Tomorrow’s Berlin Marathon has two very different contests at the front. Tigst Assefa wants to reclaim the women’s world record on the course where she once set it. In the men’s race, the withdrawals of Sabastian Sawe and Kenenisa Bekele have left the title up for grabs.
Can Assefa Take Back Her Record?
Assefa ran 2:11:53 in Berlin in 2023, a world record at the time. The outright mark now stands at 2:09:56, so matching her own course record would still leave her nearly two minutes short. She won London this spring in 2:15:41, setting a record for a women only marathon, and says she is ready to aim for a personal best tomorrow.
Rosemary Wanjiru has a different number in mind. Last year’s Berlin winner, who battled the heat to take the title in 2:21:05, wants to lower her 2:16:14 best to under 2:15. She has said she does not intend to follow Assefa at world record pace. They could be contesting the same title while running two very different races.
There is company behind them. Dera Dida, the runner up here last year and Assefa’s training partner, has run 2:18:32. Bedatu Hirpa has wins in Dubai and Paris to her name, while Zeineba Yimer ran 2:18:47 in Barcelona this spring. If Assefa’s record bid proves too ambitious, the rest of the field will be ready to make her pay for it.
Another record is in play further back. Esther Pfeiffer is targeting the German mark of 2:19:19. Her marathon best is 2:37:00, but that came in her only previous attempt at the distance; a 67:25 half marathon this spring makes her target considerably less fanciful than that old time suggests. Alisa Vainio, who won the European marathon title last month and another marathon earlier this month, is also aiming to break 2:20.
Who Takes the Men’s Race?
Sawe, the defending champion and men’s world record holder, is injured. Bekele, a twice winner in Berlin, is out with an Achilles injury. Their absence leaves a deep field with no obvious leader, though the organisers still hope for an assault on Eliud Kipchoge’s course record of 2:01:09. Their latest briefing names 26 starters who have broken 2:08.
Gabriel Geay is the fastest of them, with a Tanzanian record of 2:03:00. He missed last year’s race amid the heat and now gets another chance on the Berlin roads. Guye Adola brings both course knowledge and recent form: second here in 2:03:46 on his marathon debut, winner in 2021, and first in Rotterdam this spring in 2:03:54.
Getaneh Molla has a 2:03:34 best and Shura Kitata has run 2:03:59. Selemon Barega, the Olympic 10,000m champion, will contest his third marathon after clocking 2:05:00 in Tokyo. Kenya’s Erick Sang adds a 2:04:30 best and finished sixth in Rotterdam this year.
Race director Mark Milde says the lead group is aiming towards 2:01 pace. That would take the runners well beyond the best time of any man on the start list. The early choice could decide the race: commit to the ambitious pace or hold something back for the final kilometres.
Will It Be on TV?
No. There is no live television broadcast in Ireland or the UK. The elite race will be streamed live on FloTrack, which requires a paid subscription. Coverage is listed from 7:30am Irish time, with the runners due to start at 7:45am
