The Media Guide for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON

Elite Runners 

Men

Women

Click here for the prize money, the world record bonus and the time bonus.

Here you will find the detailed split time tables.

TADESE TAKELE

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 3.8.2002
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:03:24 (Berlin, 2023)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 24.9.23, 3. BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, 2:03:24

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Tadese Takele was one of two athletes who produced a surprise in last year’s men’s race at the BMW BERLIN MARATHON. Together with Vincent Kipkemboi of Kenya he closed the gap to the leading superstar Eliud Kipchoge in the final section of the race significantly. Between 30 and 35k Tadese Takele made up around half a minute. But when it almost looked like a sensation could be on the cards Kipchoge was able to push again. In the end 21 year-old Takele took third behind Kipchoge and Kipkemboi. With 2:03:24 hrs the Ethiopian ran the fourth fastest debut in marathon history. This remains the best performance of his young career.

One year after his great marathon debut Tadese Takele now returns to Berlin. His aim will probably be to confirm last year’s performance and if possible run a personal best. Since Berlin 2023 the 22 year-old did not compete in any other international race. Most probably this was because of an injury. It was just two years ago when Tadese Takele switched from the track to the road. The youngster immediately ran top times. First he clocked 27:21 in Valencia’s 10k, then he ran 59:41 in a half marathon in Herzogenaurach, Germany, in April 2022. Later that year he improved his 10k time by one second in Lille (27:20).

A couple of more fine half marathon results followed in spring 2023. Among them was a 60:04 victory in Herzogenaurach. Then his marathon debut in Berlin followed.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Tadese Takele was steeple chaser in the early part of his career. As a 16 year-old he took the African under 18 title in the 2,000 m Steeplechase in 2019. Two years later he won the Ethiopian Olympic trials in the 3,000 m Steeplechase in Hengelo, Netherlands, with his personal best of 8:09.37. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo he did not qualify for the final. But a month later Tadese Takele took the 3,000 m Steeplechase silver medal at the World Junior Championships.
 

RONALD KORIR

• KENYA
• BIRTHDATE: 10.4.1991
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:04:22 (Berlin, 2023)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 24.9.23, 4th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, 2:04:22

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Ronald Korir’s marathon career spans over a full decade, which gives him plenty of experience at the classic distance. However it was only in the more recent races when the Kenyan was able to show his full potential and achieved strong results. A year ago he took fourth place in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, improving his personal best to 2:04:22. With this time he took a fine 14th position in the 2023 world list for the marathon. Ronald Korir ran a convincing marathon debut in Frankfurt back in 2014. In a strong field he finished sixth with 2:07:29. Years before the introduction of the new shoe technology which gives a significant advantage, this was a very good result for a debutant. However after the promising start and despite more or less fully concentrating on the classic distance Ronald Korir did not manage to make the next step for many years. It was only in December 2022 when he finally broke his PB from his debut in Frankfurt. In Valencia he was significantly faster than before with 2:05:37.

He followed up his performance from Spain at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON with 2:04:22 and this spring ran another strong race. Taking another fourth place in the Hamburg Marathon he clocked 2:05:37, his third fastest time. 
 

CYBRIAN KOTUT

• KENYA
• BIRTHDATE : 6.6.1992
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:04:34 (Amsterdam, 2023)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 15.9.24, 9. Boston Marathon, 2:10:29

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Cybrian Kotut will run the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON for the first time. The 32 year-old has significantly improved during the past two years and features a personal best of 2:04:34. The Kenyan had a very promising start into his marathon career. In his debut he was runner-up in Milan in 2015. Then he won the Paris Marathon 2016 with 2:07:11 and later that year finished third in Frankfurt. However he was then not able to achieve similar results for some years.

While he took the Krakow and Florence marathon races in 2019 and 2021 respectively, he then finally achieved a major breakthrough and a significant improvement of his six year old PB in Hamburg: In 2022 Cybrian Kotut won Germany’s major spring marathon in a thrilling race by just one second with 2:04:47. He broke the nine year old course record of his prominent fellow-countryman Eliud Kipchoge. On another flat course Cybrian Kotut slightly improved his PB a year ago. He was runner-up in Amsterdam with 2:04:34. In contrast he had a difficult race in the hilly Boston Marathon this spring. “It was a tough Boston debut for me,“ said Kotut after finishing ninth with 2:10:29.
Kotut has a fine half marathon PB of 59:12. But for several years now he fully concentrates on the marathon distance.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Cybrian Kotut is one of the brothers of former world-class marathon runner Martin Lel, who won the 2007-2008 series of the World Marathon Majors. Martin Lel was a three time London and double New York City Marathon winner. Cybrian Kotut is the youngest of nine siblings and has himself two children. He is coached by Italian Claudio Berardelli and among his training partners are world-class marathoners Evans Chebet and Benson Kipruto.

CHAILEMARYAM KIROS

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 5.2.1997
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:04:41 (Paris, 2021)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 3.3.24, 4. Tokyo Marathon, 2:05:43

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Hailemaryam Kiros is still in his early career despite being 27 years old. The Ethiopian, who grew up in Addis Ababa and is coached by Getamesay Molla, got the opportunity to run a major European half marathon in autumn 2019: He produced a fine performance in Lisbon where he was fourth with 61:08.  With the result from Lisbon Hailemaryam Kiros made the Ethiopian team for the World Half Marathon Championships in 2020. Because of the Corona pandemic there were hardly any races available, which made his participation in the World Championships even more significant. Hailemaryam Kiros ran another fine race, finishing 11th with 60:01. This is still his personal best.

A year later the Ethiopian produced a great marathon debut in Paris: Kiros was second with 2:04:41, which remains his PB. Last year was his most successful one so far. Running two marathon races, he won both: First Kiros clocked 2:06:01 in Osaka, then he took the Lanzhou Marathon in China with 2:08:57. This March he confirmed excellent marathon form, when he was fourth in the prestigious Tokyo Marathon with 2:05:43.

KIBIWOTT KANDIE

• KENYA
• BIRTHDATE: 20.6.96
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:04:48 (Valenica, 2023)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 7.11.21, 9. New York City Marathon, 2:13:43

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS :

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Kibiwott Kandie is the athlete in the elite field of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON who has the biggest potential for the classic distance. Four years ago the Kenyan ran a world half marathon world record of 57:32 in Valencia. This mark has since been improved by one second by Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda. In theory with such a half marathon PB Kibiwott Kandie could be able to achieve marathon times in the region of the current world record of 2:00:35. However so far he could not quite transform his huge potential to the classic distance. The Kenyan ran his first serious marathon on the tough New York course in 2021.

Organisers claimed that this was his debut, but in fact Kibiwott Kandie had run the marathon distance two years earlier in Kuching, Malaysia. On the hilly New York course Kandie’s debut did not go as planned. He finished ninth with 2:13:43. In December last year he then ran 2:04:48 on the flat Valencia course. Kandie was among the leaders until the 35k mark and the group ran 2:01 pace for much of the time. A couple of weeks before Kandie won the Valencia Half Marathon with 57:40, missing the world record by just nine seconds. This February the 28 year-old took the Barcelona Half Marathon in 59:22. Then he tried to qualify for the Olympic Games over 10,000 m.

However a superb time of 26:58.97 was still not fast enough to claim one of the three Kenyan places. But his big personal best indicates that he should be on course for a very fast time in Berlin. Kandie has been even faster over 10k on the road. He ran 26:50 in Herzogenaurach in 2022. A silver medal at the World Half Marathon Championships 2020, a bronze in the Commonwealth Games’ 10,000 m in 2022 and a fifth place in the 2023 World Cross Country Championships are among his outstanding results so far.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Kibiwott Kandie grew up with eight siblings in Mogotio, Baringo County, in the Kenyan highlands southeast of Eldoret. His mother was a farmer and his father worked for Kenya’s Ministry for Water. His home was 7k away from the school and he covered this distance four times a day - running barefoot when he was young - since he returned home for lunch. Inspired by Kenyan superstar Paul Tergat, who ran a world record of 2:04:55 and the first sub 2:05 marathon in Berlin in 2003, he started competing in cross country races while still at school. Kandie then fully concentrated on running once he had left school. Employed by the Kenyan military today he trains in the Ngong Hills north of Nairobi.

BAZEZEW ASMARE

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 11.9.1996
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:04:57 (Amsterdam, 2022)

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Bazezew Asmare focussed very much on the marathon distance right from the start of his international career. At the age of 22 he ran his debut at the distance in Shanghai, but had to settle for 2:15:37. After a much improved performance in Amsterdam his best year so far came in 2022: First he ran 2:07:13 in Hamburg, then Asmare again smashed his PB with a surprising 2:04:57 for third place in Amsterdam.

Last year he produced two solid marathon races in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, where he took seventh and sixth places respectively. Bazezew Asmare has only run two half marathon races. He achieved his personal best in performance reducing high altitude at Hawassa, Ethiopia, with 61:53 in 2022. This year the Ethiopian has not competed yet.
 
