The Berlin Marathon is the fastest marathon course in the world. The marathon world record has been broken here 13 times, more than anywhere else, on a flat, wide loop that starts and finishes on Straße des 17. Juni by the Brandenburg Gate. It is the German World Marathon Major, and from 2027 it runs as the Generali Berlin Marathon, after 16 years with BMW as title sponsor.
The 2026 race · Sunday, September 27
Adola’s second Berlin title, and Assefa’s course record
Guye Adola won the 52nd Berlin Marathon in a personal best of 2:02:50, five years after his first Berlin title. Tigst Assefa won the women’s race in 2:11:04, a course record and the third-fastest women’s marathon ever run, on an Achilles tendon that ruptured in the final 2K.
Men
| Athlete | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guye Adola (ETH) | 2:02:50 |
| 2 | Gemechu Dida (ETH) | 2:03:19 |
| 3 | Gabriel Geay (TAN) | 2:03:59 |
Women
| Athlete | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tigst Assefa (ETH) | 2:11:04 |
| 2 | Bedatu Hirpa (ETH) | 2:16:53 |
| 3 | Dera Dida (ETH) | 2:16:55 |
Assefa’s 2:11:04 is the Berlin course record. The women’s world record is still Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56, from Chicago in 2024.
Adola broke away soon after 25K and won by 29 seconds. Japan put four men in the top 15, led by Yuhei Urano in ninth. Defending champion Sabastian Sawe missed the race with an injury, and Kenenisa Bekele pulled out with an Achilles injury three days before it.
Assefa was still ahead of world record pace at 40K before her stride went in the closing 2K. She finished 5:49 clear of the field, then had surgery on a complete rupture of her right Achilles tendon the next day. Her management expects her to be out of competition for around six months.
ReadFull results Adola’s race Assefa’s course record Assefa’s Achilles The shoes that won
Berlin Marathon 2027: Key Information
- Race date: Sunday, September 26, 2027
- Lottery: open October 1 to November 12, 2026, free to enter, with results by email on December 3
- Entry fee: €215 for runners drawn in the lottery
- Start and finish: Straße des 17. Juni, finishing through the Brandenburg Gate
- Field: more than 56,000 runners from over 160 countries started the 2026 race
- Time limit: 6 hours 15 minutes from crossing the start line
How To Enter The 2027 Berlin Marathon
Entries are by lottery, and the 2027 draw is open until November 12. Every applicant picks one of three routes when they register, and the choice is final:
- Individual entry: the general draw.
- Team entry: groups of two or three apply with a shared team code, and if the team is drawn, everyone on it gets a place.
- Fast runners: upload proof of a marathon run in 2025 or 2026 at an AIMS-certified race, a USATF-listed race or a race in the World Marathon Majors age group rankings. Organizers check every proof, and a time that fails the check moves you into the general draw.
| Year of birth (as listed by organizers) | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 to 1981 | 2:45:00 | 3:10:00 |
| 1982 to 1968 | 2:55:00 | 3:30:00 |
| 1967 or earlier | 3:25:00 | 4:20:00 |
Members of the Jubilee Club, for runners with at least 10 Berlin finishes, can claim a guaranteed place. Charity places, tour operators and volunteering are the other routes in. Our full guide to the 2027 lottery.
Why Berlin Is The Fastest Course In Marathon Running
1. It is flat
The course climbs a little over 240 feet across 26.2 miles, the least of any Major. There is no hill anywhere that forces a runner off pace, so pacemakers can hold even splits from start to finish. Our mile-by-mile course guide covers the three miles in the southwest of the city where most fast races come apart.
2. Late-September weather
Berlin usually starts in the low teens Celsius (the 50s Fahrenheit), close to the ideal range for marathon running. It isn’t guaranteed, but it is cool far more often than not.
3. Wide roads and few corners
Long straight stretches let elite groups run together without breaking rhythm, and the route has few sharp turns.
Berlin Marathon Course Records
| Category | Time | Athlete | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 2:01:09 | Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | 2022 |
| Women | 2:11:04 | Tigst Assefa (ETH) | 2026 |
Recent Winners
| Year | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Guye Adola (ETH) 2:02:50 | Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:11:04 |
| 2025 | Sabastian Sawe (KEN) 2:02:16 | Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:15:50 |
| 2024 | Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) 2:03:17 | Tigst Ketema (ETH) 2:16:42 |
| 2023 | Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:02:42 | Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:11:53 |
| 2022 | Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:09 | Tigst Assefa (ETH) 2:15:37 |
| 2021 | Guye Adola (ETH) 2:05:45 | Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) 2:20:09 |
How To Watch The Berlin Marathon
- Germany: RTL, free to air, with the same feed on RTL+
- United States: FloTrack (subscription)
- Worldwide: the race’s own YouTube finish-line livestream, which runs on after the TV coverage ends
In 2026 the first runners started at 8:45 a.m. local time, which is 2:45 a.m. Eastern and 7:45 a.m. in the UK. Good places to watch in person are the Brandenburg Gate, Kurfürstendamm and Potsdamer Platz.
Our 2026 Berlin Marathon Coverage
- 2026 Berlin Marathon Results
- Guye Adola Wins the Berlin Marathon for a Second Time
- Tigst Assefa Wins the Berlin Marathon in a Course Record
- Tigst Assefa’s Manager Confirms Complete Achilles Rupture and Surgery
- Tigst Assefa’s Berlin Finish Raises the Question of Where Runners Should Draw the Line
- All Six Berlin Marathon Podium Finishers Wore the Adidas Adios Pro Evo 3
- Olympic Triathlon Champion Jan Frodeno Runs His First City Marathon in Berlin
- An 88-Year-Old Woman Finished the Berlin Marathon After a Stranger Talked Her Out of Quitting
- A Chinese Fitness Influencer Admits She Rode a Bike for Part of the Berlin Marathon
- Generali Replaces BMW as the Berlin Marathon’s Title Sponsor
- The 2027 Berlin Marathon Lottery Is Now Open
FAQs
Who won the 2026 Berlin Marathon?
Guye Adola of Ethiopia won the men’s race in 2:02:50, and Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia won the women’s race in a course record of 2:11:04.
When is the 2027 Berlin Marathon?
Sunday, September 26, 2027. It will be the first edition under the Generali name.
How do I get into the 2027 Berlin Marathon?
Enter the lottery by November 12, 2026. It is free to enter, results go out on December 3, and runners who are drawn pay €215. Fast runners can apply with a qualifying time, though that isn’t a guaranteed place.
Is Berlin really the fastest marathon course?
For record attempts, yes: the marathon world record has been set here 13 times. The men’s record has since moved to Chicago (2023) and London (2026), and the women’s to Chicago (2024), but Berlin’s flat course and cool weather still produce more fast times than anywhere else.
