Defending champion and world record holder Sabastian Sawe may not be competing in Berlin this weekend, but there is still plenty to look forward to ahead of what is regarded as one of the fastest marathon majors on the global calendar.
Sawe became the first man to break the two-hour mark in an official marathon when he won in London earlier this year with a time of 1:59:30, but despite initially signing up to race in the German capital, he has been forced to withdraw due to injury.
The event, however, remains packed with top-class athletes and promises to deliver an exceptional race, particularly in the women’s field.
Here’s everything you need to know…
Start time and how to watch live
The fifth Abbott World Marathon Major of the calendar year gets underway in Berlin on Sunday, September 27. The elite runners are due to set off at 08:45 local time (CEST), followed by five further waves of athletes.
Times around the world include 07:45 in the UK, 02:45 on the US East Coast, 01:45 in the Central US and 23:45 on Saturday on the Pacific Coast.
Elite wheelchair athletes start at 08:26 CEST (07:26 BST), preceded by the leading handbikers at 08:20.
In Germany, RTL’s free-to-air coverage runs from 08:30 to around 12:15 CEST (07:30–11:15 BST), with a stream on RTL+. Coverage will then continue via YouTube on the @berlin-marathon channel. Viewers outside Germany should check the event’s list of international broadcasters, as streaming access may vary by location.
The Berlin course
The flat, fast 42.195km course starts on Straße des 17. Juni and winds its way through Berlin, taking in landmarks including the Victory Column, Kurfürstendamm and Potsdamer Platz, before the celebrated finish past the Brandenburg Gate.
Elite men
Defending champion Sawe will be a big miss; however, former winner Guye Adola has a strong claim to be race favourite, with the Ethiopian having won in Berlin back in 2021 and clearly returning to form by winning Rotterdam this spring in 2:03:54.
His challengers include Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay, whose 2:03:00 at Valencia in 2022 is the quickest personal best among those remaining in the field and keeps him among the 20 fastest marathon runners in history.
Geay also finished runner-up at the Boston Marathon in 2023.
Ethiopians Getaneh Molla and Shura Kitata, both sub-2:04 runners, will also hope to be in with the leading pack as they look to make the most of Sawe’s absence.
Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega offers another compelling angle as he seeks to improve on his 2:05:00 marathon best, while two-time Berlin winner Kenenisa Bekele returns to a race where he ran 2:01:41 in 2019 – just two seconds off the then world record.
The Ethiopian legend ranks among the most successful runners in history, with three Olympic gold medals and 11 World Cross Country titles. He also held the 5,000m and 10,000m world records for around 15 years.
Elite women
Tigst Assefa has already won in Berlin twice, making headlines on both occasions. In 2022, the Ethiopian improved her personal best by almost 20 minutes, clocking 2:15:37. One year later, she shattered the then-world record with 2:11:53, taking women’s marathon running to a new level.
“It is a great pleasure for me to return to the streets of Berlin three years after setting my world record here in 2023. I am excited to once again try to break the world record,” she said.
Training partner and fellow Ethiopian Amane Beriso will also pose a threat at the head of the pack, while Rosemary Wanjiru returns as defending champion. The 31-year-old Kenyan had already impressed in Berlin in 2022, finishing runner-up in an outstanding marathon debut with 2:18:00.
Six months later, she won in Tokyo, and then last year claimed victory in challenging hot conditions, overcoming extreme exhaustion to win in 2:21:05.
The women’s elite field has been further strengthened by the late addition of Alisa Vainio.
The Finnish athlete was crowned European Marathon Champion in Birmingham last month, cementing her position as one of Europe’s leading distance runners.
Vainio ran 2:25:36 at the Berlin Marathon in 2024, then improved to a personal best of 2:20:39 in Seville this February. She also won the Finnish marathon title on September 12, just 15 days before Berlin.