 

SAMWEL MAILU

• KENYA
• BIRTHDATE: 7.2.1993
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:05:08 (Vienna, 2023)

MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Samwel Mailu is another newcomer from the endless production line of Kenyan world-class runners. The 31 year-old made a big step towards world-class with a major victory at the Vienna City Marathon last year. He then went on to confirm that this was not a one-off when he won the bronze medal at the highly contested World Half Marathon Championships in Riga where he improved to 59:19. In autumn 2022 Samwel Mailu ran a marathon debut that was not planned. He was racing as a pacemaker at the Frankfurt Marathon. When he was supposed to drop out beyond the 30k mark he asked to continue since he felt strong. Mailu crossed the finish line as runner-up with 2:07:19. In his next marathon he produced a thrilling race, taking the 40th edition of the Vienna City Marathon.

Despite warm temperatures he smashed the nine year-old course record with 2:05:08. In late summer he was a very late addition to the Kenyan team for the World Half Marathon Championships. Despite limited time for preparation Samwel Mailu won the bronze medal. He returned to the Frankfurt Marathon as a hot pre-race favourite and aimed at a sub 2:05 time. But in cool temperatures, wind and rain he struggled and ran 2:13:54. The Kenyan was unlucky this spring when an injury stopped him from competing at the Hamburg Marathon. But in May and June he returned to racing, winning the Riga Half Marathon as well as 10k races in Oelde, Germany, and Langueux, France.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Samwel Mailu, whose parents are vegetable farmers, grew up in a village called Ulawani, which is located not far from the Tanzanian border and Mount Kilimanjaro. He did not live in high altitude and in contrast to many world-class athletes from Kenya running to school did not form the basis for his career. “My school was just about one kilometer away from our home. I became interested in running when I saw my fellow-pupils competing in school championships. I was 15 years old when I started training at primary school“, explained Samuel Mailu, who then moved to a different part of Kenya when he switched to high school. “There I lived about seven kilometers away from the school, but I often took the bike to get there.“

He did not train for three years but re-started when he was doing a college course to become a primary teacher. “I competed at the national teachers’ championships in 2019 and won the 1,500, the 5,000 and the 10,000 metres.“ Instead of taking up a teachers’ job he then decided to try running again. “I met my present coach Dickson Ngei and started training seriously in 2020, when I moved to his training camp in Machakos southeast of Nairobi where we train in an altitude of up to 2000 metres. We are eleven runners and our coach still competes as well“, said Samwel Mailu, whose idol is Eliud Kipchoge. While his international career is still at the beginning Mailu already thinks about helping others to start a career in athletics as well.

“In the area where I grew up football and other ball games dominate while running has not much significance. This is why I decided to organize a 10k running event there in Ulawani. We will help some young athletes by paying their school fees and try to guide them,“ explained Samwel Mailu, who has two brothers and two sisters. Samwel Mailu’s manager is Philipp Kopp from Berlin, whose late father Christoph Kopp had a decisive influence in the enormous development of the BERLIN-MARATHON. For many years Christoph Kopp was the elite race coordinator and it was he who in the nineties formed the BERLIN-MARATHON into one of the world’s best elite marathons. 

MILKESA MENGESHA

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 16.4.2000
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:05:29 (Valencia, 2022)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 27.8.23, 6. World Championships, Budapest, 2:10:43

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Milkesa Mengesha was a track and cross country runner first but turned to the marathon early. In 2019 he took the World Junior Cross Country title and two years later Mengesha managed to qualify for the Olympic Games with a strong 5,000 m personal best of 12:58.28. In Tokyo the Ethiopian qualified for the final where he placed tenth.

Despite the success in cross country and on the track he then focussed more on road running. Winning the competitive Copenhagen Half Marathon in 2022 he improved to 58:58. Three months later he ran a fine marathon debut in Valencia, finishing seventh in 2:05:29. He went on to take the Daegu Marathon in South Korea in spring 2023 and was then selected for the World Championships. In very high temperatures Milkesa Mengesha, who grew up in Welega in western Ethiopia with six siblings, achieved a fine sixth place. This year Milkesa Mengesha has only competed twice. He was third at the Houston Half Marathon in January with 60:45 and then took sixth place in a 10k in Boulder, USA, in May.
 

JOSPHAT BOIT

• KENYA
• BIRTHDATE: 25.11.1995
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:05:42 (Berlin, 2023)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS:24.9.23, 13. BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, 2:05:42

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Josphat Boit returns once more to the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, where he was successful in different roles. Back in 2018 he was a pacemaker for Eliud Kipchoge’s world record performance and last year he ran his personal record in Berlin. In spring 2023 Josphat Boit had the opportunity to compete in European road races. The Kenyan immediately showed a strong performance when he was third at Italy’s Verbania Half Marathon with 59:19. His second race in Europa was a 15k in Valencia in June, which he won with a quick 42:02. With this time he is the sixteenth fastest athlete ever over this distance, which is not a standard event.

Having performed so well Josphat Boit became a pacemaker at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. Since the other two pacers dropped out much earlier than planned a lot depended on Boit. He did not disappoint and guided Eliud Kipchoge up to the 25k mark (1:12:24). Kenya’s superstar then carried on to break the world record with 2:01:39. Little over half a year later Josphat Boit ran his marathon debut in Rotterdam with a fine time of 2:07:20. There were very few opportunities for races during the Corona Pandemic. It was then in Amsterdam 2022 where Boit improved his PB to 2:06:34. At last year’s BMW BERLIN-MARATHON he made the next step with a time of 2:05:42. This spring Josphat Boit celebrated his first marathon victory: He won in Chongqing, China, with 2:07:53. 
 

DEJENE MEGERSA

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 24.1.2005
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:05:42 (Dubai, 2024)

MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Dejene Megersa is a newcomer among Ethiopia’s marathon runners. Just 19 years old he already has a strong personal best of 2:05:42. So far the youngster has only competed three times in international races. As a 17 year-old he ran the Great Ethiopian Run over 10k. Taking into account that he was only 17 he achieved a great 15th place and clocked 29:25. Without the disadvantage of running in high altitude he would have been considerably faster. A large number of Ethiopians top talents used the Dubai Marathon in the past years to kick start their careers. Although unknown in international road running Dejene Megersa got the opportunity to run in Dubai at the beginning of this year.

At the age of 18 he achieved a superb third place and ran 2:05:42 on the extremely flat course. Exactly three months later he was eighth in the Paris Marathon with 2:08:41. Now Dejene Megersa could try to improve his personal best in Berlin.

OQBE RUESOM

• ERITREA
• BIRTHDATE: 1.1.1998
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:05:51 (Barcelona, 2023)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS:

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Oqbe Ruesom - also known as Oqbe Kibrom - focussed on the marathon distance very early in his career. In spring 2023 he improved to 2:05:51 in Barcelona. With this performance he qualified for the Olympic Marathon. However he did not run in Paris and will instead compete at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. At the age of just 21 Oqbe Ruesom ran his debut in 2:10:00 at the 2019 Lisbon Marathon. A year later he progressed noticeably. On Valencia’s fast course he clocked 2:05:53. With this time he held the national record of Eritrea for a while and qualified for the 2021 Olympic marathon in Sapporo, Japan, where he was 35th.

In 2022 he showed convincing form with a third place in Vienna, where he was in the lead with little over 5k to go. He then placed 16th at the World Championships. His personal best in Barcelona followed in 2023. This spring Oqbe Ruesom ran a solid race at the Hamburg Marathon where he finished sixth with 2:06:50.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

As a youngster Oqbe Ruesom hoped for a career in cycling. But then he injured himself in a crash and started running afterwards. His manager is former Eritrean Tadesse Abraham who is the Swiss marathon record holder. 
 

JUSTUS KANGOGO

• KENYA
• BIRTHDATE: 10.10.1995
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:05:57 (Berlin, 2023)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 24.9.23, 15. BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, 2:05:57

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Justus Kangogo returns to the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON where he ran his best race at the classic distance so far. A year ago the Kenyan improved his personal best by almost two minutes to 2:05:57. 
As a 20 year-old he started his international career in 2025. For some time he mainly competed in half marathon races. Once he managed to break the one hour barrier: He was runner-up at the Rome-Ostia race in 2017 with 59:31. However the slightly downhill point to point course is not record illegible. A year later he ran 60:24 in Prag for seventh place.

After a 2:16:28 marathon debut in Shanghai in 2019 he had to wait until spring 2023 before he finally achieved a sub 2:10 time (2:07:40 in Prague). Then he further improved in Berlin. This spring Justus Kangogo ran 2:08:45 in Daegu, South Korea. On the fast Berlin course another personal best will now probably be his goal.

CHALA REGASA

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 30.4.1997
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:06:11 (Rotterdam, 2023)

MARATHONS :

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Chala Regasa is among Ethiopia’s most promising road runners. His idol and training partner is Kenenisa Bekele while it was Eliud Kiochoge who inspired him to switch to the marathon. It would hardly be a surprise if Chala Regasa achieves a breakthrough in Berlin. He could well become one of Ethiopia’s next great marathon runners. At the beginning of his career he ran the 1,500 m but could not produce international top times. His PB stands at 3:34,57. Since he focused more on road races from 2019 onwards he became more successful.

