The first time I was in Berlin—when Angie and I ran the marathon—I saw folks rollerblading on the course and thought, “Well, that looks like a lot of fun. Someday I want to come back and do it.” Well… someday finally came.
So People Still Inline Skate?
If you haven’t rollerbladed since the ’90s, here’s what I can tell you: the boots are still uncomfortable (although they’re better now). I picked up a pair of three-wheeled skates made by K2, featuring a soft boot with plastic straps. Back in the day, you needed four or five wheels—now apparently, three will do the trick.
I wore them exactly two times before race day. Once, I spent about 45 minutes skating around a flat parking lot at night. That was the extent of my training.
There are Other Inline Skating Marathons
According to Olympics.com, the Berlin Marathon introduced the inline skating competition back in 1997. The race quickly became the world’s largest inline marathon, with more than 5,000 professional and leisure skaters taking to the streets of Germany’s capital each year.
Inline skating marathons aren’t exactly common, but there are others. One of them is the NYC Skate Marathon, happening the same day as Berlin (September 28). According to their site:
This event is for everyone. Join the fun, take the challenge, meet skaters from all over the world, try something new or do it again. This event rocks. Quad or inline skates, speed or recreational, all are welcome.
It definitely sounds more beginner-friendly than Berlin. Berlin is not beginner-friendly in my opinion. You’ve got to skate pretty strong to beat the 2-hour 10-minute cutoff. Going in, I had no clue what my finish time would be. So I figured, “I’ll shoot to finish right before the cutoff.” I hadn’t skated since I was, like, 13.
The Expo Experience
The expo was at Tempelhof Airport, a massive Art Deco style complex built between 1936-1941. When I got in line for my race bibs, I learned you get two bibs—one for each thigh—since fast skaters are bent over and you can’t see the number on their shirts. (I don’t skate like that, but hey, rules are rules.)
The Inlineskating Marathon takes place the day before the marathon. Skaters used to cover the same course as the runners but in 2024 (the year I did it) they changed to a circuit. A helpful volunteer explained the new course. You skate a 7K circuit five times, followed by a final 5K stretch to the Brandenburg Gate (on the original course).
Race Day: Wave F
Because of my slow projected finish time I was in Wave F which didn’t start until 1:23 PM. It wasn’t obvious how to get to the starting area but I just followed the crowd. I met a few Americans. One woman said, “I literally just took the tags off these skates.” So at least I wasn’t the most undertrained!
Security wanted to see my wristband from the expo—which, of course, I had torn off (pro tip: never take off a wristband). Thankfully, I had stuffed it in my pocket at the last minute. Helmets are mandatory and you won’t get through the gate without one.
A Rolling Start
We skated over dirt and grass to reach the starting corrals. Loudspeakers blasted music and announcements in both German and English. My wave started, and I had a huge smile on my face. We skated past the famous Siegessäule (Victory Column) and started our first lap. Each lap was 7K and always slings you around the Victory Column. The wind going out was brutal, but coming back? Smooth and fast.
Faster skaters stayed to the left, some teams had 20 skaters in single file lines zipping past. Slower folks like me stayed to the right. There were spectators, live music, and yes—water stops! Volunteers actually ran cups out to you.
And Then… the Cutoff
As I was about to start my fifth and final lap, I checked my watch—1 hour 45 minutes. I thought I was good. But nope.
They diverted us right onto the final 5K stretch. My heart sank. Apparently I hadn’t made the cutoff and was going to finish short. I did enjoy the 5K through East Berlin, past the Berliner Dome, and then… boom— the Brandenburg Gate. I crossed the finish line in 2:06. My watch said 21.95 miles. For some reason they still gave me a medal and said “Great job!”.
I couldn’t understand why they closed the course early. But doing the math later, I got it. My pace was 10.4 mph, and I needed 12.4 mph to make the cutoff. Had I started in Corral C instead of F, I would’ve made it. Starting late means less time to skate.
I also didn’t want to skate aggressively because I the next weekend I needed to run a marathon in Slovakia.
After the finish, we got Berliners (the donuts). Very appropriate. Then I walked back to the hotel—still wearing my medal, still a little puzzled but happy I didn’t wipe out. That night, some MTA listeners encouraged me to go out and skate the missing distance. So I did. Beer in one hand, Ramstein in my ears, I skated my final 4 miles through Berlin. It was the most German thing I’ve ever done. Still a poser. Still stoked.
Final Thoughts
So what’s my takeaway? Berlin Inline Marathon is super fun. I’m glad I did it. It’s not beginner-friendly so be ye warned. This event is for fitness or speed skaters. Leisure skaters might struggle with the cutoff.
It feels like the sport needs a boost. The volunteer at the expo told me the course change is due to lower participation. If Berlin, the world’s biggest inline event, had a more generous cutoff, more people might join the fun.
And yeah I totally plan to do it again.
