News Archive

News Archive

The Berlin Cross-Country Race on the Teufelsberg Mountain from 1964 - 2005

On November 8, 1964, the 1st  Berlin Cross-Country Race took place with  700 participants on the Teufelsberg Mountain.  The event was put on by the sport department of the Free University of Berlin. Students of the FU Berlin, who were also mid-distance runners for SCC, had participated in university cross-country events in Greece and France.

Running on difficult terrain — and not on cleared forest paths — was a challenge that had been pursued intensively in the Anglo-Saxon countries. The innovative element in this planned cross-country race was that it was to be open not only to runners from sporting clubs, but also to the general public. This idea was so new, however, and not in accordance with the regulations, that the association did not allow the club to put on the race. The FU sports students, however, led by Horst Milde, had a “hunting license” and simply carried out their idea nonetheless.

 

Sensation with 700 participants

While forest races normally had 50-70 participants, it was a sensation when suddenly 700 participants showed up at the start in three competitions in the Grunewald Forest. There was "Cross Race for the Aces,” a so-called “People’s Race,” and a 2.5 km youth race (a women’s race was not yet on the agenda, the first one taking place in 1966).  The race had been advertised all over the city with pithy slogans like: “For a real cross-country runner, every hardship comes at a good time!” “Fear not!” and “Be a part of it and hang in there!”—the numbers of participants proved that the organisers had the right idea. The prize for making it through the off-road ordeal was a “cross country pin” at the finish.

The wild sow 

Already by the second edition of the race in 1965, the symbol for the course had become the wild sow, as the course on the Teufelsberg was securely in the hands of the wild pigs, who would not be chased away.

 "Tümmler flew by Hecht" ... was written in the paper the next day

Bodo Tümmler (SCC Berlin) was the first victor in the 9.9 km main race, ahead of Bernd-Dieter Hecht (PSV). For Bodo Tümmler, this marked the beginning of a great running career, later becoming European champion and Olympic bronze medallist in the 1500m.  Rainer Podlesch, the stayer world champion from the sporting club Zehlendorfer Eichhörnchen, won the People’s Race. A good number of the participants came from rowing, canoe, and cycling clubs.

 

The birthplace of races for the general public and for regular group training runs

The event on November 8, 1964 was the birthplace of running events for the general public in Berlin and Germany. It was also the first race of  Horst Milde and his big career as an race-organizer (-director) (he took part as a runner in this cross-countryrace in 1964 too) till today with these big events he "produce" like BERLIN-MARATHON, HALFMARATHON BERLIN, AVON ladies race a.s.o.

It was also a precursor to the regular group training runs — prior to the race, a group training was set for every Saturday at 3 p.m. at the bottom of the sledding hill on the Teufelsberg Mountain, in which anyone could participate in order to prepare for the race. That was previously completely unheard of.

Running celebrities

Numerous national and international celebrities have participated in the long distance race on the Teufelsberg Mountain, including Lutz Philipp, Manfred Letzerich, Christoph

Herle and Dieter Baumann. Female participants have included Charlotte Teske,

Grete Waitz (NOR), the 9-time winner of the NYC Marathon, as well as Marleen Renders (BEL), who later went on to win the BERLIN-MARATHON and the Paris Marathon. The Berlin Cross-Country race was for decades the figurehead for running. The German Cross-Country Championships have taken place twice on the Teufelsberg Mountain.

For ecological reasons, the course was relocated for several years to the Maifeld (May Field), part of the Olympic Stadium, but the participants did not like the flat course in the stadium with only one incline up to the riding stadium. Thus, the course has returned to the Grunewald Forest, with the start and finish in Eichkamp Stadium, where there are changing, showering, and bathroom facilities.

On Sunday nov. 6th, the 42nd Berlin Cross-Country Race took place with the start and finish in the extended Harbigstrasse at the Eichkamp Stadium.