When Kenya’s superstar Eliud Kipchoge broke through the two hour barrier in Vienna in 2019 in a marathon that was not record eligible (1:59:40.2) Chala Regasa was among his pacemakers. „We made history on that day and in my whole life I will never forget that race and this great city. It was in this race when I saw what is possible in the marathon. After that experience I decided to turn to the marathon myself,“ said Chala Regasa. Due to the pandemic and an injury it took almost four years before he finally ran his debut. In 2022 he first ran a couple of strong half marathons. Regasa was second in Barcelona in his PB of 59:10 and then took the highly competitive New Delhi Half Marathon with 60:30.

It was in Rotterdam in 2023 when he ran the marathon and finished fifth in a fine 2:06:11. Due to an injury he had to wait until this spring for his second marathon. He returned to Vienna and despite windy conditions he surged away from his rivals and won the Vienna City Marathon by over four minutes with 2:06:35. “Now my next goal is a 2:04 time in an autumn marathon,“ said Chala Regasa, who will now chase such a time at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Chala Regasa who grew up in Ethiopia’s Oromia region. This is the area where a large number of Ethiopian world-class runners come from, among them Kenenisa Bekele. “I come from a village called Fitche. As a child I ran three kilometres to school in high altitude of around 2,900 to 3,000 metres. I then started training at the age of ten, inspired by my elder brother Solomon. He was a runner and helped me. And he also supported me financially,“ said Chala Regasa, whose parents are wheat farmers and also have cattle.

“As a child I helped them on the farm,“ said Chala Regasa. For over two years now Regasa trains with the group of Kenenisa Bekele in Addis Abeba. “I wanted to join them and approached Kenenisa’s coach Geta Mesai,“ said Chala Regasa. “When we train together Kenenisa is still ahead of me. But I am closing the gap. My dream is to win major marathons in the future and to become Olympic champion. I know that I will have to run at least 2:02 to achieve this.“

STEPHEN KIPROP

• Kenya
• BIRTHDATE: 08.09.1999
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:07:04 (Daegu/KOR, 2024)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 28.4.2019, London Marathon, DNF 

MARATHONS :

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Stephen Kiprop has established himself as a successful half marathon runner who has great potential for the marathon. He ran half a dozen sub 60:00 times since he started his international career in 2018. His biggest win so far came in Ras Al Khaimah (UAE) when he clocked 58:42 in 2019. At that time it was the fifth fasest ever at the distance and it remains his PB. Could not quite transform his potential to the marathon distance yet, but made a big step in April. He won the Daegu Marathon in Korea comfortably in 2:07:04.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Stephen Kiprop comes from Kapngeny in Baringo (east of Eldoret). His parents are farmers and he has goats himself. Kiprop has a daughter and his motto is: „Train hard, win easy“.

TIGIST KETEMA

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 15.9.1998
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:16:07 (Dubai, 2024)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 21.4.24, 7. London Marathon, 2:23:21
• ADDITIONAL MARATHONS: 7.1.24, 1. Dubai Marathon, 2:16:07

CAREER OVERVIEW:

In Tigist Ketema the next former middle distance runner who ran a sensational marathon debut will come to the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. Her prominent fellow-Ethiopian Tigst Assefa, a former 800 m runner, ran an unbelievable world record in Berlin last year (2:11:53). Tigist Ketema was third in the 800 m final at the World Junior Championships in 2016 and a year later became Africa’s Junior Champion. However her personal bests of 2:02.00  over 800m and 4:00.91 for 1,500m were not good enough to break through as a senior.

Instead of continuing on the track Tigist Ketema ran a sensational marathon debüt in Dubai this January: At the age of 25 she won the race with an unofficial world debut record of 2:16:07. So decisive was Ketema’s move with less than five kilometres to run that she ended up beating fellow-Ethiopian Ruti Aga - the two were in the lead together before - by over two minutes. With only little time to rest in between she ran her second marathon in London in April with 2:23:21 for seventh place. With much more time for training Tigist Ketema could well cause another upset in Berlin.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

“I was quite afraid of the distance before I raced a marathon, but at the end, I wondered why,” said Tigist Ketema after her Dubai victory. She trained for around one year to make the switch from middle distances to the marathon. Her coach in Addis Ababa is Gemedu Dedefo, who takes care of a group of world-class runners. World record holder Tigst Assefa, world champion Amane Beriso as well as former world champion Tamirat Tola are among the training partners of 26 year-old Ketema. “Judging by her training, I thought she could do 2:15, but I can’t be dissatisfied with what she has done,” said Gemedu Dedefo.

GENZEBE DIBABA

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 8.2.1991
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:18:05 (Amsterdam, 2022)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS

• ADDITIONAL MARATHONS: 16.10.22, 2. Amsterdam Marathon, 2:18:05

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Genzebe Dibaba caused furor with an extraordinary series of results and world records over the middle and long distance track races around ten years ago. She broke half a dozen world records indoors - three of them within two weeks in 2014: Dibaba ran 3:55.17 for 1,500m, 8:16.60 for 3,000m and 9:00.48 over two miles, which is a non-standard event. A year later she smashed the 5,000 m indoor world record with 14:18.86. This mark still stands today and no other runner came even close. In summer 2015 she sensationally broke the 22 year-old 1,500m world record of China’s Qu Yunxia (3:50.46). In Monte Carlo Genzebe Dibaba clocked 3:50,07. In the same year she became world champion in this event and in 2016 she took the Olympic Silver medal.

At the World Indoor Championships she collected five gold medals: at 1,500m (2012, 2018) and 3,000m (2014, 2016, 2018). During the Corona Pandemic Genzebe Dibaba started focussing more on the roads. In December 2020 she won her half marathon debut in Valencia with 65:18, the fastest time of a debutant at that time. It took almost two more years before Genzebe Dibaba ran her first marathon: She was runner-up in Amsterdam with a very strong 2:18:05. However she was not able to improve this time since then. In London she dropped out in 2023 and later that year she ran 2:21:47 in Chicago. Since then Genzebe Dibaba has not competed.
 

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Genzebe Dibaba comes from Bekoji, which is home to a number of world-class runners from Ethiopia - among them is Kenenisa Bekele. But Genzebe Dibaba had world-class in her own household. She is the younger sister of Ejegayehu Dibaba (second in the Olympic 10,000m final in 2004 and third in the World Championships 2005 at 5,000 and 10,000m) and of superstar Tirunesh Dibaba, who is a three-time Olympic Champion (5,000 and 10,000m in 2008 and 10,000 in 2012) and collected 16 World Championships’ gold medals. Tirunesh Dibaba was third at the 2018 BMW BERLIN-MARATHON with 2:18:55. Genzebe Dibaba was the 2014 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year and in 2015 became the IAAF World Woman Athlete of the Year.

YEBRGUAL MELESE

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 18.4.1990
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:19:36 (Dubai, 2018)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS:

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Yebrgual Melese started a comeback this spring. The Ethiopian competed for a decade until 2020 and enjoyed international success. After a break of four years she now returned when she finished fifth with 2:23:43 at the Seoul Marathon. The 34 year-old will now run Berlin, probably aiming to come closer to her fastest times. The 50th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON will be her 20th marathon race. Already at the start of her career in 2011 Yebrgual Melese focused on the road events. At first she mainly competed in half marathon where she has a PB of 68:21. As did many Ethiopian athletes she chose the extremely flat course of the Dubai Marathon for her debut in 2014 (2:29:46).

Step by step she improved and in 2018 Melese finally broke the 2:20:00 barrier. The Ethiopian clocked 2:19:36 in Dubai, which remains her personal best. Out of 19 marathon races Yebrgual Melese won five. Among them are Houston, Prague and Shanghai, where she triumphed twice and still holds the course record with 2:20:36.
 

MESTAWOT  FIKIR

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 2.3.2000
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:20:45 (Paris, 2024)
• MARATHONS: 7.4.24, 1. Paris Marathon, 2:20:45 

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Mestawot Fikir is still a newcomer to international road running. It was around two years ago when she competed outside of Ethiopia for the first time, winning a 10 mile race in Brazil. In 2023 she ran her half marathon debut in Larne, Northern Ireland, and won with a strong time of 66:44. A few weeks later she also took the Cardiff Half Marathon (68:13). This was followed by fifths places in Boston 2023 and Houston 2024, where she clocked her second fastest half marathon time with 67:36.

In April Mestawot Fikir won her marathon debut as well. In the competitive Paris Marathon she crossed the line in a fine 2:20:45, taking the race by just three seconds. Since Paris is not a particularly fast course the 24 year-old will hope to improve her personal best on Berlin’s world record course.

 
AZMERA GEBRU

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 31.10.1995
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:20:48 (Amsterdam, 2019)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 1.3.20, 6. Tokyo Marathon, 2:22:58

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Azmera Gebru’s career is somehow split in two parts. First she produced amazing results as a young teenager. She was just 14 years old when she managed to qualify for the World Junior Championships (under 20!) at 800 m. She was unlucky because she suffered of stomach problems and did not qualify from her heat. However in the following year she managed to qualify for another major competition in the under 20 category: Gebru took a sensational silver medal at the World Junior Cross Country Championships at the age of 15. She was narrowly beaten by Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, one of today’s superstars.

