be remembered within the umbrella of summer long runs next year!
Finally I started to give myself grace by allowing myself to walk and go slower in every water station. Once I see the signs or groups of runners crowding to the sides, I will stop my slow run and just walk to grab the first two cups to pour on my head and body. I also started drinking some because my throat was already irritated with the sweetness and thickness of my gels. I proceeded to walk the length of these tables and run after I felt comfortable or motivated enough. It was really tough out there.
35-40 km
By this block I was just counting how many more kilometers until I can end this suffering I was in. I can no longer speed up my runs and I was also struggling to even run due to both my physical and mental capacity at that moment. The refreshments were no longer working unfortunately. I even opened one of my gummy bear packs; the chewing was a good distraction but not enough to help me break the walk-run strategy. I have accepted that I just have to keep pushing up to the finish line.
Finish
For some reason, I was able to break for the walk-run cycle I was in when I knew I was in Unter den Linden. My pride took over because I know there will be a lot of cameras flashing up to the finish line and I didn’t want to be seen walking. It’s a ridiculous excuse but it was effective! Though I wish I was sprinting with all my heart though my right hamstring was slightly letting itself known. I was careful in each running step to not fall down and embarrass myself in front of a lot of people.
After I passed the Brandenburg Gate, I felt another wave of relief together with hearing my friends’ screams and seeing their excited faces. Thank you so much Jhun, Gali and Sandy for lending your Sunday to follow me around Berlin, go through crowds of people through the heat and bringing my extra nutrition and to cheer me on. I will never forget this day because of you all.
For the first time after 16 kilometers, my body just carried me to the blue carpet, through the thickening group of crowds and finally under the finish line arch. After 18 weeks of hard work, I finished my first marathon with the time of 04:17:00. I still can’t believe that it was an exact measurement to the seconds.
Post-race
After I crossed the finish line, I usually expect the medals to be given near it so I can take my signature medal photo but this time, it was around 200 or 300 meters away. I believe that this was a good decision to prevent bottlenecks of finishers stopping a bit near the arch.
The walk from the finish line to the runners’ village was not easy. My legs felt their most tired in my life! I never felt that combination of immediate fatigue and soreness immediately after a run before. It wasn’t too shocking as I already anticipated the first 24 or 48 hours to not be comfortable but nothing can ever prepare me for feeling it the first time.
In my previous races, after taking pictures of myself with the medal, I would immediately go through the sponsored refreshments but today I wasn’t in the mood. I wasn’t even hungry. My mission was to get my bag, take a shower and go home so I can rest for the day.
I had to spend around 10 minutes sitting down after claiming my bag and to charge my phone because it was already dying. I had some leftover water with electrolytes from the before the race that I finished to help give my body some form of nutrition as well.
The next 30 minutes was spent looking for the men’s shower area, taking a hard-earned shower and changing into my comfortable shirt, shorts, light jacket and Asics Superblast 2s.
I am lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with the results of my first marathon after doing the best running training I’ve ever done in my life for the past three months. I was on track for at least an easy sub-four hours but the Mother Nature had another idea.
I want to thank all the people in my life who let me know how proud they are of my achievement for this first marathon and that helped a lot. Honestly, as I’ve mentioned before, I already accepted everything at the 28th kilometer and I have no regrets aside from all the lessons I have to take into account next time.
Another interesting detail I’ve read in the past 24 hours in Reddit, among all the posts about their disappointments with the race, is that to turn this record into a weather-based personal record. This means 04:17:00 is my current best record for a marathon in 25°C and higher temperatures and I have all the opportunities in the world to crush it next time. This was the one that made me feel better the most truly.
I have finished my first marathon after years of stalling and I can finally say that I’ve done it without quitting!
Lessons learned
All races reveal new things that I can improve on as a runner from the executions of my training up to the race day itself. The following are a combination of newbie mistakes that could have been addressed before but skipped on and other items that never occurred to me ever. I am thankful to have all these information to address in my next marathon training plan.
Heat training and preparedness
I did almost all of my runs this year starting at around 6:00 in the morning especially when it got warmer. Last winter it was around 7:00 or 8:00 due to my body clock’s response to when the sun rises. It was the most ideal to me because I will finish before 8:00 or 9:00 the latest and this gives me time to eat breakfast and clean up before going to work.
