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The course of the MARATHON is ok – it is exactly correct!

Thanks go out to the course surveyor, Siegfried Menzel

2003-07-05

There was good news on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. for the organising team of SCC-RUNNING. The course of the 30th real,- BERLIN-MARATHON has been measured, and it is correct, almost to the metre: 42,195 km.

With the assistance of the police, they met on the boulevard, Straße des 17. Juni, Sunday morning at 6 a.m. in order to measure the course. After 4 hours of work, the “doctoral thesis“ of the AIMS course surveyor, Siegfried Menzel, was finished:

The starting point is lantern 665 on the Strasse des 17. Juni, between Entlastungsstraße and the Victory Column (Siegessäule).

The finish: The left chain (extension) of the right tank “300“ of the Soviet forces at the Soviet Memorial on the Strasse des 17. Juni, near the sculpture “The Cryer“ which is on the middle strip of the Straße des 17. Juni; the target had been the cannon of the right tank “300“! It could hardly have been more accurate. Siegfried Menzel and John Kunkeler have accomplished the impossible. The surveying event could be admired on Monday evening on Sportpalast, the sports show on the RBB TV station.

Thus the course is set, although small adjustments may still be made by the official re-surveying by AIMS/IAAF surveyors and the general secretary, Hugh Jones (London), on September 21, 2003.

The finish of this years anniversary marathon is almost identical to the starting line of the BERLIN-MARATHON in 1988 and 1989, when the race only led through West Berlin, and the Wall still ran in front of the Brandenburg Gate.

Our thanks go to the Berlin police and their officers, who were there with two vehicles to assure the safety of the surveying team even as they were measuring in opposing traffic, to Siegfried Menzel and John Kunkeler for the surveying, to Frank Tschugg and Mirko for driving the team, to Wolfgang Weising and the representatives of the company that painted the blue line of the course, and Siegfrieds colleagues for their help and support. If you would like to, you can now test out the course -- but on the sidewalks, please!

Mark Milde