In the following years Azmera Gebru mainly ran on the track and competed in major athletics meetings. But with personal bests of 4:08.39 for 1,500m and 14:57.38 for 5,000m there was no major breakthrough. She then joined the training group of Getamesay Molla, who coaches a number of top marathon runners in Addis Ababa. This was when the second part of her career started. From then on Azmera Gebru focused on road running. She ran a 70:40 half marathon in December 2017 in Valencia, which was followed by a break since she took care of her mother who was ill in her home in Tigray.

When Gebru came back she ran a fine marathon debut in Amsterdam with 2:23:31 in autumn 2018. “I saw quickly that Azmera would be a very good marathon runner - she had the step, the strength and the endurance,“ said Getamesay Molla. In her seven marathon races Azmera Gebru has never been slower than 2:25:00. In 2019 she set her personal best in Amsterdam with 2:20:48. It was this year when she achieved her biggest career win so far, taking the Sevilla Marathon. Since her debut in 2018 Azmera Gebru has only competed in the marathon. 

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Azmera Gebru comes from Maychew, which is in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. Together with her six siblings she grew up on a farm. She regularly played football and that was when she realized that she could run very fast. A teacher then encouraged her to start athletics and she concentrated on sprinting 200 and 400m first. When she won the 400 and the 800m at a national competition for under 14 year-olds an athletics club from Addis Ababa took care of her. She moved to the capital where she lives and trains since. In her spare time Azmera Gebru likes listening to Ethiopian music and watches historic documentaries. 

SISAY GOLA

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 30.12.1997
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:20:50 (Sevilla, 2022)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Sisay Gola returns to the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, where she ran one of the best races of her career: Two years ago she was fifth here with 2:20:58, missing her PB by just eight seconds. Sisay Gola focused on the marathon and half marathon distance since the start of her career. As an 18 year-old she already ran her marathon debut in China but missed a top result with a time of 2:52:27. After a series of races in Asia in 2021 she finally managed a time under 2:30 (2:28:30) at an elite only race in Siena during the corona lockdown.

She significantly improved in Seville 2022 where she ran her current PB of 2:20:50. Since then she achieved sub 2:23:00 times in three more marathons. At the 2020 half marathon World Championships in Gdynia, Poland, Sisay Gola finished 15th with 69:02 which is still her personal best. 

ABABEL YESHANEH

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 22.7.91
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:20:51 (Chicago, 2019) 

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS:

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Ababel Yeshaneh could be in for a surprise at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON as she has the potential to significantly improve her PB of 2:20:51 and run well below 2:20:00. The 33 year-old Ethiopian was the world record holder in the half marathon for some time. On the very flat course of the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Ababel Yeshaneh ran the best race of her career so far in 2020. In the United Arab Emirates she improved the half marathon record by 20 seconds and clocked 64:31. She beat a very strong field in this race. Little more than half a year later she was unlucky at the World Half Marathon Championships. Between 17 and 18k she was tripped by Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir and fell to the ground. In the end she finished fifth.

In the marathon she took the Abu Dhabi race in 2018 with 2:20:16. However the course turned out to be short so that her time was not officially listed. But she followed this up with a number of good races at Abbott World Marathon Major events in the past couple of years. She was second in Chicago with her PB of 2:20:51 when Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei broke the world record in 2019 with 2:14:04. Then she took third in New York (2021) as well as second and fourth in Boston (2022 and 2023). This year Ababel Yeshaneh, who is coached by former marathon runner Yerefu Birhanu (PB: 2:09:01) in Addis Ababa, has only run one race: At the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon she was second with 65:44.

MIZUKI MATSUDA

• JAPAN
• BIRTHDATE: 31.5.1995
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:20:52 (Osaka, 2022)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Mizuki Matsuda returns to the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. She ran her second marathon here in 2018 when she finished fifth in a strong field with a personal best of 2:22:23. She has been very successful in her home country, where - despite the very strong competition - she won four of her seven marathons. Mizuki Matsuda won the Osaka Marathon three times and ran her current PB of 2:20:52 in this race in 2022.  She competed in the marathon for Japan at two World Championships: In Eugen she finished ninth in 2022 and a year later she was 13th in very high temperatures in Budapest. Matsuda was the bronze medallist over 10,000m at the Asian Championships in 2017.

FIKRTE WERETA

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 21.9.2000
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:21:32 (Seoul, 2024)
• ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 24.9.23, 10. BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, 2:23:01

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Fikrte Wereta is an upcoming marathon runner from Ethiopia. Whiles never raced on the track or cross country internationally she fully focused on the half marathon and the marathon distances right from the start of her career. Her half marathon PB stands at a modest 71:40, but in the marathon she has been much more successful. After her marathon debut in Hamburg in 2022 she significantly improved in Dubai last year, where she ran 2:22:50. Fikrte Wereta was then tenth at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. This spring the 24 year-old produced her best race so far by winning the Seoul Marathon with a personal best of 2:21:32. A time of sub 2:20:00 could now be the target when she returns to Berlin.

AI HOSODA

• JAPAN
• BIRTHDATE: 27.11.1995
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:21:42 (London, 2022)
   

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS:

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Ai Hosoda competed in long distance track races before she ran her marathon debut in Nagoya 2019. She managed a time of sub 2:30:00 at her first attempt and then improved to 2:25:00 in her third marathon three years later. When she competed in Europe for the first time in autumn 2022 Ai Hosoda clocked 2:21:42 in London. This remains her personal best and is the fastest time ever run by a Japanese woman in the London Marathon.

One year ago Ai Hosoda was third in the Japanese Olympic trial race in Tokyo. But it was not enough to get selected for Paris since the Japanese officials give the third place to the runner who is the fastest in a number of designated races. Ai Hosoda’s time was beaten and she then could not improve because of an injury. She was then selected as a reserve runner and trained for the Olympics. In fact one of the three selected Japanese runners could not compete in Paris, but neither could Ai Hosoda. The cancellation probably came too late.

ABERU AYANA

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 17.9.2000
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:21:54 (Sevilla, 2023)

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Aberu Ayana has - at a young age of 24 - already run a dozen international marathons, some of them very competitive. The Ethiopian focused on long distance road races from the start of her career and she mostly runs marathons.  2023 was her strongest year so far. Aberu Ayana improved to 2:21:54 when she was runner-up at the Sevilla Marathon, then she took fourth place in Ottawa and in the autumn she achieved her biggest career win so far: Ayana took the Lisbon Marathon with 2:25:06. This year she ran two races in China: Aberu Ayana was fourth at the Xiamen Marathon and then improved her half marathon PB to 70:02 in Yangzhou where she was fifth. She will run an Abbott World Marathon Majors race for the first time in Berlin.

TADU TESHOME

• ETHIOPIA
• BIRTHDATE: 9.6.2001
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:17:36 (Valencia, 2022)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Tadu Teshome began her international career as a 17 year-old in South Africa. She competed for the Nedbank Running Club in a 10k series in 2019.  Out of eight races she won once and finished runner-up in four others. She never finished lower than fourth place. She competed in South Africa again in 2021 and then ran her marathon debut in Barcelona. As a 20 year-old she won the race with 2:23:53.

While Tadu Teshome continued to run in South Africa her best results came in Europe in 2022. First she took the Copenhagen Half Marathon with 66:13 Minuten, then she clocked a world-class time of 2:17:36 in Valencia. Despite good performances in London (8th) and Chicago (5th) in 2023 she has not yet produced a second sub 2:20 result. This could be her aim at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. Tadu Teshome has not run a marathon earlier this year. But the 23 year-old clocked a PB at 10k in Durban with 31:13 in June.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Tadu Teshome grew up in Ethiopia’s Sidama region. As reported by African and international media she almost lost a leg at the age of seven when she was badly injured during a storm. The hut where she was sleeping was partly destroyed and she was swept away and washed into a wood. She was critically injured and doctors intended to amputate a leg to save her. However her mother stopped this from happening and she eventually recovered.

HENDRIK PFEIFFER
 

• TK HANNOVER / GERMANY
• 18.3.1993
• BESTZEIT: 2:07:14 (Houston, 2024)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS:

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS: 

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Hendrik Pfeiffer specialized in the marathon early. In 2016 he finished his first ever marathon in Düsseldorf in sensational style, running  2:13:11 which was just enough to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio. Due to serious heel injuries the dream to start at the Olympic Games had to wait. He missed the 2018 European Championships in Berlin as well. After two surgeries Hendrik Pfeiffer made his comeback in 2020. In Sevilla he ran his personal best in 2:10:18 which was enough to qualify for the 2021 Olympic Games in Japan. In Sapporo, host of the Olympic Marathon races, he finished 50th.

By winning the Hannover Marathon in 2022 in 2:10:59 Hendrik Pfeiffer achieved his biggest career victory so far. Following that he won the silver medal with the German team at the European Championships in Munich despite being diagnosed with Covid-19 in the build up to the event. In autumn he ran three additional marathons, but two of them were not serious. Hendrik Pfeiffer made a significant step a year ago at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON: He ran sub 2:10 for the first time and improved to 2:08:48.

