The historic event which draws athletes in search of fast times will take to the roads on Sunday as Calli Hauger-Thackery leads the Brits
The BMW Berlin Marathon is celebrating it’s 50th year this weekend after establishing itself as a foundation event in the marathon world, attracting runners from far and wide with its record-breaking performances.
A memorable moment in the marathon’s history of 13 world records took place in 2018 when Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to break the 2:02:00 barrier, completing the race in 2:01:39.
The Kenyan returned in 2022 to once again push the limits and shaved off 30 seconds from his own record to finish in 2:01:09 – which is now the second fastest time in history behind Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 set in Chicago.
READ MORE: World records at the Berlin Marathon
Last year, history was made once again when Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa obliterated the women’s world record with 2:11:53, setting the bar extremely high.
Eliud Kipchoge (Getty)
With Kipchoge absent this year after back-to-back victories, the men’s race opens up to new possibilities. Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele enters as the fastest runner on paper, boasting a personal best of 2:03:24.
Having finished third last year, he returns with the aim of securing victory in a field where 14 athletes have already run under 2:06:00, promising a highly competitive race which starts at Brandenburg Gate.
Another potential runner is Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie. The former half-marathon world record-holder (57:32) holds a marathon best of 2:04:48 and will be chasing his first major win over the distance.
With no British set to compete in the elite men’s section this year, Germany’s Hendrik Pfeiffer leads a group of strong domestic runners having improved to 2:07:14 earlier this year in Houston.
When it comes down to the women’s race all eyes will be on Ethiopia’s Tigist Ketema, training partner of Assefa.
Tigist Ketema (Colombo)
In her marathon debut this January, she clocked an impressive 2:16:07 in Dubai, making her the ninth-fastest marathon runner ever. As she looks to improve on lowering her time even further, training alongside world record-holder, Assefa will be of huge benefit.
“I have prepared to run a personal best and plan to run the first half on Sunday in around 68 minutes,” said Ketema. “I hope it won’t be too cold since I run better in warmer conditions.
“Before Dubai I was certainly apprehensive about the distance but afterwards I asked myself, why was that?”
Another prominent name is Genzebe Dibaba, the former 1500m world record-holder with 3:50.07 from 2015.
Since switching to marathon running, Dibaba posted a debut time of 2:18:05 in Amsterdam two years ago. This will be her first time racing in Berlin, and her background in middle-distance running adds intrigue to her performance.
“I’ve seen on TV how Haile Gebrselassie broke two world records in Berlin. Since then I’ve always wanted to run here and now I have the chance,” said Dibaba. “Success for me would mean breaking my personal best.”
Calli Hauger-Thackery will lead the British women with a best of 2:22:17, achieved in New York last year. Hauger-Thackery was a non-finisher in Paris at the Olympics but has since claimed the UK 5km title and finished second behind Eilish McColgan at the Big Half.
Calli Thackery (Getty)
Veteran runner Sonia Samuels, 44, continues to defy age with a best time of 2:28:04. Fellow Brit Phillipa Bowden is also in the mix, aiming to improve her 2:29:14.
Germany’s hopes rest on Melat Kejeta, who will aim to become only the second German woman to break the 2:20:00 mark in Berlin, following in the footsteps of Irina Mikitenko, who ran 2:19:19 on the course in 2008.
She finished sixth in the 2021 Olympic marathon in Japan but bad luck caused a setback in the Paris Games where she had to drop out due to stomach problems.
In total there are 50,000 entries for the 50th edition of the race.
The Berlin Marathon will start at 7:50am GMT on Sunday September 29.
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