ONE of my sons ran the Berlin marathon this week, and I was on hand to cheer him on. He finished the 26.2 mile course (42.195 km) in 3 hours, 7 minutes and 2 seconds -- a very respectable time. Over 56,000 participants started the race; my son finished in the top 8% of all runners.
Why do people run marathons? On its face, the training and the run itself present a daunting challenge. Long-term damage is possible to one’s legs and feet. The nutritional conditioning is intimidating.
People say they run marathons for the physical benefits: improved cardiovascular strength, better sleep, a healthier lifestyle. But the true reason seems to be mental: control, discipline, self-esteem and an enhanced sense of accomplishment.
Marathon running commemorates the purported run of the Greek messenger Pheidippides in 490 B.C. who raced from the Marathon battlefield to Athens to report on a victory over the Persians. According to legend, Pheidippides ran over 25 miles and then shouted, “Nike!” – Victory! -- before dying from exhaustion. It seems an odd accomplishment to celebrate, but thousands of people around the globe do so every year. There are eight major marathon races across the world: Tokyo, Boston, London, Cape Town, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
I plan to attend two more marathons this fall. My Berlin runner will enter his third New York City marathon, and my other son will participate in the Chicago marathon. I hope they find their efforts worthwhile and do not suffer the fate of Pheidippides.
The Berlin trip was my first visit to that city. I was familiar with the history of the Berlin Wall, erected after World War II, but I was unprepared for the stark reality of the city’s division. It appeared as if someone took a knife to Berlin and erected a wall where the knife cut through. It is not a natural division. Entire tracts of property were divided. The city has been reunified, and most of the wall has been taken down. East is now indistinguishable from West, except for pieces of the wall left intentionally as markers kept in place to remind all of Berlin’s divided past.
In most respects, Berlin is now a thriving modern city with a clean subway system, bustling restaurants and full shops. A tour on a riverboat is a good way to get a feel for how the place is laid out. One noticeable distinction is that many of the buildings were reconstructed after they were bombed during the War. While a good many old buildings have been restored, they stand alongside newer structures, quickly and starkly erected.