Since this was not fast enough to qualify for the Olympic Games he made another attempt in January 2024, but had run the New York Marathon as well in between. In an amazing race in Houston he took third in 2:07:14 without pacemakers. Pfeiffer had to push the pace himself at the front for most of the distance and then missed Germany’s third Olympic spot by an annoying ten seconds. In April he showed another fine performance, when he was seventh in London with 2:10:00. It was the best result by a German in London’s men’s race since 1988. Only Christoph Herle has ever achieved a better rank in London, when he was fourth in 1985.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Hendrik Pfeiffer first played football and as a left winger was tested in training by famous German club Schalke 04. However at the age of 14 they told him that he had too much weight and should go running first. That was how Hendrik Pfeiffer started with the sport. Later Pfeiffer, who studies Journalism, competed for TV Wattenscheid and since 2023 for TK Hannover. He is now self coached but still gets advice from his former coach Tono Kirschbaum. Hendrik Pfeiffer is married to long distance runner Esther Pfeiffer (maiden name: Jacobitz) and supports her in training. She improved significantly this year and placed 18th in the half marathon at the European Championships in Rome this June (Hendrik Pfeiffer finished 34th in the men’s race).

FILIMON ABRAHAM
 

• LG Telis Finanz Regensburg / GERMANY
• 9.11.1992
• BESTZEIT: 2:08:22 (Barcelona, 2023)

MARATHONS: 

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Filimon Abraham’s marathon career has not really got going yet. He did not finish his first two races, then he surprised with a 2:08:22 in Barcelona in spring 2023. At that time he became the second fastest German ever. But because of an injury he could not run a marathon since then. In winter 2022 he improved his half marathon PB to 62:35, but then dropped out of the Hamburg Marathon due to muscle problems after 34k. For his second attempt in Frankfurt he had prepared in Addis Ababa for seven weeks, joining the strong group of coach Tessema Abshero. But he caught a cold in Frankfurt and dropped out after the 30k mark.

In December 2022 he came back with a strong fifth place at the European Cross Country Championships near Milan. For Christmas he travelled to Eritrea and was able to see his parents for the first time since he fled nine years earlier. In January he returned to Eritrea for high altitude training in heights of 2,400 m. Then he ran 2:08:22 in Barcelona. An injury stopped him from further attempts to qualify for the Olympic Games. After seven months without races he was able to return to competition this year. In May Filimon Abraham improved to 27:48.82 in the 10,000 m and in June he was 22nd in the half marathon of the European Championships in Rome (63:09).

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Filimon Abraham grew up in Eritrea. As a child he was interested in cycling, which is very popular there. „But financially it was not possible to start cycling. I could not afford to buy a bike,“ said Filimon Abraham, who followed the careers of Haile Gebrselassie and Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese in TV and papers. Tadesse won the World Half Marathon Championships five times and was World Cross Country Champion. “It was a dream to become as successful as they were. They are still my idols today.“

In 2014 Filimon Abraham fled from Eritrea. Coming through Sudan and Libya he crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Italy. After eight month he arrived at a refugee centre in Chiemgau, Bavaria. While he had started running in Eritrea it was in Germany where his actual career started. “The sport has helped me with integration,“ said Filimon Abraham, who became a German citizen in 2020. He first did a training to become a carpenter and then started working as an electrician. Abraham also like mountain running.
 

HAFTOM WELDAY
 

• TB Hamburg Eilbeck / GERMANY
• 13.3.1990
• BESTZEIT: 2:08:24 (Valencia, 2023)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: Marathon 

ADDITIONAL  MARATHONS: 

CAREER OVERVIEW:

When running events started to come back in 2021 after the Corona lockdowns Haftom Welday achieved a breakthrough in Berlin. First he improved by over four minutes in the half marathon (62:47), then he ran a 2:13:47 debut at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. One year later he improved his marathon PB significantly in Berlin, running 2:09:06. At that time he was number six on the German alltime list.

Welday was selected for the World Championships’ marathon in Budapest in 2023. In hot weather conditions he achieved a fine 14th place and was the fastest German. However despite improving to 2:08:24 in Valencia later in the year he did not manage to qualify for the Olympic Games. A sub 2:07:05 would have been necessary to snatch the third German spot.  This year Haftom Welday showed good form again: He ran 2:08:29 in Sevilla and tied his half marathon PB in Hamburg in June.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Haftom Welday had Eritrean citizenship but grew up in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. “I liked to play football and was not fond of running at all“, recalled Haftom Welday, who fled the region in 2014. Coming through the Sahara and then crossing the Mediterranean Sea he arrived in Germany and lived in Pattensen near Hannover.

“I realised that I was able to run fast when I had to run three kilometres to catch a bus. Then I did the Deutsches Sportabzeichen (a popular German sporting test) and Friedrich Weber, who recorded my performances, spotted my talent and supported me. At that time I was 25,“ reports Haftom Welday on his website. At the end of 2021 Haftom Welday moved to Hamburg together with his wife and the three children. In 2022 he received German citizenship. His dream is to run the marathon at the Olympic Games.
 

SEBASTIAN HENDEL
 

• LG Braunschweig / GERMANY
• 1.12.1995
• BESTZEIT: 2:08:51 (Hamburg, 2024)

MARATHONS: 

CAREER OVERVIEW:

Sebastian Hendel’s strengths clearly are the long distance road events. The 28 year-old showed his best performances so far in the half marathon and the marathon. But originally he ran middle and long distances on the track. For some years now his focus is on the roads. Running his debut at the distance he took second place at the 2021 German half marathon championships in Hamburg with 62:28. It took over a year before he then ran his first marathon in Munich with 2:10:37.

In spring 2023 Sebastian Hendel improved to 61:52 at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. Later that year he returned to the Munich Marathon and clocked 2:10:14. He was unlucky since the leading group was misled and had to turn back. Otherwise he would have broken 2:10:00 in that race. He did manage to run well under that mark when he ran the Hamburg Marathon this spring. With 2:08:51 he moved up to ninth place in the German alltime list.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Sebastian Hendel started running in an athletics club at a young age. But it was only when his father Udo Hendel took over coaching him that he prospered. At local and then regional level he started winning track, cross country and road championship races. After completing his A levels in 2014 he received a scholarship for sport at New York’s Iona College. There he met his future wife, Croatia’s long distance runner Kristina Bozic. Before their son was born in October 2016 they stopped their scholarships in New York. Since then the family lives near Zwickau, Germany. Kristina Hendel has a marathon PB of 2:27:29 and competes for Germany since 2022.
 

JOHANNES MOTSCHMANN
 

• SCC Berlin
• 3.8.1994
• BESTZEIT: 2:10:39 (London 2024)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS:  

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS:

CAREER OVERVIEW:

A personal best of 2:10:39 and a ninth place at the London Marathon this spring should give Johannes Motschmann plenty of confidence for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. Only three other German runners achieved a better place in the history of London’s men’s race. In Berlin the time goal will be to run sub 2:10. He has been in high altitude training in St Moritz for four weeks in the build-up to Berlin.

Johannes Motschmann came to Berlin in 2019 and joined the team of race organiser SCC EVENTS, the Marathon Team Berlin. The former steeple chaser (PB: 8:33,12) ran a fine 2:14:38 marathon debut in December 2022 when he was second at the Austrian marathon championships in Vienna, where international competitors were accepted despite the pandemic. He continued on the roads and improved to 2:12:18 in Rotterdam. With this time he qualified for the European Championships in Munich, where he took 16th place. With the German marathon team he won a silver medal in the team competition (European Marathon Cup).

Johannes Motschmann, who has a 61:45 half marathon PB, improved to 2:11:30 at the Tokyo Marathon 2023. He was then selected for the World Championships. In very high temperatures he was 25th at these championships in Budapest in the summer. 

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Johannes Motschmann comes from Magdeburg and studied psychology at New York’s Iona College for five years after receiving a sports scholarship. He then started studying medicine in Bochum, Western Germany. However at the moment running is his priority. Johannes Motschmann is self-coached. The places he spends most time during the year are Berlin and Blacksburg in Virgina, USA, where his girl friend studies.

MELAT KEJETA

• LAUFTEAM KASSEL / GERMANY
• BIRTHDATE: 27.9.1992
• PERSONAL BEST: 2:21:47 (Dubai, 2024)

ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS: 

ADDITIONAL MARATHONS: 

CAREER OVERVIEW:
 

Melat Kejeta has been Germany’s most successful road runner for the past couple of years. In the marathon she is among Europe’s strongest athletes. With her 2:21:47 PB she is Germany’s number two behind national record holder Irina Mikitenko (2:19:19). She won the BERLIN HALF MARATHON in 2018 with 69:04 and then ran a very good marathon debut in 2019. At the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON she placed sixth with 2:23:57 which remains the fastest debut time by a German woman.

In 2020 Melat Kejeta won a sensational silver medal at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland. Clocking 65:18 she broke the 25 year-old German record from Uta Pippig (67:58) and established a European women only record. Melat Kejeta became the first European woman for twelve years to win a medal at the World Half Marathon Championships.

