IF YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING US IN THE PAST, YOU PROBABLY KNOW WE LIKE SWITCHING THINGS UP, EXPLORING BOUNDARIES, PUSHING LIMITS. IN THAT TRADITION WE DECIDED TO GIVE THE BERLIN-MARATHON WEEKEND A MAKEOVER AND LITERALLY TUNE THINGS UP THIS TIME AROUND. SO THIS YEAR’S MAXIM STOOD UNDER THE CREDO OF DAYS OF THUNDER – AN ODE TO THE ICONIC 90S FLICK FEATURING TOM CRUISE AND NICOLE KIDMAN.
OVER THE COURSE OF THREE DAYS WE HAVE HOSTED A SERIES OF EVENTS AROUND RUNNING AND THE CULTURE OF RACING. THE MAIN FOCUS THIS TIME DID NOT LIE ONLY ON THE MARATHON ITSELF BUT ON THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW RUNNING INITIATIVE CALLED ‘HOOD LAPS‘.
AS LONG DISTANCE RUNNING IS SOMEWHAT FOR THE MORE EXPERIENCED, WE DECIDED TO FOCUS ON THE YOUNG GENERATION WITH A SPEEDY RELAY RACE IN THE HEART OF KREUZBERG.
BUT BACK TO THE BEGINNING. ON FRIDAY NIGHT, WE INVITED BOTH OUR LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL HOMIES FROM THE BRIDGE THE GAP COMMUNITY TO JOIN US IN OUR HQ’S FOR THE OPENING NIGHT OF DAYS OF THUNDER.
THIS TIME AROUND, WE EXCLUSIVELY DROPPED A NEW SET OF RACE SHIRTS ACCOMPANIED BY THE MATCHING INTERIOR IN OUR CLUBHOUSE OF LOVE. OUR RUNNING TEAM CAPTAIN AND VERY TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER PIM RINKES DEBUTED HIS VERY FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION CALLED ‘ONGOING MOTION’. HE SHOWCASED A SELECTION OF WORKS CIRCULATING AROUND URBAN RUNNING WHILE DREEA AND HAIZEL SET THE TONE MUSICALLY.
AS IF THAT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ENOUGH EXCITEMENT ALREADY, WE HAD THE HONOR OF WELCOMING ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRING FIGURES IN RUNNING, PAULA RADCLIFFE, FOR A PANEL DISCUSSION HOSTED BY OUR VERY OWN JOEY ELGERSMA AND TRACK MAFIA’S BITBEEFY AKA CORY WHARTON–MALCOLM.
AND FOR THE SAKE OF FEEDING OUR TUMMIES WE INVITED THE HOMIE BRANDON OF BARB’S SOUL FOOD FOR SOME GOOD OLD SOUTHERN CUISINE.
ON SATURDAY WE MET UP AGAIN TO CELEBRATE OUR TRADITIONAL SOCIAL RUN, WHERE WE TOOK ALL BTG MEMBERS AND RELAY RACERS AROUND KREUZBERG TO GET READY FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE RACE.
COMING BACK THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR WEEKEND KICKED OFF: HOOD LAPS – OUR VERY FIRST RELAY RACE.
THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND HOSTING A RELAY RACE WAS NOT ONLY TO OFFER A NEW INITIATIVE FOR THE YOUNGSTERS, BUT ALSO TO CONNECT WITH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THOSE WHOSE FOCUS OF THE WEEKEND LIES ON RUNNING 42K AND THOSE WHO JUST WANNA GO AS FAST AS THEY CAN ON A SHORT DISTANCE.
SO 16 TEAMS OF 16-TO 24-YEAR-OLDS SUBSEQUENTLY WENT HEAD TO HEAD, PACING A DISTANCE OF 400M AROUND THE BERLIN BRAVES HEADQUARTER.
FOR THE CULINARY ENTERTAINMENT WE INVITED OUR HOMIE TINY TIM TO GRACE EVERYONE WITH HIS HOMEMADE PIZZA, AS WELL AS OUR GOOD FRIEND TARIK TO PROVIDE EVERYONE WITH HAWAIIAN BURGERS.
AS YOU CAN SEE BELOW THE WINNING TEAM DID NOT FRONT WHEN THEY CALLED THEMSELVES “FAST DON’T LIE” AS THEY GLORIOUSLY TOOK FIRST PLACE. CONGRATS ONCE AGAIN!
BIG UP TO EVERYONE THAT SHOWED UP TO RACE, CHEER, THRIFT SHOP AT OUR FLEA MARKET AND SIMPLY SHOWED LOVE – WE APPRECIATE IT! IT WAS ONE FOR THE BOOKS. WE CAN’T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN.
KNOWING US, YOU KNOW WE ROLL BY THE MOTTO “IF YOU DON’T RUN YOU CHEER” AND AFTER YOU RUN AND CHEER, YOU PARTY.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE DID AFTER THE FIRST LEG OF HOOD LAPS. WE TEAMED UP WITH THE GOOD HOMIES OF ST. GEORG AND HOSTED OUR VERY FIRST JOINT SUMMER FEST AT IPSE TOGETHER.
TO FINISH THIS WITH A HIGHLIGHT, BRINGING TOGETHER ALL FAM, FRIENDS, AND CREWS THAT SHAPE OUR BEAUTIFULLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, WHILE CELEBRATING THE NEW BERLIN AND ITS EXCITING MIX OF HIP-HOP, RNB, SOUL, DANCEHALL, BAILE, AFROBEATS, AND CLUB SOUNDS. MORE THAN 15 OF OUR FAVORITE DJ’S, 10 LIVE SHOWCASES, A VOGUING BATTLE, JERK CHICKEN AND OF COURSE: VERY GOOD VIBES! THE LINE UP INCLUDED NARU, FERGY53, VVARHOLA, YUNG EMKAY, GET.HOME.SAFE, QUAME56, BASSGANG’S VERY OWN J.CLOUD, AND OSTBLOKKK, KIKELOMO, MONEYAMA, RICKY TAN, BAFOUBOY, DREEA, GREEN TEA PENG, FREE.LIPA, LEYA, DJ NOMI, MR WALLIZZ, HAIZEL, AND CHADNA. ALSO, THE AMAZING ZUEIRA MIZRAHI PRESENTED A MINI VOGUING FUNCTION TO TOP OFF A SPECTACULAR NIGHT.
SUNDAY WAS, OF COURSE, SERIOUS RACE DAY FOR EVERYONE PARTICIPATING IN THE MARATHON AND SERIOUS CHEER DAY FOR EVERYBODY ELSE.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW TO SEE WHAT WENT DOWN AT THE CHEERING ZONE.
ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT AND JOINED US FOR THE WEEKEND – WE HAD A BLAST.
AND BIG UP TO THE BASKETBALL TEAM THAT KICKED OFF THEIR FIRST SEASON IN FREIZEITBASKETBALL LIGA BERLIN ON SUNDAY!