Last August, I participated in the Ermstal Half Marathon in Metzingen, Germany. I found it brutal and yet I want to participate in it again. Here is why.

At the registration

Even though it was expensive, the registration was well worth it. They included race support, a medal certificate, a T-shirt and some small goodies. They were giving away last year’s T-shirts for free. Talk about value for money.

Getting there

Reaching Metzingen was not a cakewalk. It’s a 1-hour train journey from my place in Bietigheim. To be able to start the run at 9 a.m., I had to wake up quite early and take the train to this distant city. After a 1.5-hour journey by train and on foot, I was at the starting line. The crowd at this spot was a drizzle of people compared to most races in India.

The peloton

I did not know anybody at the marathon. This made the start of the run a bit boring. But I saw light at the end of the tunnel when I subconsciously started following a couple of runners who were running at a similar pace. They became my pacers. In the Tour de France, a cluster of bikes is known to form a peloton. I was considering these couple of gentlemen as my little peloton.

The stadium

There was a stadium halfway into the run. The pink soft, athletic track made the run joyful. For the first time, I made conversation with some people at the water station. As I thanked them, I felt a surge of energy generate inside of me. After that, I used gratefulness to recharge myself as often as I could. I must’ve said hundreds of thanks to the crowd and the volunteers all along the route.

The heat

My half marathon had begun at 34° and somewhere along the road, it managed to touch 38° as well. The run reminded me of my Chennai roots. Every run in the scorching heat of Chennai had prepared me for this day. I have to say that I was surprised by the arrangements. There were water spray spots and ice sponges all along the route. These kept me well hydrated.

The cheering

My favourite part about running events in Germany is the cheering crowd. When I compare it to the events in India, the crowd here is very generous. Unlike in India where the crowd is found, mostly at the beginning and the end, you find local crowds all along the road at the German events. The cheers are very contagious. The cherry on the top was the two kids whom I met at a distance of about 15 km into the race. They paced me for the next 2 km and ran up to an upcoming water station with me. This made for an unforgettable experience.

The timing

Given the temperature on the day, I am very proud of the time I made it in. It was one of my fastest half marathons of about 2 hrs 40 min, despite the unfamiliar roads, steep downhills and above all, the 38° heat.

The finish

One thing that gave me energy during the run much more than the water, fruits, or electrolytes was the hope to see my husband, Shreyas, at the finish line. I was ecstatic at the first sight of him. My body was telling me that I was completely drained, but my heart was back in full form. I screamed as I laid my eyes on Shreyas. My jog turned into a sprint. The crowd at the finish line of the race were well entertained by it.

Post run shopping

As for Shreyas, he was there to cheer me at the finish as always. He was happy to find me finish injury-free. I collected my finisher medal and we went on to do some shopping in this outlet city of Metzingen. As much as I was tired, I was also eager to see what the town had to offer. We ended up just window shopping but we knew we were not returning empty-handed.