In what was only her second marathon she finished sixth at the Olympic race in Sapporo, Japan, in 2021. This was the best result by a German woman since Katrin Dörre-Heinig was fourth in 1996 in Atlanta. After maternity leave Melat Kejeta came back in 2023 and qualified for the World Championships in Budapest. She achieved a fine eleventh place in a heat race. In October she ran 66:25 at the Valencia Half Marathon, but in the marathon in the same city she did not finish in December. Melat Kejeta bounced back quickly, when she was fourth in Dubai just a month later. Running her PB of 2:21:47 she qualified for the Olympic marathon. In spring Kejeta was third at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON (67:26) and then finished fifth in the European Championships’ half marathon in Rome.

She was unlucky at the Olympic Games in August, when she dropped out of the marathon early due to stomach problems. Melat Kejeta now wants to bounce back in Berlin and targets a personal best. If she feels good during the race a sub 2:20:00 time will be a goal and she might then even attack the German record, which Irina Mikitenko established in Berlin in 2008 (2:19:19).

PERSONAL BACKGROUND:

Melat Kejeta is originally from Ethiopia and came to Germany as a refugee. The late German national marathon coach Winfried Aufenanger took care of her and guided her into international class. In spring 2019 Melat Kejeta received German citizenship.

Melat Kejeta lives with her two year-old daughter near Kassel and is a single mother. The wife of her late coach, Brigitte Aufenanger, supports her. Usually Melat Kejeta takes her daughter with her when she travels to Kenya or Ethiopia for high altitude training.She then hires a nanny and joins strong training groups in Iten, Kenya, or Addis Ababa. 
 

The start of the wheelchair racers and handbikers shortly before the impressive starting field of over 50,000 runners will be one of the very special highlights of the marathon weekend. High speed and top times can be expected when the top-class athletes set off on the classic distance of 42.195 kilometres.

Some old acquaintances will also be back at the start for the anniversary. Last year's winner Catherine Debrunner from Switzerland won the New York City Marathon in November 2023 with a course record, then followed this up with further triumphs at the TCS London Marathon in April this year and at the Paralympics in Paris and is also aiming to be the fastest at the anniversary in Berlin. Her compatriot Manuela Schär, the six-time BMW BERLIN-MARATHON winner, will try to challenge her for victory. Spectators can look forward to an exciting duel.

For the exceptional Swiss athlete Marcel Hug, Berlin has become something of a home track. For the exceptional Swiss athlete Marcel Hug, Berlin has become something of a home track. The wheelchair racing pro from Pfyn in Switzerland has dominated the races in the Abbott World Marathon Majors series for several years now, won the Paralympics this year and is the clear favourite for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. He will be joined at the start by David Weir and Jetze Plat, who will be trying to keep their noses in front. It promises to be an exciting race before the runners take to the course at 9.15am.

Two legends of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON are among the handbike favourites in the men's race: the Swiss Heinz Frei (66), one of the world's best racing wheelchair racers for many years, won twenty times in the racing wheelchair category between 1985 and 2013 before switching to the handbike in 2021 after several top 10 finishes. Berlin-born Vico Merklein (47) has regularly finished in the top places since 2006, winning six times between 2010 and 2018. A year ago, Merklein was third and Frei fourth. Last year's winner Julia Dierkesmann and the 2022 winner Katrin Möller (2023 runner-up) and Yvonne Pijahn (2022 runner-up) are among the favourites to win the women's race.

Tops Handbiker Men

Tops Handbiker Women

Tops  wheelchair men

Tops  wheelchair women

Marcel Hug, SUI

• 16.1.1986
• Best: 1:17:47 (Oita, JPN 2021)

Hug is the most successful male wheelchair marathon athlete of modern times. Hug was born with spina bifida and grew up on a farm in Pfyn, Thurgau, Switzerland. He is the youngest of four brothers and started competing at 10. Nicknamed the „Silver Bullet“ due to his helmet. He won eight times in Berlin (since 2011), additionally he achieved 24 wins at the other AbbottWMM marathons (Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago, New York City) - all of these 32 victories happened between2011 and 2023.

David Weir, GBR

• 5. 6. 1979
• Best: 1:26:17 (Berlin 2018)

Weir became the most successful elite athlete in the history of the London Marathon when he clinched his eigth men’s wheelchair title in 2018. He was born with a severed spinal cord and  took up the sport aged eight. Weir has two  daughters, Ronie and Tillia Grace, and two sons, Mason and Lenny.

Jetze Plat NED

• 10. 6. 1991
• Bestzeit: 1:29:06 (Berlin 2022)

Jetze Plat was born with two stunted legs. In 1995, Plat started using a handcycle, to cycle to school. Later he started practising the sport para-cycling. Since 2013 he is coached by Guido Vroemen. He won the paratriathlon events at the Paralympics in Rio (2016), Tokio (2021) and Paris 2024 and was one of the flag bearers for the Netherlands during the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Paralympics. Plat won the handcycling marathon at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON four times between 2014 and 2019, in 2015 he came in 2nd. In his first attempt in the wheelchair category he placed 4th at the 2022 BMW BERLIN-MARATHON.

Catherine Debrunner SUI

• 11.4.1995
• Best:  1:34:16 (Berlin 2023)

Switzerland's Catherine Debrunner is currently the most successful wheelchair racing athlete in the world. She has been active since 2005 and was primarily successful on the track until a few years ago, before competing on the marathon course for the first time two years ago and winning at her first attempt. That was at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2022, where she beat her compatriot and serial winner Manuela Schär and American Susannah Scaroni in the final sprint. A few weeks later, she also won the New York City Marathon. Last year, she repeated her Berlin victory in impressive style, setting a world record of 1:34:16 in the process.

At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, she was one of the most successful medallists of all nations: Five golds and one silver (100m) over distances from 100 to 5,000m on the track and in the marathon.

Catherine Debrunner comes from the canton of Thurgau and has been confined to a wheelchair since birth due to a tumour on her spine. However, she did not let this restrict her and enjoyed outdoor exercise from an early age. As a 7-year-old, she attended a sports camp for children and young people in Nottwil, where she was able to try out a wide variety of sports. It was at this camp that she met the coach Paul Odermatt, who also advises the world-class para-athlete Marcel Hug. Odermatt invited her to an athletics training session in Frauenfeld, where she sat in a racing wheelchair for the first time.

In 2006, she competed in her first Junior World Championships in Ireland. Two years later, she made her breakthrough at the Junior World Championships in New York. She won five gold medals and was recognised as the athlete with the greatest potential. She also trained as a teacher. In 2013, she competed in her first elite world championships in Lyon. Three fifth places showed her that she had arrived at the top of the world. In 2015, she graduated from high school and qualified for the World Championships in Doha at the end of October. In 2016, she went back to school to complete the last two years of her training at the teacher training college. During this time, Catherine Debrunner put her sporting career on the back burner and did not compete in any races until 2018.

She moved to central Switzerland in order to catch up with the world's top athletes, as she found the best training conditions in Nottwil. In addition to training, she also taught a first grade class at a primary school on a part-time basis. At the 2019 Para World Championships in Dubai, Catherine Debrunner impressively showed that she had found her way back to the top of the world. She won the 400m by a clear margin, securing the first Elite World Championship title of her career. She also proved her excellent form in the other competitions, winning silver in the 800m. At the 2021 Paralympics in Tokyo, she took bronze in the 800m and gold in the 400m.

Catherine Debrunner has been a professional athlete since 2022 and usually trains abroad with Dutch coach Arno Mul. As para-athletics has become very professionalised, it is becoming less and less possible to keep up with the world's best and pursue a profession on the side. The teacher has therefore been focussing solely on top-class sport since 2022, also training for long distances and returning home from her first marathons in Berlin and London with two victories. At the ParAthletics in Nottwil 2022, the Thurgau native then set one world record after another. Since winning her marathon debut in Berlin in 2022, marathon victories have only gone past her. She is therefore the number one favourite to win the 50th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON.

Manuela Schär, SUI

• 5.12.1984
• Best: 1:38:07 (Oita JPN 2013)

Schär won the world para marathon title in 2013 and became the joint official world record holder when she clocked 1:38:07 in Oita later that year. Schär won three AWMM series since 2017 and is currently leading the 2024 series with 65 pts. Catherine Debrunner is a distant third (25) leading  Susannah Scaroni on 4th place (17). All three are competing in Berlin this year.

Manuela Schär grew up in Altishofen with her brother, Ivo, and parents, Elisabeth and Ireno. She was injured in an accident in 1993 and started wheelchair sport in 1998 aged 14. She lives in Lucerne where she was born and is an ambassador for Right To Play Switzerland which helps children in disadvantaged countries take part in sport. She leads the 2024 AbbottWMM wheelchair series having scored 65 points so far leading Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland on 3rd place (25) and Susannah Scaroni (USA) with 17 points on 4th place. All three are expected at the starting line of this year´s BMW BERLIN-MARATHON.

