News Archive

On Saturday, (September 27, 2003,) 9,612 inline skaters started off an

unbelievable sporting weekend in the German capital. The signs of the times

were recognised, and the organisational crew around Horst and Mark Milde made

an independent MARATHON race come true for the inline skaters within the

framework of the 30th real,- BERLIN MARATHON. Optimal conditions greeted not

only the 150 best skaters in the world, but also accompanied the record number

of almost 10,000 skaters on their sightseeing tour through Berlin. With the new

course changes, they also enjoyed the start and finish at the Brandenburg Gate.

In addition to the obligatory highlights “Wilder Eber“, Potsdamer

Platz, and An der Urania, this year also included

Ernst–Reuter–Platz, the government district, the

Friedrichstadtpalast, the Gendarmenmarkt, the foreign ministry, the Rote

Rathaus, the Lustgarten and the final stretch down the grand boulevard Unter

den Linden.

One look at the starting line-up promised that there could be a fast time.

It again included the whole palate of international team skaters, as well as

the top of the German speed skating scene.

At 4 p.m. sharp, the huge field of inline skaters was sent off by the

Secretary of Sport, Thomas Härtel. The teams attacked from the start,

which by the halfway mark showed that the final time was going to be fast. At 5

p.m., about 80 skaters stormed past the State Opera (Staatsoper) and the

Humboldt University towards the Brandenburg Gate. At the end, the

Saab–Salomon–Team International was best at launching their man and

last years champion, Juan Carlos Betancur, who won at Pariser Platz ahead of

his teammate Massimilliano Presti and Diego Rosero (Hyper). The winning time

was 1:02:03, which clearly shows that the hour limit once again fell victim to

the various team tactics. The best German skater was again Christoph

Zschätzsch from Gross Gera (Team Fila International) in 16th place. Also

from Gera, Nico Widuwilt (Team Rollerblade Germany) and Toni Deubner (Team Fila

Germany) were able to hold their own against the international elite, which was

impressively demonstrated with their 17th and 25th place finishes.

In the womens race, the US–American, Julie Glass, ( Powerslide Team)

had the fastest legs at the end and won with a time of 1:11:28h. The best

German women on this day were the Neuling sisters, Michaela (Team Rollerblade

Germany) in 15th and Franziska (Team Fila Germany) in 16th place. While in

previous years there were only a few spectators out so early on the MARATHON

course to watch the inline skaters, this time about 200,000 enthusiastic

Berliners and their guests lined the streets and gave this dynamic sport its

deserving support. Once again the organisation around Horst Milde has proven

that they are determined to satisfy the interests of the ever-growing number of

speed skaters. One can only hope that the other cities like Hamburg, Cologne,

or Frankfurt will follow this example and also give the skaters their own

platform.

And even if some of the representatives from the media, the government, and

the economy do not seem to recognise the potential that this sport has, tens of

thousands of wheels will be certain to heat up the Berlin asphalt again next

year on September 25, at the 31st real,- BERLIN MARATHON. THANK YOU HORST AND

MARK ! Mike Saft