Saturday: This year we tried the concept, Gladpack. All the participants in the pack should start and finish with the same time. We didn’t decide what time. We should start and finish all at a line next to each other (spontaneously, we did the same trick at the ½ marathon) . Everybody was rolling together as one group, helping each other – “GAP!!! – CONTACT!!!. We ended up being 9 participants and we all started in group “F”.
While waiting for the start, it started to pour down!!! The start was postponed 10 minutes.
The streets was VERY slippery. We managed to finish as planned and even picked up some other MCS members on the way. Personally, I enjoyed the race,even if the weather conditions was bad and I had promised myself never roll to this race when wet roads! It was a great Gladpack that did very well and thanks to everybody to make it great!
Saturday dinner at Glashaus. After skate party at Kosmos.
Thursday The trip to Berlin Inline Marathon 2015 started from Malmö at 15.30, Thursday 24 September, with Patrik as driver and Lotta, Stefan, Gisle and myself as passengers. The time of departure involved rush hour on the southern motorway to Gedser. Patrik did a very good job and manage to get “in time” to the ferry. It was probably the tightest timing I’ve tried – 4 minutes before departure at the ticket office. Should mention that Patrik found a Super Duper deal on this specific departure, SEK 130!!, total price, one way for the car and passengers.
We arrived at the Acama hostel, Kreuzberg Berlin, at 22:00. Checked in and went out to an Ethiopian bar/restaurant in the neighbourhood where some tried Banana beer and palm beer served in a calebasse bowl. Finished the evening with a late night photo walk with Stefan to the Sience museum.
Friday Some of us went “breakfast hunting”. After that Stefan found a green spot on the gps and it turned out to be a nice park called Victoria park. After a photo stroll it was time to head for Tempelhof Airport to pick up start number, chip and check out the different gear.
Lunch at a nice Italian restaurant on Bergman strasse. Photo walkabout to the hostel with Robert where we passed a super cool shoemaker, totally retro, where it already was after work drinks 🙂
The afternoon was spent with a approx 20 km photo roll about with Stefan. Rollerskates is a great way to go around Berlin. Lot’s of really good bike pathways. Also some that’s not so good 😉 .
For Friday evening dinner, Ceci recommended a Singaporian restaurant, Mirchi, that was really good. Got a doggy bag with the fantastic lamb in coconut I couldn’t finish. Left in the reception at the hostel. Perfect for breakfast 😀
Saturday The staff couldn’t find the doggy bag and I didn’t get that fantastic lamb dish for breakfast, øv 🙁
Preparing the gear for the Marathon. Lunch at the traditional Italian “around the corner”. Some of us rolled to the Marathon start.
The race this year was a total good feeling and fun trip all the way. No sore back or anything. Finished on 1.40. Impressed by Torkel who joined the pack all the way after just practice inlines 4 x 10 km before!! (bonus info: he’s been practice a lot of ice skating…)
Some of us rolled back to the hostel, with a beautiful “pre sunset”. Feeling “natural high”…
The after skate dinner was at the same place as last year, at the steak and burger restaurant The Bird, X-berg. Unfortunately the fuse for the ventilation went and we had to wait quite some time for the food in a very smokey restaurant. The staff was friendly and brought starters and shots as an excuse for keeping us waiting…
Finished the night with After Skate Disco at Kosmos. Returning back to the hostel we all decided to take the U-bahn. It was a “interesting” trip but probably not the best decision, time wise, compared to a taxi 😉
Sunday Returning home…
Thanks Malmö City Skaters and everybody else for a great weekend 😀
Thursday morning 25 September four people, Johanna, Sofie, Peter and me, from Malmö City Skaters drove from Malmö to Berlin. Arrived at the outskirts of Berlin at approx 16.00 and spent an hour or so in the rush hour traffic before we reached Tempelhof Airport where we should pick up our start number and check out some of the roller skate gear. Compared to last year when we visited the fair on Friday the number of people was very limited at this time. We had late dinner at Steakhouse Asador, Wilhelmstrasse 22, where we had our After Marathon Dinner last year.
Friday was foggy and misty. Met up with some of the other Malmö City Skaters and spent the day on sight seeing. Sea food lunch at KaDeWe . Dinner at an Italian restaurant.
Saturday, roll day, the weather was turning out much better then the previous days with blue sky and sun:-D. The morning was spent walking along the river to Berlin Science Museum.
13.30 we met in the reception area for a group photo with Rolling Vikings. Coach Gisle and I skated with Malmö City Skates flags from the hotel to the start. Unfortunately the flags was not allowed into the starting area due to security reasons. Gisle hid the poles in the bushes and I took the flags to the start area for the group photo that was taken in front of the Reichtag.
Together with 5.600 skaters we were waiting to get rollin’. We started out with a pack of 7 and an average speed around 26-28 km/h. We shrinked to 4. Gabriella and I switched to draw (got some help from Jesper). A few times we heard Gabriella’s husband shout from the back: “GABRIELLA!!, slower, please!!” 😀
The pack started out with a goal at 1.58. I passed finished at 1.49!! Totally happy!! Thanks for great company pack members!! Fantastic feeling rolling the last couple of hundred meters Unter den Linden to the finish line 😀
After skate dinner with 20 members of Malmö City Skaters at hamburger/steak restaurant The Bird in Kreutzburg. Very cool place with great food. Personally I was totally flying from the result, atmosphere and company.
Some of us finished of at the official after skate party at Columbiahalle…
Checked out the Berlin Running Marathon from Gendarmenmarkt Square where Sofie, Johanna, Peter, Gisle and I had some lunch before returning home…