Susannah Scaroni, USA

• 16.5.1991
• Best: 1:33:17 Boston

Since her first marathon in Chicago in 2011, Susannah Scaroni has consistently finished in the top 10 in the world’s major races, and has made the medal podium 14 times. She placed second in the 2024 Paris Paralympics Marathon as well as in the 5,000 metres on the track.
Scaroni comes from Tekoa in Washington state. She was injured in a car accident aged five and took up wheelchair racing in 2002 aged 11. She joined the University of Illinois wheelchair racing team in 2012 and is coached by Adam Bleakney. She graduated in dietetics in May 2014 and has two brothers and one sister.
 

PRIZE MONEY Racing wheelchair - Men and women T53/T54

• 1st place 10.000 €
• 2nd place 5.000 €
• 3rd place € 3,000
• 4th place € 2,000
• 5th place € 1,500
• 6th place 1,000

Wheelchair T51/T52

• 1st place 700€

PRIZE MONEY Handbike - Men and women

• 1st place €2,000
• 2nd place €1,500
• 3rd place € 1,000

Bonus for a track record

• 500 €

Additional bonus for three categories Handbike MH4, MH3 and MH1/MH2

• 1st place 500 €
• 2nd place 300 €
• 3rd place 200 €

All information without guarantee. 
 

Here you can find the list of previous wheelchair winners (men) in Berlin.

Wheelchair winners (men) in 2023

Here you can find the list of previous wheelchair winners (women) in Berlin.

Wheelchair winners (women) in 2023 

Click here for the route map, start and finish area, altitude profile.

Start
SCC Berlin

5-km-Erfrischungspunkt:
„Zur Ruderer-Schänke“
Ruder-Club Tegel
Markus Hardt, Tobias Lohr

9-km-Versorgungspunkt:
FV Freizeitsport e.V.
Lutz Berthold, Birgit Berthold

12-km-Erfrischungspunkt:
THW Jugend
Sascha Barnewske

15-km-Versorgungspunkt:
Berliner Schwimmverband – Jugend
Manuela Krause, Jürgen Preuß

17,5-km-Erfrischungspunkt:
IBM-Klub Berlin e.V.
Holmer Jankowski, Holger Werner

20-km-Versorgungspunkt:
Konstanze Krumpholz, Anne Scholz

22,5-km-Erfrischungspunkt:
Berliner Jugendfeuerwehr
Nils Matylewicz

25-km-Versorgungspunkt:
Sportstudio Nippon
Carla Sparmann, Esther Buchwald

27,5-km-Erfrischungspunkt:
LG Süd Berlin
Maximilian Totel, Sarah Wagner

30-km-Versorgungspunkt:
Reino Bangel, Andreas Knoll

32,5-km-Erfrischungspunkt:
TÜV Rheinland Akademie Berlin
Melanie Balzer

34,5-km-Erfrischungspunkt:
"Knackpunkt"/ Nordberliner Lauffreunde
Jörg Busche, Christian Meier

36-km-Versorgungspunkt:
LAC Berlin
Stefan Bauer

38-km-Erfrischungspunkt:
LC Cottbus
Roland Füßler, Kerstin Füßler

40-km-Erfrischungspunkt:
„Zur letzten Tränke“ / SCC-Langstreckler
Karsten Kupsch

Ziel:
ABC Zentrum Berlin
Kai-Thomas Arndt
Denise Thunich

Versorgungspunkte Inlineskating:

6 / 13 / 20 / 27 / 34 km: Motor Eberswalde
Detlef Mierig

Here you can find the passing times at each kilometre.

Here you read information about the Blue Line.

You can read everything you need to know about the supporting programme here.

The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is more than just a 42.195 kilometer race! In the days leading up to the start, our participants can already look forward to great program items. This year's special highlight will be the MOVE, which will take place directly at the Brandenburg Gate on September 17 and will invite to visit exhibitions, linger and enjoy numerous sports and cultural events. More here.

All information about the MARATHON EXPO as part of the 50th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON can be found here.

The mini-MARATHON presented by GENERALI as part of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is organized for students from schools in Berlin and Brandenburg. More informations here.

Have you always wanted to stand next to a world record holder? In the Hall of Fame, you have the opportunity to get up close to the heroes of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. More here.

TASTE THE MARATHON-SPIRIT: On the day before the legendary BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, there is the opportunity to run the last 5 kilometers of the original course. More here.

The Bambini Run, as part of the Bambini Running Series presented by ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg, is a great event with a fantastic backdrop and lots of running fun. More here.

From minor to emergency care - the medical department of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is prepared for everything. All medical support systems will be activated before the start in order to provide competent assistance as quickly as possible in the event of any complaints or emergencies on the course and at the finish. As in previous years, medical care for the marathon has been planned on the basis of a comprehensive concept which, as part of the safety concept for the event as a whole, provides in particular for networking with all systems and institutions in the state of Berlin.

The marathon route is entered into the Berlin fire brigade's emergency rescue system to the exact metre, meaning that the coordination and control centre can guarantee the fastest possible arrival time so that medical measures can be implemented with pinpoint accuracy. The locations of the stationary units are indicated by signs and so-called ‘beach flags’ labelled ‘First AID / First Aid Station’. In addition, Johanniter Unfallhilfe (JUH) will ensure a high density of medical care along the route with mobile teams on motorbikes (‘first responders’) as well as with vehicles.

The emergency services are always positioned at the roadside and are easily recognisable. The high standard is also maintained in the finish area, where, according to data collected in recent years, over two thirds of all assistance was provided. Specialists from intensive care and rescue medicine are also deployed here under the direction of experienced emergency doctors and sports physicians from the organiser, the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Medical Team.

The event is managed - with regard to medical matters - by the organiser's medical board (medical operations management), the Berlin fire brigade / emergency rescue service and the medical service via a medical coordination centre (KOMED), while all other aspects are managed by a central coordination centre (KOST) outside the event site with the involvement of all institutions (police, fire brigade, rescue services, security service, authorities, traffic management, organiser).

Here, all situations and situations, from severe weather situations to potential major incidents on the weekend of the event, can be managed quickly and in a structured manner and, for example, the quickest possible changes to the deployment strategy can be decided and implemented if necessary.

BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Medical Team:

• 140 employees, including 40 paramedics, emergency doctors (internists, anaesthetists, cardiologists), orthopaedists, trauma surgeons and sports physicians, 60 nurses and intensive care nurses from Berlin hospitals
• 4 emergency teams from the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Medical Team, each with 2 doctors on bicycles
• 30 employees as a medical triage team in the immediate post-finish area
• Approx. 180 medical massage assistants (course and finish) Medical service on the course and in the finish area (Johanniter Unfallhilfe and partners)
• 2 medical centres with intensive care areas and ice baths in the finish area, as well as
• 6 further first aid stations in the finish area with the possibility of intensive medical care
• Approx. 30 first aid stations along the route
• 300 paramedics, rescue assistants and helpers
• 10 first responder teams on motorbikes (emergency teams)
• approx. 30 ambulances, rescue service of the Berlin fire brigade
• 10 fire brigade patrols with AED devices for the event only
• 3 emergency ambulances + 10 ambulances, additionally included in the requirements by the Berlin fire brigade
• 20 ambulances on duty on the day of the event in 8 fire stations in the immediate vicinity of the event site

The first three men and women will be tested. Additionally up to 50 men and 30 women can be tested. The lottery will be carried out by World Athletics or by a responsible person of the National Anti Doping Agency Germany (NADA). The doping tests will be carried out by an institution, which is certified and licensed by the NADA and IAAF. The doping tests include pre-competition tests (blood tests) and in-competition tests (urine).

The SCC EVENTS medical team offers an easy-to-perform health test that anyone can easily undergo.
The so-called PAPS test can be carried out here >> but it is also offered as part of the registration process for SCC EVENTS events. The test allows you to find out how healthy you are and to what extent you are able to exercise. Depending on the results of the test, behavioural advice is given.

When registering for an SCC EVENTS event, this PAPS test must be completed before registration can continue.

SCC EVENTS GmbH, which emerged from SC Charlottenburg in the 1980s as an organisation in the course of the development of ever larger races, organises numerous running events each year, inline skating races, a SwimRun event (Rheinsberg), a cycling race and a hiking marathon (Hiking Hero). Almost 200,000 people register for the various events. This makes SCC EVENTS one of the largest running organisers in the world. Under the leadership of the two managing directors Christian Jost and Jürgen Lock, SCC EVENTS operates with over 90 permanent employees.

The origins of today's SCC EVENTS GmbH date back to 1964, when a group of students from the Free University of Berlin - who were also members of SC Charlottenburg - organised the first Berlin cross-country race, which took place on Teufelsberg. The first competitions for amateur athletes were organised, called Volksläufe, until then only club members were allowed to take part in running competitions. The organiser of the first SCC cross-country race was still the sports department of the FU Berlin, because the SCC did not receive permission for a race in which non-club runners could also start.

In 1965, the sports department and SCC organised the cross-country race together, and from 1966 the club organised it alone. After the cross-country race, other smaller races were organised before members of the athletics department of SC Charlottenburg launched the BERLIN MARATHON in 1974, which initially took place in Grunewald. The development of the BERLIN MARATHON was decisive for the emergence of other running events. In 1981, after a long tug-of-war with the authorities and with the support of the US armed forces in West Berlin, the first BERLIN MARATHON took place through the streets of West Berlin.

