Dennis Barker's Berlin Memories

Team USA and Augsburg College coach Dennis Barker gives his impressions of Berlin and the IAAF World Championships.

Dennis Barker: The city of Berlin did an amazing job of promoting and executing the World Championships. Beginning at the airport to the buses, subways and boulevards there were posters welcoming the athletes and spectators and advertising the events. The Berliners were very excited about hosting the world championships!

The area around the Brandenburg Gate was closed to traffic the entire week and was the center of activity away from the stadium. A local television station broadcast their show here, interviewing many of the top athletes while a large crowd looked on. There was an area for kids to try track & field events in miniature (pole vault, javelin, discus, 30 meter sprint).

Of course, there was a beer garden along with wurst and schnitzel to eat. There was an adjacent art museum that had a impressive display of athletic photos. The race walks and marathons started and finished in this area. During these events the spectators were thick along the entire route (yes, even for the race walks), as well as loud in their support of the athletes. It was easy to know when a German athlete was coming as a roar followed them the entire way around the course.

Berlin is very easy to navigate. Biking is easy and there are a lot of people who do it. The biking and running paths are all over the city and there are many places that rent bikes. We rented bikes and easily got around to most of the city's historic sites.

The subway goes right to the Olympic Stadium, which is an impressive mix of the old 1936 stadium and the refurbished track and roof. Event tickets were expensive but the Germans came out in force night after night and brought a lot of enthusiam along with noise makers.

Of course, Usain Bolt was a huge draw but I really enjoyed the performances by the U.S. distance runners, who performed very well in most events.
Photo Courtesy of Augusburg College