The Römer is a series of three interconnected gabled houses that has been serving as Frankfurt’s city hall for more than 600 years now.

The Mainova Frankfurt Marathon has the distinction of being the second fastest German marathon course after Berlin, and the eighth fastest marathon course in the world. There must be something about Frankfurt because even my normally slow self ran my fastest in five years!

We took the train from Jurbise to Brussels-Midi station early in the morning of Saturday, October 28, 2017. We switched to the regional train to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof for the travel which took about four hours in total. From the train station, we walked to the Steigenberger Hotel Metropolitan across the street to drop off our luggage. We knew the hotel chain from our stay in Berlin and the quiet luxury did not disappoint us.

The marathon mall was at Messe Frankfurt, a convoluted ten-minute walk. On hindsight, it was better to just take the metro and get off at the Festhalle/Messe stop. The mall was already in full swing by the time we picked up my bib.

Several coupons were attached to my race bib, and entitled me to a goodie bag, the Pasta Party, Krombacher Alkoholfrei, and the Rosbacher softdrink. The Pasta Party was held all day at the adjoining hall with blue mood lights and various entertainment. This hall also served as our finish area.

The goodie bag itself contained a neck buff, pH strips, shower gels, shampoos, water, sponge, candies, and a nice long-sleeved Asics running shirt.

After enjoying a plate of pasta, we left Messe Frankfurt for the Aldstadt via subway. We visited the Domturm and walked around the Römerberg square enjoying the atmosphere of the Old Town.

We ordered Vietnamese takeout and headed back to the hotel for the night.

Just like its sister hotel in Berlin, the Frankfurt hotel had excellent breakfast choices, and champagne to start the day right.

The starting line at 10:10 AM the next day was at the Messe Frankfurt too, in front of the Hammering Man. This time, we took the subway from the central station and went out via the Festhalle/Messe exit.

I was bundled up for the cool weather. The aid stations had the usual water and energy drinks, as well as bananas and oranges. I didn’t have photos along the race course because my iPhone died before we even started. It was for the best because I did not have to stop often to take photos. I did have several potty and walking breaks, but I still came in under five hours (4:53:36), my best time in five years! The race had a six-hour time limit.

They gave us a very late checkout option at the Steigenberger hotel because of the marathon. I was able to take a hot shower and change before catching the train to our next destination, Garmisch-Partenkirschen, five hours away.