Personal best at the Berlin Marathon

Yesterday, I ran the Berlin Marathon — not as an event host, but this time as a runner in the middle of the pack. A personal best, encouraged by an enthusiastic crowd and perfect running weather, made this day unforgettable for me.

How it came about

Yesterday’s marathon was the third marathon of my life. I ran my first one in Vienna in 2001, with a pretty decent time of 4:13 h. At the time, I had actually concluded an important item on my bucket list. Run a marathon once in my life: check!

But about 15 years later, the thoughts came back: “New York Marathon, that would be it!” In 2018, I actually got a starting place. But due to a botched preparation full of injuries, I struggled to the finish line, in over six hours. That couldn’t be the end of my marathon story.

Only gradually did the idea of giving it another go take shape. The final trigger came at the end of 2023, when I ran the Vienna Night Run over 5 km in under 25 minutes. That showed me I still had something left in me! I set myself the goal of running all the major marathons in the world. New York was done, but London, Berlin, Chicago, Boston, and Tokyo were still missing. For 2024, I set my sights on Berlin.

The preparation

The preparation for Berlin began right after the Vienna Night Run. Together with my personal trainer, the well-known Chat GPT, I developed a training plan that also included three half marathons. Things didn’t always go according to plan, but the half marathons in Vienna (January 2024), Vilnius, Lithuania (May 2024), and Helsinki, Finland (August 2024) were particularly special experiences. My wife accompanied me, and so my training milestones turned into short vacation trips with wonderful memories. Everything was leading up to yesterday.

A moment of happiness at the finish line: a personal record

An enthusiastic and incredibly motivating crowd, a great atmosphere, sunny weather with pleasantly cool air – the conditions were perfect. While I completed the first 32 kilometers with ease, the last five kilometers were particularly tough. My pace slowed, and the thought “Can’t you just ease up now?” crept into my mind. But the answer came immediately: “I’m already here – I can rest when I cross the finish line.”

The moment when I ran through the Brandenburg Gate about 200 meters before the finish line was particularly emotional. I knew then that I had almost made it. When I finally crossed the finish line, a heavy weight was lifted from my shoulders and I couldn’t hold back the tears. The many weeks and months of training, marked by highs and lows, injuries and illnesses, culminated in this one moment. Achieving this goal was something very special.

With a finishing time of 3:46:44 hours, I happily and proudly achieved my personal best and earned my second major star. Now I’m already thinking about which marathon is next for me.

Marathon as a metaphor

A marathon is a project with milestones and long preparation — an excellent metaphor for challenges in the business world. That’s why I also addressed it in my keynote speech “The Marathon Principle: Peak Performance When It Counts.”

What personal marathon—whether athletic or in life—have you already mastered? Feel free to share your experiences with me below!