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The 25x40 metre big banner, labeled with "UNITED WE RUN" had been
unfolded over the heads of the runners of the 28th real,- BERLIN-MARATHON -
last sunday on Nov 4th at the New York City Marathon the banner was also
present - carried by more than 50 race directors from all over the world to the
starting area of the marathon.
Because of the strong winds at the Verrazano Narrows-Bridge New Yorks race
director Allan Steinfeld decided that the banner could not be carried by the
runners on the bridge. The international race directors helped to put the
banner, sponsored by Germanys BEWAG, on the ground next to the runners, so that
it could also be filmed by helicopters for the TV coverage.
Vic Navarra, Start Coordinator of the Marathon and a fire fighter from New
York, who lost 10 colleagues of his brigade prepared this event.
Ascending white doves, the surrounding music and the whole atmosphere were
heart rending and made most of the participants cry.
The real,- BERLIN-MARATHON Team had been at the marathon expo in the huge
Jacob Javits Convention Center with its own booth and advertised for the 29th
real,- BERLIN-MARATHONon September 29th, 2002.
Many of the visitors at the Berlin booth thanked the team around Horst Milde
for being in New York at this time and for the support that the Germans
showed.
On Saturday before the breakfast run, the Berlin Team handed over a cheque
about DM 65,000 (around $30.000) to two officials of the NYFD. The money had
been donated by the participants of the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON for the
survivors of the terrorist attacks and the relatives of the fire fighters and
police officers that had died in the World Trade Center attack.