Over 55,000 applications received for the Berlin Marathon race
On Sunday, the streets of Berlin will come alive as over 55,000 runners, including some of the world's top athletes, take part in the 51st Berlin Marathon. The race, which starts and finishes on Straße des 17. Juni, will coincide with the closing day of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Among the elite runners participating in the Berlin Marathon is former German marathon record holder Amanal Petros, who won silver at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday. Petros will be joined by Milkesa Mengesha, the current record holder for the fastest time in the Berlin Marathon with a time of 2:03:17.
Interestingly, both Mengesha and Kenyan Sebastian Sawe, the fastest runner this year with a time of 2:02:05 at the London Marathon, will be defending their titles in this year's race. Mengesha won the Berlin Marathon in 2024, while Sawe won the Berlin Half Marathon in 2023.
The race distance of 42.195 km promises a gruelling test for all participants. However, the competition among the elite runners is expected to be fierce. Sawe and Mengesha are not the only top contenders. Notable runners include Gabriel Geay from Tanzania with a time of 2:03:00, and Kenenisa Bekele, a former winner with a best of 2:01:41.
German elite runners Hendrik Pfeiffer and Sebastian Hendel aim for times under 2:07:00, with personal bests around 2:07:14 and 2:07:33, respectively. The race in Berlin will also feature a warm-weather world record set by Sawe at the 2025 Berlin Marathon, where he won with a world-leading time of 2:02:16.
The Berlin Marathon is not just a running event, but a global gathering. Nearly 80,000 people from 160 nations are expected to take part, including participants in the skating, hand biking, and wheelchair races. Over 10,000 Berliners will be among those running the marathon distance.
As the elite runners had to choose between competing at the Worlds or at one of the lucrative city marathons this fall, the Berlin Marathon promises to be a showcase of the best in the sport. Sawe and Mengesha, runners from different nations, Kenya and Ethiopia respectively, have both won marathons in Berlin, Sawe in the half marathon and Mengesha in the full marathon.
The Berlin Marathon is set to be an exciting event, bringing together runners from all over the world to test their limits and strive for personal bests.
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