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Countdown: Day 34 - the most pleasant stage of the marathon - the massage

2012-08-27

The massage at the finish area
© Camera 4

For any athlete, it's the best thing to get a nice massage after such an effort. At the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, this service is provided by a total number of around 370 students (including 70 in Saturday's Inline Marathon) from various sports- and physical therapy schools in Berlin. The students are all in training to different medical professions and can gain practical experience at the BMW BERLIN MARATHON. Should the schools cannot provide enough masseurs due to examinations, vacation or illness, we try to increase the number of massage therapists from other sources and contacts.

The contact with the schools has been developed for many years and has grown from history and nowadays the support of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is almost a tradition for them.

Ahead of the race we contact the schools by E-mail and/or telephone and ask how many students can help. They already know in advance the number of necessary masseurs. On race day, the massage therapists that are used in the finish area will receive personal briefings  and are coordinated on site. The masseurs on the course are contacted and briefed by telephone by the head of department.

Anyone who has been at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, either as a spectator in the finish area or as a participant, has surely seen the numerous massage chairs and masseurs between the Brandenburg Gate and the House of Cultures. 200 masseurs plus 1-2 teachers per school group are working in this area. These are also supported by 20 volunteers who help with the logistical tasks such as the removal of massage products, the foils and other equipment. Another 100 masseurs are in use on Sunday at three points along the course.

Based on the experiences and needs in recent years, schools are allocated to four legs on the course. This allocation will be communicated to schools, so they know with how many students they have to be at which km mark of the race.
Like all the other volunteers also, the previously mentioned 20 volunteers have already registered online in the Volunteer database.

The 300 massage chairs have to be transported to their destination and set up as well as dismantled after the event. Furthermore, a total of about 850 bottles of massage oil and 3,400 foils, which are used to protect the massage chairs against contamination, have to be transported to the massage spots. So all in all, it is a significant logistical effort.