100 Miles of Memory: The Berlin Wall Loop

Every August, the Mauerweglauf circles Berlin on the trace of the Wall. It is a 100-mile reminder that freedom is fragile. Aid stations double as storytelling posts; volunteers share family memories of division and reunification. By kilometer 120 the legs are heavy, but the history keeps you moving.

My strategy is simple: segment the course into stories—Brandenburger Tor for hope, the lakes for calm, the former death strip for vigilance. The race lasts over 26 hours. At sunrise, fatigue turns to gratitude. The finish line feels less like a personal victory and more like a tribute to everyone who could not cross when the Wall still stood.