The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2026 will take place this Sunday, September 27, as one of the most open and intriguing races in recent years. The injury-related absence of Sabastian Sawe, the world record holder and a major reference initially expected for the event, changes the scenario completely, but does not diminish expectations: the organizers are counting on a very fast race, and the 2:01:09 with which Eliud Kipchoge set the course record in 2022 stands as an ambitious benchmark.
«I expect an exciting race and we hope to break the course record. The pace of the first group will be oriented toward 2:01», said the race director, Mark Milde.
With Sawe out at the start, at least half a dozen runners appear to have real chances of victory. Five of them hold personal bests under 2:05, and no fewer than 26 athletes have already run under 2:08, a testament to the extraordinary depth of the men’s field.
Gabriel Geay, the fastest man in the race
The runner with the best mark among those taking the start will be the Tanzanian Gabriel Geay, who boasts 2:03:00, the national record for Tanzania. With that time he also ranks among the fastest marathoners in history. Geay returns to Berlin after failing to complete the race a year ago when extreme heat affected his performance. “I am in good shape and I hope to post a very good time,” said the 29-year-old.
Among his main rivals there will be a strong Ethiopian contingent led by Guye Adola, winner in Berlin in 2021 and runner-up in 2017 behind Eliud Kipchoge. Adola knows this course like few others. His personal best, 2:03:46, was achieved precisely in Berlin during his marathon debut. This season he arrives boosted by his victory at the Rotterdam Marathon, where he ran 2:03:54. “I am very well prepared and in the best shape of my life,” affirmed the Ethiopian.
Barega seeks a big breakthrough in his third marathon
Another big name will be Selemon Barega, Olympic 10,000 meters champion in Tokyo 2021. The Ethiopian will tackle Berlin in his third marathon and starts with a best of 2:05:00, a mark that could be considerably lowered if the race maintains the announced pace.
Barega will be joined by two compatriots with top-tier marks: Getaneh Molla, 2:03:34, and Shura Kitata, 2:03:59.
The Japanese presence will also be particularly numerous. Eleven Japanese runners with times roughly between 2:06 and 2:08 are on the final list, and some could attempt to approach Japan’s national record, set at 2:04:55.
More than 56,000 runners from 162 countries
Beyond the elite race, Berlin will once again showcase the scale of one of the world’s great marathons. The organizers have counted more than 56,000 entrants from 162 countries to tackle the 42.195 kilometers through the streets of the German capital. The Berlin course, nearly flat and traditionally associated with fast times, has hosted numerous world records. This year, no direct attempt to break the two-hour barrier is expected after Sawe’s withdrawal, but a fast race from the early kilometers is anticipated. The pace planned for the main group, around 2:01, could yield significant personal bests and keep the battle for victory open until the finish.
Three Germans aiming to profit from a very fast race
The enormous density of runners between 2:06 and 2:09 can also benefit the leading German athletes. Sebastian Hendel, who clocked 2:07:33 in Berlin two years ago, arrives after several seasons hampered by physical issues and admits he is not yet ready to attack his personal best. Haftom Welday, on the other hand, has shown solid progress in 2026 and improved to 2:08:13 in Barcelona last March. The third is Aaron Bienenfeld, who surprised in April with a marathon debut of 2:08:47 in Hamburg, the best mark ever achieved by a German on his marathon debut. His aim now is to continue lowering that mark and approach the 2:06–2:08 range.
Tigist Assefa, aiming for a personal best
The Ethiopian Tigist Assefa will return to a race that changed her trajectory and the history of the women’s marathon, with the intention of approaching, and even challenging, the current world record. Three years ago, Assefa surprised the world by crossing the Brandenburg Gate in 2:11:53, a time that at that moment placed the women’s world record in another dimension. Since then, the world record has dropped to 2:09:56, so the barrier of two hours and ten minutes now stands as the major reference for the Ethiopian.
Berlin has already hosted 13 world marathon records, an unmatched figure in any other 42.195-kilometer race. If Assefa manages to reclaim the top mark, it would be the 14th world record achieved in the German capital. The athlete, however, preferred to stay prudent at the pre-race press conference. “I am very eager to run again on Berlin’s fast course and I hope to continue my history of successes here on Sunday. I am very well prepared and want to achieve a personal best,” Assefa said. Her 2:11:53 also remains the circuit record for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON.
Rosemary Wanjiru aims to go under 2:15
Assefa won’t be alone at the forefront of one of the women’s races with the highest level in the history of the Berlin Marathon. Among her main rivals will be Kenyan Rosemary Wanjiru, the reigning champion, although her strategy will not be to chase the pace expected for a potential world record. Wanjiru comes with a best of 2:16:14, and her stated goal is to go under 2:15. Behind her emerges a strong Ethiopian trio formed by Bedatu Hirpa, 2:18:27; Dera Dida, 2:18:32; and Zeineba Yimer, 2:18:47. Dida, wife of Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola, is also Assefa’s training partner. “We know each other very well and I hope we achieve good performances,” Dida explained.
Alisa Vainio also wants to break the 2:20 barrier
Another major objective of the race will be to break the 2 hours and 20 minutes barrier. The Finnish Alisa Vainio, European champion with a personal best of 2:20:39, will seek to surpass that threshold for the first time. Her presence in Berlin is particularly striking due to the accumulation of recent competitions. Vainio participated in the Birmingham European Championship on August 16 and also competed in the marathon at the Finnish National Championships in Jyväskylä just twelve days before Berlin. She won that race in 2:27:47. “For me it felt like training and I felt good,” the Finn explained, arriving in Berlin with the aim of improving her personal best and going under 2:20.
Esther Pfeiffer, chasing a German record that has stood since 2008
One of the race’s great stories will also be Esther Pfeiffer’s attempt to beat the German marathon record. The mark has belonged since 2008 to Irina Mikitenko, who won the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON with 2:19:19. Pfeiffer, 29, plans to start out fast at a pace that would take her to the German record. “I plan to run at a pace that will lead me to the German record. That is my big goal and my attempt begins on Sunday,” she said. The German has hardly run a marathon so far. It was in 2023, when she won the Cologne Marathon in 2:37:00 and claimed the national title. Since then, her progression at shorter distances has been spectacular. In March she ran the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON in 1:07:25 and later lowered her 10-kilometer best to 30:45. Those marks suggest a very considerable improvement in her 42,195-kilometer best.
A record-setting women’s field
The depth of the women’s race will be another major draw of this edition of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. Seven runners on the starting list boast personal bests under 2:20, something that had never happened before in Berlin. In addition, a total of 13 athletes have run under 2:22, another record for the event. With Tigist Assefa eyeing the 2:10 barrier, Rosemary Wanjiru aiming to drop below 2:15, and a large group of athletes chasing sub-2:20 times, Berlin once again brings together all the elements for another women’s race of enormous caliber. And above all, the Sunday’s big question will be: can Tigist Assefa recapture the world record she already held on this very course?
Marcel Hug, chasing another victory
There will also be big names in the wheelchair race. Swiss Marcel Hug, winner ten times in Berlin and the victor of the last six editions in a row, will again start as one of the main contenders. Among the women, standout names include Manuela Schär, the reigning champion, and Catherine Debrunner, who won three consecutive titles from 2022 to 2024.
Berlin thus faces another weekend of immense sporting dimension. With Sabastian Sawe out of the race, the expected assault on two hours disappears, but the uncertainty over the victor grows. With half a dozen contenders, a group ready to move at 2:01 pace, and more than 56,000 runners filling the city’s streets, the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON once again brings together all the ingredients to deliver one of the year’s great races.
