That's why Berlin's marathon is the best

By Sabine Klier

The climatic conditions at the end of September are ideal. Mostly dry, never too hot and never too cold. Ideal for achieving top performance on the 42,195 kilometer long marathon route. It's supposed to be 15 degrees on Sunday.

The route has little elevation as the city is flat and the asphalt is mostly in good condition.

Already 13 world records at the Berlin Marathon

13 world records were broken in Berlin. Most recently last year by the Ethiopian Tigst Assefa (30) with the fabulous world record of a sensational 2:11:53 hours. In the men's race, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge (39) set the world record of 2:01:09 in 2023.

Berlin was Europe's first city to introduce the chip on the shoe for individual time recording.

For the first time, participants ran 1981 through downtown west. 3,486 runners from 30 nations met in front of the Reichstag. The route ran along the wall. The destination can be recognized by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

1990A few days before reunification, 25,000 marathoners ran through the Brandenburg Gate for the first time.

1997 The inline skaters started at the Berlin Marathon for the first time. The race quickly became the world's largest inline marathon. In 2003, 9,612 athletes rolled through the city.

Since 2006 The Berlin Marathon is part of the association of the six largest marathons in the world: These include Tokyo, London, Boston, Chicago and New York.

2011 The marathon was completely booked in a record time of just under three hours. There is now a lottery to meet the ever-increasing demand for starting numbers.