BTC Fast Laps & Sunday bRUNch: Recap & Thank you!

Event

What a day! First and foremost we would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone involved in making the first ever BTC Fast Laps such a phenomenal success. Over 150 athletes took part, and another 150 spectators cheered them on. An additional 7000 viewers tuned in online, with around 400 people watching at any given time… that’s huge!

WATCH RECAP VIDEO

BTC FAST LAPS – 09.03

On Saturday March 9, Berlin Track Club and Nike Running welcomed runners from all over Europe for an experimental speed running event at a go-kart track in Berlin-Friedrichshain. Teams came from all over Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, UK, etc to take part, not quite knowing what they would be in for!

Upon arrival at the venue, athletes were given their packs which contained goodies from our sponsors, and their shoes! They were then guided through the fuelling and recovery area with coffee provided by expert baristas Kiez Kaffee Kraft, pizza by Cheers Kiez Pizza, bao buns and poke bowls by Wiki Wiki Poke, physio and massages by theroga, wellness and recovery by Haarbar and Hyperice, and drinks by Vitamin Well. Then runners were able to test out the three new Nike running shoe models (Alpha Fly, Vapor Fly, and Streak Fly) and warm up on the trial track, and get a feel for the races, before they finally got upstairs to the main arena.

Jennie and Aaron were our lively MCs and kept the teams and spectators entertained and fired up as the day continued, leading the crowd through the events accompanied by three DJs who spun energetic and upbeat tracks that really fuelled the race day.

Five Nike elite athletes—Caster Semenya, Laura Muir, Hanna Klein, Jemma Reekie, and Alina Ammann—were also invited to join the event and would be seen throughout the day being interviewed, interacting with attendees, and adding excitement and insight to the event. There was an incredible amount of tension heading into the first race as athletes were raring to go, and the crowds were desperate to see exactly what these races were about.

We kicked off the event with VaporSpeed: a classic 4×1 relay where our teams were able to size up the competition and start working on their strategy. Teams were split into four groups who challenged each other in two races. Overall this one was fast, short and fun, with Berlin Track Club and Top4Running taking the top spots in race 1 & 2. Teams earned points on where they placed, with teams coming in last getting the most points, and teams in first the least.

Race two was where things got interesting! Teams faced off in StreakElimination: 1 runner per team makes 8 laps of the track, and the bottom team is eliminated from the competition after each lap. StreakElim was split into 2 male and 2 female races, with Lap 1 helping the runners get comfortable using a pace car, with no eliminations. The energy around the track started to build as Lap 2 picked up the pace! Runners zoomed around the track, jockeying for position, with bottom teams dropping away lap after lap. The Berlin Braves & Zoom Volt Runners came out on top in the men’s races and Team Sportsshoes & Drop Dash in the women’s races.

The four first teams crossing the line in each StreakElim race were onto the next event, the WyldMedley: a distance relay of 3 laps, 5 laps, 2 laps, and 4 laps. At the end of the heat, the 2 teams with the most points from the 3 races combined were eliminated. As the longest race, the WyldMedley showcased our team’s strategy and teamwork, with Top4Running & All4Running coming in first over 2 races.

Closing the race was an all out spring to the finish in the Spicy600! The teams that avoided elimination faced off in 7 laps of the track. The pace car kept things calm and civil in lap 1 as runners worked to gain a good position for the rest of the race, after which the men had 3 more laps before handing the relay baton to a female teammate to close off the competition in the final 3 rounds. The excitement built as the final 8 teams kicked it into high gear and closed out the day’s racing in style! The Spicy600 ended in Team All4Running crossing the finish line in first place, closely followed by BTC.

The day ended in celebration, with Team All4Running from the Netherlands taking the top spot, followed by Team BTC in second place and Top4Running in third. A huge congratulations to all our runners and teams who came and raced with us this weekend. Your energy, spirit, teamwork and drive is what made the first Fast Laps such a win for urban running.

Through our partnership with JW Marriott Berlin, our runners were able to wind down and recover in one of the brand new hotel’s comfortable and spacious rooms. Located in Berlin-Mitte, the JW Marriott Berlin provided our athletes with the perfect place to recuperate from the day’s activity. Kitted out with a swimming pool, sauna, fitness centre, and restaurant, the JW Marriott Berlin was the perfect place to hang up your running shoes and relax in the heart of the city. Plus, its excellent location next to the iconic Berlin Tiergarten made it the perfect meeting place for our Fast Laps follow-up fun run, Sunday B(run)ch!

BTC SUNDAY B(RUN)CH

Even before our 10am start time we saw many of our teams from the day before warming up outside, which made us so excited to get started. Our content team had already put together a recap video of the previous day’s events overnight, which was projected on the big screen in the special room in the hotel. That in addition to some of the props and memorabilia from the day brought Fast Laps to this new event and gave attendees motivation and smiles for the upcoming run. Coffee was once again provided by Kiez Kaffee Kraft who gave us the caffeine boost we needed!

After a short intro speech from Jennie we were off! Laps of 5 km around Tiergarten were planned; runners could choose their speed and distance, and ran in groups with pacers from Team BTC leading the way. Some groups ran clockwise, others anti-clockwise, ensuring that groups would always meet on the route and cheer each other on. The varied distances and paces meant that everyone was included and could have fun.

The following bRUNch menu was expertly produced by JW Marriott Berlin’s head chef Friedemann and his team, and included a range of filled sourdough bread rolls, loaded focaccias, an array of savoury and sweet baked goods and cakes, and a nut butter machine that

After a short intro speech from Jennie we were off! Laps of 5 km around Tiergarten were planned; runners could choose their speed and distance, and ran in groups with pacers from Team BTC leading the way. Some groups ran clockwise, others anti-clockwise, ensuring that groups would always meet on the route and cheer each other on. The varied distances and paces meant that everyone was included and could have fun.

The following bRUNch menu was expertly produced by JW Marriott Berlin’s head chef Friedemann and his team, and included a range of filled sourdough bread rolls, loaded focaccias, an array of savoury and sweet baked goods and cakes, and a nut butter machine that got everyone going back for more! All the carbs for our hungry runners! It didn’t take long for everything to be enjoyed.

We would also like to thank our other sponsors for supporting BTC Fast Laps: Koro, Maurten, Vitamin Well, Haarbar, Theroga, and of course Nike Running, who supercharged our event and made it something bigger and better than we could have ever imagined!

We are planning to make BTC Fast Laps an annual or regular event, so if you missed out this time and want to get involved keep an eye on our socials and website.