I wanted to go somewhere a little different for my birthday weekend, so to celebrate turning 40 I decided upon a trip to Berlin in Germany.
This also meant, much to the bemusement of my wife I could do my first international Parkrun with a bit of Parkrun tourism.
Finding Hasenheide Park
I was staying in the West side of Berlin and to make things easier I took a Uber ride from my hotel to Hasenheide Park.
This drive took around 15 to 20 minutes, so it is worth checking how far away the park is from where you are staying. Berlin is a big city and the Parkrun is on the outskirts of of the city.
Once you are at the park, it is a few minutes walk by following the paths to the centre to find the Café Hasenschänke, where the start and finish is.
If you type Café Hasenschänke into your map app on your phone it will lead you in the right direction, but I asked a few locals who were walking there dogs to check I was going to the right place.
You will know if your on the right track, you cant miss the big concrete building with graffiti on it. Your also start to see the usual Parkrun signs.
Course
The course is one and half laps and predominantly a flat course with a huge sting in the tail!
It is mostly tarmac and gravel paths, which whilst there were small puddles to avoid because of the recent rain, they were great surfaces to run on.
However, during the briefing they tell you about a smaller lap you have to complete after the 1st big lap, which includes a hill you have to run up and then come down the other side.
As you go past this section on your 1st lap, you will see the hill and it doesn't look to bad! Don't be fooled by its appearance, as towards the top it suddenly increases in angle (20% gradient according to my Strava), making it feel like your going up the travelator in the TV programme Gladiators!
What goes up, must come down and it is however, a really nice down hill section returning you to complete the remainder of the big lap back to the start/finish area.
The hill did inflame my achilles a little, so I slowed down after the hill and just enjoyed the experience.
You can see my Strava activity HERE to see elevations and the course in detail.
Toilets
I didn't need to go but I don't think there are toilets near by.
Coffee
I did not stay for coffee as we were booked on a free walking tour in Berlin (which I would highly recommend doing) and needed to get back, but I believe the team go to Café Blume at Hasenheide, on the corner of Fontanestrasse and Karlsgartenstrasse.
Cost
The cost of Parkrun is FREE. You just need to register and take your barcode to register your time.
Results
You can find the latest results for Hasenheide Parkrun HERE
Would I Do It Again?
Yes definitely, it is a great course and the locals are really friendly.
Things To Bear In Mind
- The cost of the Uber taxi's from Berlin city centre to Hasenheide Park were around €20 each way.
- Flights to Berlin are quite cheap if you book in advance.
- I found the Food and drink in Berlin to be quite expensive in comparison to the UK and other European cities like Valencia.
- It is not a particularly busy Parkrun by UK comparisons with only roughly 100 to 150 runners each week
- A large chunk of runners are tourists ticking off another Parkrun, the briefing is in German, but they go through the course map for first timers in English.
- Whilst you meet at the cafe, I am pretty sure this is no longer open and you can't to my knowledge get a drink or find a toilet in the park.
Kit
I wore the following race day kit:
Top: 100 Parkrun t-shirt
Tights: Soar Running Fast Cargo Tights
Compression Socks: CEP Compression Socks
Trainers: Nike Alphafly 1
Watch: Coros Pace 2
Headphones: Aftershokz Aeropex Headphones
Questions
If you have any questions you would like to ask about the Hasenheide Parkrun in Berlin, please ask below in the comments.
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