 

The winners and the number of participants from 1964 to 2005


 

Year

 

Track

 

Winner


 
 

Participants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1964

 

9.990 m
4.900 m

 

Bodo Tümmler (SCC Berlin)
Rainer Podlesch (Zehlendorfer Eichhörnchen)

 

700

 

1965

 

10.800 m

 

Peter Kubicki (SCC Berlin)
 5.400 Jürgen Schütze

 

1.800

 

1966

 

10.800 m
1.500 m
5.400 m

 

Lutz Philipp (Phönix Lübeck)
Brigitte Rothaus (WL Wolfsburg )
H. Podbielski

 

2.600

 

1967

 

10.800 m
1.700 m
6.400 m

 

Manfred Letzerich (E. Wiesbaden)
Anni Pede (OSC Waldniel)
Udo Görlach (Aachen)

 

3.200

 

1968

 

10.800 m
1.700 m
6.400 m

 

Klaus Addicks (SCC)
Hannelore Lehmpfuhl (Thf/Mdf)
Manfred Klein (RC Tegel)

 

3.600

 

1969

 

10.800 m
1.700 m
6.400 m

 

Lutz Philipp (ASC Darmstadt)
Hannelore Lehmpfuhl (Thf/Mdf)
Manfred Klein (RC Tegel)

 

3.500

 

1970

 

10.800 m
1.700 m
6.400 m

 

Lutz Philipp (ASC Darmstadt)
Hannelore Lehmpfuhl (Thf/Mdf)
Willi Dörfers (Bocholt)

 

3.000

 

1971

 

10.800 m
1.700 m
6.400 m

 

Don Faircloth (GBR)
Manuela Preuß (Wuppertal)
Peter Hennegran (GBR)

 

3.750

 

1972

 

10.800 m
1.700 m
6.400 m

 

Anton Gorbunow (Uni Erlangen)
Gerda Reinke (SCC)
Rainer Podlesch (Zehlendorf)

 

3.600

 

1973

 

10.800 m
2.200 m
6.600m

 

Anton Gorbunow (LAC Quelle Fürth)
Gerda Reinke (SCC)
Rainer Podlesch (Zehlendorf)

 

3.750

 

1974

 

10.600 m
2.200 m
7.600 m

 

10.600 m Detlef Uhlemann (LC Bonn)
2.200 m Charlotte Teske (ASC Darmstadt)
7.600 m Wolfgang Holtz (Südring)

 

2.661

 

1975

 

10.600 m
2.200 m
7.600 m

 

Ingo Sensburg (NSF)
Vera Kemper (TuS Neuenkamp)
Georges Char (ESP)

 

3.250

 

1976

 

10.600 m
2.200 m
7.600 m

 

Edmundo Warnke (LAC Quelle Fürth/CHI)
Vera Kemper (TuS Neuenkamp)
Wayne Morgan (GBR)

 

3.350

 

1977

 

10.600 m
2.200 m
7.600 m

 

Max Little (AUS)
Erika Moldenhauer (WL Wolfsburg)
Wolfgang Holtz (Victoria 89)

 

3.430

 

1978

 

10.600 m
2.200 m
7.600 m

 

Christoph Herle (LAC Quelle Fürth)
Grete Waitz (NOR)
Lutz Zielicke

 

3.210

 

1979

 

10.600 m
4.400 m
2.200 m
7.600 m

 

Ken Newton (GBR)
Cornelia Bürki (SUI)
Clementine Hungerkamp (Lowick)
Lutz Zielicke

 

2.945

 

1980

 

10.600 m
4.400 m
2.200 m
7.600 m

 

David Clarke (GBR)
Birgit Friedmann (E. Frankfurt)
Clementine Hungerkamp (Lowick)
A. Nowka (RAW)

 

2.450

 

1981

 

10.600 m
4.400 m
2.200 m
7.600 m

 

Frank Zimmermann (SCC)
Francoise Bonnet (FRA)
Renate Güttler (OSC)
Tomotaka Cato (JPN)

 

2.832

 

1982

 

10.600 m
4.400 m
2.200 m
7.600 m

 

