Entering a race isn’t always straightforward – especially if that race is now one of the most oversubscribed running events on the planet. The Berlin Marathon, which returns for its 52nd edition today, is one such running event. Part of the eight-strong Abbott World Marathon Majors series, the Berlin Marathon is expected to welcome almost 60,000 people to its start line this year, all of whom made it there by one of various means.

So what are the most common entry routes into Berlin? Well, for starters, if you’re lucky, you can bag a spot via the public ballot. (Your odds aren’t great, but at least they’re higher than they would be for the London Marathon.) You can also apply for a charity place, pay for a sports tour package or nail down a place as a time qualifier, trusting that you can prove that you’ve run a fast-enough time at another official marathon within the past two years.

But if none of those routes are working out for you, hear ye! There’s another way in.

It’s called ‘Skate to Run’, which involves inline skating the entire Berlin Marathon course before running it the following year. Let’s dig a little deeper into what’s actually involved – and why you should get some wheels at the ready.

What is Skate to Run?

The Berlin Marathon is always held on a Sunday around the end of September. But the Skate to Run scheme is for people who take part in the Berlin Marathon Inline Skating event, which takes place the day before the runners get going and is the largest inline skating marathon in the world.

The Berlin Marathon inline skaters trace the exact same route on the Saturday as the runners on the Sunday. Starting in the middle of the Tiergarten and finishing just past (not at!) the iconic Brandenburg Gate, this route features gloriously flat, wide and smooth roads, making it a highly attractive course for PB-hunting runners and fast-moving wheels alike. In fact, some of the fastest inline skaters can whizz around the 26.2-mile circuit in under 90 minutes. It’s quite a spectacle.

And while next year’s London Marathon ‘Double’ will certainly be unique, you can reasonably argue that Berlin is the OG two-day marathon event. In fact, some people inline skate the marathon on the Saturday, then run the marathon the next morning. That’s 52.4 miles of effort over a single weekend.

Thankfully, Skate to Run is a little less intensive. Essentially, if you enter the Berlin Marathon Inline Skating event and successfully complete it, you will secure a guaranteed bib in the Berlin Marathon – the footrace, that is – the year after that.

The only other requirement is the ability to inline skate the full marathon distance, which is quite possibly a lot easier said than done.

How do you apply for the Berlin Marathon Inline Skating event?

Your journey starts on the Berlin Marathon website. Here, when applications open, you can apply directly for a place in next year’s Berlin Marathon Inline Skating event – no ballot involved. Just remember – and this is very important – to select the ‘Skate to Run’ option during the application process.

Once you’ve paid the entry fee and locked down your place, it’s then time to get training.

On race day, it’s mandatory that you wear a helmet and either standard inline skates (with a maximum wheel diameter of 125mm) or classic roller skates – and other safety kit, like protection pads, is encouraged.

Once you’ve completed the Berlin Marathon on wheels, you’ll then be sent a personal access code via email – and this is what you’ll need to register for the following year’s running event. Klasse!

All in all, it could well be time to dust off those old rollerblades and hone that skating technique.