I have to admit that I was consciously avoiding the heat especially during all of my long runs in the weekends. For those that go way over 16 km, I will usually be done by 10:00 and will spend my cool down walking home.
Essentially I never did any heat training for the summer of 2025 and I shouldn’t have been too comfortable with the unpredictable temperatures of the latter half of September in Berlin.
Moving forward, next year, I should at least do all of my weekend runs at 9:00 or later. This will force me to run with the sun at its highest and I have all the time in the world to observe and learn about my body’s response to multiple variables. I think that 11:00 or later will be too much but I can first assess my adaptation to 9:00 first and I can decide if later is feasible.
Race time of day
Related to the previous entry, races here in Berlin tend to start at 9:00 or later. This is totally different from my training schedule at 6:00. I always preferred to run immediately after waking up because I feel my best at that time which has been consistent ever since I started running.
Unfortunately no matter how comfortable and convenient my schedule, it is also limiting me during races because I lose focus and feel frustrated a bit during official races that start later. I already observed this earlier in Die Generalprobe where I felt a bit impatient and wish the gun started at 7:00 instead so I was still “fresh” from a night’s sleep.
I believe that my potential solution of starting weekend runs at 9:00 in the previous answer will cover this problem. I have to force myself to feel uncomfortable with the later time to run and eventually the time of races will no longer be inconvenient and foreign to both my body and mind.
Nutrition packaging
This was a marathon which meant I needed more nutrition to carry. I didn’t want to rely on the personal bottle service (which is currently only offered in Berlin) and the refreshments every five kilometers. I also didn’t want to put on a vest or a belt too because I wanted to wear less items during long runs and races.
I know that several gels in smaller packets that can be purchased might be lighter compared to my one liter of baggages but the accumulated cheaper price of the latter can’t be beaten.
As of this time, I am considering a vest and I saw a particularly light, thin and looks to be of quality build during the race. Unfortunately I failed to remember its brand but I still know how it looks like with the thin black mesh and almost a crop top-like fit on the runner.
The vest will definitely need a lot of practice during my long runs because it can potentially affect my posture but I know I will be able to adapt in case I decide to stay with it. The belt is a no-no for me because from previous experience, I don’t like the sensation of moving dangling things on my waist while running that doesn’t happen on my half-tights because they’re more secured to the legs.
Nutrition contents
I had a hard time replicating the energy and comfort my gels gave me from my practice during the actual race. I believe that it was caused by my poor variety of ingredients: only 350 g of my 2.5 kg of maltodextrin was left and I ran out of fructose powder so I substituted pure white sugar for the last batch I made for the race. This is another mistake of mine that could’ve been prevented if I bought enough ingredients before the taper weeks.
The possibility of using store-bought and trusted gels is still a reliable option but the money saved from cooking my own is unbeatable. I just have to make sure I have enough before races because the batches I made before were able to energize me multiple times consistently! The maltodextrin, fructose and dextrose powders should be constant in my kitchen moving forward especially next summer. I need to write down the actual ratios of gel batches that work and never change it up after. That inconsistency in my recipes from different sources was also not a good practice.
Finally I need to explore more ways to add varied flavour to my gels because maple syrup is not cutting it. I have to find healthy lemon, orange and maybe chocolate flavourings so that I am not used to one and it will help distract me during long runs.
Focus during races
This one was a revelation during the marathon. All of my long runs were done in quiet mornings with occasional runners and bikers passing by. I also learned to appreciate the sound of my metronome app to guide my cadence and nothing else. Those two perfectly worked together in helping me get accustomed to long runs beyond two hours. This was one of my favourite workouts to do in the plan.
However those conditions were starkly different from the chaotic, crowded and over-stimulating atmosphere of races. As a person who strongly prefers the opposite, I learned the hard way during the race about a new limitation that I have. I still have to take a moment on how to deal with this in the future - to attend more races, to accept it and learn to appreciate the culture or to move away from large events and to participate in smaller races with less people. I have no answer right now but I have to take note of this interesting observation I have.