What to Bring to the Start Line of the Berlin Marathon

The Berlin Marathon is a signature race in Europe and one of the World Marathon Majors – for a reason! It is well organized, fast, and kicks off the important cultural tradition of Oktoberfest every year. It was my first international marathon and I do my best to be prepared at the start line before traversing 26.2 miles.

First things first – choosing Poncho or Gear Check

Before race day you must provide Berlin Marathon with your option for gear check or poncho. I opted for the poncho and I regretted it. It isn’t like NYC Marathon where they actively discourage gear check and their poncho is really more like a blanket with a hood. This was a plastic sheet, very similar to what gear check athletes received. I’d rather have checked my gear at the start line than have the upgraded poncho. It was not a keepsake and didn’t even make it to Munich with me for the post-race vacation. Gear check was very easy at the Berlin Marathon and makes it easier to bring a few extra items to the start line.

Know What You Cannot Bring

Even though I did not opt for gear check, I brought all my personal belongings in the provided clear bag so that I could easily dispose of it if necessary at the secure area. I was under the impression that I couldn’t bring any bag into the secured runners village, but it appeared that many folks were walking around with non-gear check friendly bags just fine. To be on the safe side, only bring your plastic race bag. The items you cannot bring are typical of big events and include:

Weapons of any kind
Gas spray cans, corrosive, flammable substances
Bottles, cups, jugs, cans or other items that are made of glass or other fragile material. – This item could catch some runners if you’re trying to bring liquids to the start line
Bulky items such as ladders, stools, (folding) chairs, boxes. Flag or banner poles – Think twice before bringing a chair or selfie stick
Mechanically operated sound-emitting devices such as Megaphones – Be kind and just bring your headphones. Nobody wants to hear your music.
Laser pointer
Larger quantities of paper and paper rolls – Not sure who does this, but a little bit of toilet paper is advised for porta potties before the race.
Cycles
Animals
Luggage
Bonus: You cannot bring your spectators either. Only runners are allowed past the gate, so your friends and family will need to hunker down elsewhere before the race start.

What I brought to the start line

You have your gear check bag, you’re not trying to bring weapons in, ok let’s talk about what you’re actually going to bring to the start line:

Two Plastic Water Bottles – One with electrolytes and one without. You never really know what amount of water will be available in the runners village and typically large races do not have water stations before the 5k mark because of the route or they assume you’re fully hydrated at the start. I like to sip on water leading up to the start gun.
Trail Mix / Breakfast – If you don’t want to scarf down food in your hotel before heading to the start, bring something shelf stable to snack on at the start. A lot of people bring fruit, protein or breakfast bars, and I usually opt for trail mix. Just plan on something easy to toss out before you start running.
Chapstick – Why is it that before every race I have chapped lips? Psychologically I don’t want to be thinking about my chapped lips for
Phone, Credit Card & ID – Save your start card to your phone notes app and make sure you have a form of payment on you in case something happens where you need it. I also enabled the location tracking for my spouse and family in the off chance service was strong enough for them to see my location at all times. I put my phone on airplane mode up until I started to conserve battery.
Race belt or Arm Band – Whatever you’re accustomed to. The marathon allows hydration vests under a certain size as well.
Garmin or sport watch – Naturally you have to track everything, right? I also have a medical ID on my garmin band in case of emergency.
Airpods / Headphones – If you’re accustomed to running with podcasts or music be sure to download these in advance. Service is typically bad in large crowds and through the skyscrapers. I made that mistake in NYC when I thought I was going to listen to some pump up music starting at Mile 15.
Long sleeve throw away top – I went back and forth on whether I would wear a long sleeve shirt underneath my race day singlet. I was nervous enough to go out and buy one the day before, and I ended up being warm enough at the start that I left it on a fence line to be donated. The temperatures are usually on the cusp of long sleeve vs short sleeve, so know your tendencies and plan ahead.
Mini sunscreen – If you’re out there a long time like me, protect your skin!
Hat & Sunglasses – The sun comes up right at the start and you want to be protected for the second half of the race
Buff & Throw away Mittens – I love my buff in the cooler weather because it is an extra layer of warmth or it serves as a way to wipe my face during the race. I also brought some cheap mittens to toss because cold hands are such a psychological challenge that I needed that as a comfort item.
Toilet Paper – I don’t want any porta potty surprises
Vaseline / Body Glide – Things get weird after 26 miles
Change of Clothes – Only if you opted for gear check, it is nice to change into something dry and clean if you’re going out for a victory beer and burger like we did!
Bonus tip: Trim your toenails the night before the race so you don’t have any surprises after 26 miles that your nails were slightly too long and started cutting into your toes. That was a very unfortunate experience I had before my first marathon!