Christoph Herle (LAC Quelle Fürth)
Veronique Brunet (FRA)
Kerstin Preßler (OSC)
J. Steigerwald

 

2.560

 

1983

 

11.225 m
4.470 m
2.235 m
7.600 m

 

Barry Knight (GBR)
Susi Riermeier (LAC Quelle Fürth)
Jutta von Haase (LG Süd)
C. Smithson (GBR)

 

2.892

 

1984

 

11.225 m
4.470 m
2.235 m
7.600 m

 

Theo van den Abbeel (BEL)
Linda Milo (BEL)
R. Frederiks (OSC)
D. Daniel (GBR)

 

2.904

 

1985

 

11.225 m
4.470 m

 

Gerhard Hartmann (AUT)
Betty van Steenbrok (BEL)

 

2.734

 

1986

 

11.225 m
4.470 m

 

Leon Shots (BEL) 2.710
Lieve Siegers (BEL)

 

 

 

1987

 

11.225 m
4.470 m

 

Peter Tootel (GBR)
Wanda Panfil (POL)

 

2.395

 

1988

 

11.225 m
4.470 m

 

Gerhard Hartmann (AUT) 2.280
Marleen Renders (BEL)

 

2.280

 

1989

 

11.225 m

 

Andrzey Nowak (SCC)

 

2.128

 

1990

 

4.470 m
11.225 m
4.470 m

 

Anna Rybicka (AZS Warschau)
William Musyoki (KEN)
Anna Rybicka (POL)

 

1.695

 

1991

 

11.225 m
4.470 m

 

Grzegorz Glogosz (POL)
Katja Hoffmann (SCC Berlin)

 

1.709

 

1992

 

11.225 m
4.470 m

 

Grzegorz Glogosz (POL)
Grazyna Kowina (POL)

 

1.662

 

1993

 

11.225 m
4.470 m

 

Willy Songok (KEN)
Marta Kosmowska (POL)

 

1.486

 

1994

 

11.225 m
4.470 m

 

Jens Volkmann (LAC Halensee)
Birgit Huhmann (Berliner SC)

 

1.213

 

1995

 

11.225 m

 

Thomas Lotik (KEN)

 

1.236

 

1996

 

4.470 m
6.700 m
4.300 m

 

Annette Hüls (LG Leverkusen)
Dieter Baumann (Leverkusen)
K. da Fonseca-Wollheim (LG SCC Nike)

 

 

 

1997

 

8.500 m
4.300 m

 

André Green (LG Wedel-Pinneberg)
Yvonne Dernbach (Berliner LG Ost)

 

1.085

 

1998

 

8.500 m
4.300 m

 

Rainer Wachenbrunner (LG Nike) 903
Jana Franke (SCC)

 

903

 

1999

 

8.020 m
3.630 m

 

Thomas Greger (Ludwigshafen)
Michaela Moeller (Ratio Münster)

 

1.043

 

2000

 

8.000 m
4.000 m

 

Rainer Wachenbrunner (LG Nike Berlin)
Kristina da Fonseca-Wollheim (SV Halle)

 

1.078

 

2001

 

8.000 m

 

Michael Loth (SCC Berlin)

 

778

 

2002

 

4.000 m
8.800 m

 

Carmen Siwert (LAV Rostock)
Jan Förster (EBT)

 

1.056

 

2003

 

8.800 m
4.400 m
8.800 m

 

Nicole Güldemeister (SC Potsdam)
Antje Scharnowske (SSV Lichtenrade)
Michael Gottschalk (SCC)

 

1.576

 

2004

 

8.800 m
8.800 m
4.400 m

 

Astrid Carl (Berlin)
Steffen Berger (LAC Berlin)
Juliane Becker (LAC Quelle Fü/Mü/Wü)

 

1.205

 2005  8.800 m      Marco Lützenberger (Berlin)                                      1.222

           8.800 m      Karsta Parsiegla (Berlin)

Between 1964 and 2005  totally 94,248 runners participated at 42 events of the Berlin Cross-Country-Race.