This was followed in the 1980s by races that have developed into the biggest in Germany to this day, from the BERLIN HALF MARATHON to the Berlin Women's Run and the 5x5 km team relay in Berlin's Tiergarten. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 gave a further boost to Berlin's major running events.

The BERLIN-MARATHON has risen to the elite of international road races. It has been running through the Brandenburg Gate and former East Berlin since 1990 and has had its finish line at the Brandenburg Gate since 2003. 13 world records have been set at the BERLIN-MARATHON, more than at any other marathon in the world; the last was set in 2023 by Ethiopian Tigst Assefa (2:11:53).

The Berliner Wasserbetriebe 5 x 5 km TEAM relay has developed very dynamically in recent years, growing from 1,000 participants (in 2000) to almost 30,000 today. Founded in the mid-1980s, SCC EVENTS GmbH is now one of the largest organisers of sporting events in the world. In addition to the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON and the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, events include the KoRo Frauenlauf Berlin, the StWB TEAM Staffel Brandenburg (4 x 5 km) in Brandenburg an der Havel, the SwimRun Rheinsberg, the GENERALI VeloCity Berlin cycle race, the adidas Runners City Night and the Generalprobe (10.5 and 21.1 km).

Participation development:

Amanal Petros first with bronze and then in bad luck

At the European Championships in June, Amanal Petros, the star of Marathon Team Berlin, secured the biggest success to date for the team, which is part of SC Charlottenburg e.V., the arrange club of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. The 29-year-old won the bronze medal in the half marathon in Rome. However, Amanal Petros was then very unlucky at the Olympic marathon in Paris, as he had to give up after being weakened by an infection. Deborah Schöneborn and Johannes Motschmann impressed with personal best times at the marathons in Houston and London respectively in the first half of the year. Motschmann is now also running the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON.

A year ago, Amanal Petros finished ninth in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, his best race to date over the 42.195 kilometres. With a time of 2:04:58, he was the first German to break the 2:05 hour barrier. This time by Amanal Petros would have been a world record a good 20 years earlier. It was the first German men's record in the history of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, which began in 1974.

The improvement in his own national best time by 1:29 minutes (from 2:06:27) is the most significant increase in the German record since the 1976 Olympic marathon champion Waldemar Cierpinski became the first German runner to stay under 2:10 hours (2:09:55). Amanal Petros is on his way to catching up with the world's elite, but things did not go as planned this summer. He prepared for the Olympic Games with long altitude training camps in Iten, Kenya.

Out of training, he then ran to third place in the half marathon at the European Championships in Rome. Here, too, he was unlucky in the end, because in the battle for the gold medal he stepped on the track boundary in the stadium around 300 metres before the finish and twisted his ankle. This put the title out of reach, but he still managed to win the bronze medal. What was worse was that he suffered from an infection just a few weeks before the Olympic Games in Paris, which weakened him so much that he was unable to run at the front in France as planned. After a good 30 kilometres, Amanal Petros had to give up the race. He will probably run another marathon in late autumn.

Deborah Schöneborn ran a very good race in January, finishing fourth in the Houston Marathon. But in the end she was also unlucky, because despite her improvement to 2:24:54, she missed out on qualifying for the Olympics by just 23 seconds. She then suffered from a foot problem for a long time. Nominated as a substitute runner, she did not take part in Paris. If she is really fit, her goal for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON would be a result close to her best time.

Deborah Schöneborn's twin sister Rabea is going through a difficult phase. After her strong twelfth place at the European Championships in Munich 2022, she was out for a long time due to injury. As a result, she has not yet got back to her best time of 2:27:03. At the end of last year, Rabea Schöneborn ran 2:31:05 in Valencia. She had to cancel an initially planned start at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON because she was not yet in good enough shape. Rabea Schöneborn is expected to run the 42.195 km again a little later in the autumn.

Johannes Motschmann pulled off a surprise at the London Marathon in April. He improved to 2:10:39 hours in the classic race and finished ninth. This is the fourth-best placing ever achieved by a German runner in the men's race in London. On the fast course of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, he is now aiming to run under 2:10:00 for the first time.

After running over 5,000 metres at the World Championships in Budapest a year ago, Sam Parsons was unable to qualify for the Olympic Games over this distance. Meanwhile, a possible marathon debut for Alina Reh will have to wait. Originally a great German long-distance hope, she has to start a complete rebuild after further injury problems. Blanka Dörfel, the youngster of the Marathon Team Berlin, has also not made any progress recently.

Eberhard P. Heck
Lawyer (Vice President Legal Affairs of the SCC e.V.),
Chairman of the Advisory Board

Andreas Statzkowski
President of the SCC e.V.

Christian Bärtels
Adidas AG,
Senior Director Sports Marketing Central Europe

Kirstin Bauch
District Mayor of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf

Dr. Lars Bernhard
Ministerial Councillor for National and International Sport at the Federal Chancellery

Nils Busch-Petersen
Managing Director of Handelsverband Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.

Jan Eder
Managing Director of IHK Berlin

Dr. Rolf Erfurt
Chief Operation Officer of Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe

Peter Hanisch
Honorary President of the Landessportbund Berlin

Thomas Härtel
Former State Secretary, President of the Berlin State Sports Association

Dr. Klaus Henk
Honorary President of the SCC e.V.

Dr. Karsten Homrighausen
Director of the Berlin Fire Brigade

Burkhard Kieker
Managing Director visitBerlin

Dr. Ralf G. Kleinhenz
Director Messe Berlin GmbH

Harald Mika
Managing Partner mikatiming GmbH

Irene Schucht
Head of Strategy and Products Investitionsbank Berlin IBB

Nicolas Zimmer
Technologiestiftung Berlin Chairman of the Executive Board

Event organizer
Sport-Club Charlottenburg e.V.
Organisator
SCC EVENTS GmbH
Olympiapark Berlin
Hanns-Braun-Straße/Adlerplatz
14053 Berlin
Tel. 030 – 301 288 10
Fax 030 – 301 288 20
www.scc-events.com

Organizer
SCC EVENTS GmbH
Olympiapark Berlin
Hanns-Braun-Straße/Adlerplatz
14053 Berlin
Tel. 030 – 301 288 10
Fax 030 – 301 288 20
www.scc-events.com

SCC EVENTS and its organizing team BMW BERLIN-MARATHON

Race Director Mark Milde

Participant Management
Sylvia Ackermann, Georgia Andrews, Linda Baumgart, Anika Gerlach, Marc Goldmann, Monique Hoppe, Sybille Hoppe, Antje Jüntgen, Philipp Kadow, Judy Kumutat, Anja Lüthke, Anja Reisner, Laura Tapia, Stella Strohbach, Britt Munzlinger

Athlete support (Elite)
Philipp Kadow, Nadine Mietke

EXPO
Katharina Holle, Oliver Simon, Laurenz Lenard, Lena Schmidt

Broom cart
Christian Löw

Results service
mika timing

Event Management
Katharina Holle, Antje Paschke, Nadine Mietke, Mark Milde, Robert Müller, Ingo Monse, Oliver Simon, Sarah Hecker, Laurenz Lenard, Lena Schmidt

Meeting point
Bastian Klemke

Driving service
Gabi Mahn, Mario Mahn

Blue line
Wolfgang Weising

Handbike / racing wheelchair competitions
Georgia Andrews

Jubilee-Club
Anja Reisner

Volunteermanagement
Ralf Burzlaff, Noah Löffler, Vivian Schneider

Sustainability
Michael Fuchs, Johanna Lies

Inlineskating
Gerte Buchheit, Ingo Monse

Clothes rack
Peter Fielhauer, Yves Imbert, Alexander Schröter, Christina Imbert, Joachim Zschaler

Poncho output
Alexander Horn

Marketing | Digital
Nadia Dagher, Johannes Dinter, Sophie Gröger, Janis vom Hoff, Celia Jentzsch, Antje Jüntgen, Stephanie Kamen, Sabrina Krause, Marcus Mahlo, Markus März, Katja Lange, Vincent Schröder

International Groups Partner
Mareike Dehmel, Anika Günther, Melanie Moll

Medal output
Dirk Richter, Sven Uterhardt

Media Relations & Editorial/Media Center
Max Bodenstab, Gerte Buchheit, Frauke Constantin, Vincent Dornbusch, Robert Fekl, Elisabeth Hanke, Tom Kettelhut, Jochen Schmitz, Thomas Steffens, Jakob Wartchow, Jörg Wenig

Sponsoring
Nicole Altenhof, Philipp Altmeppen, Jennifer Barthel, Timo Göhler, Chiara Hager, Linda Kollmann, Max Lichtenberg, Ines Rentsch i. EZ, Dominik Rosenau, Marit van Eijk, Lara Vogel

Massage
Matthias Vogel

Finance
Aike Fokkena, Antonella Giglio, Heike Krone, Marcel Reppien, Simone Schmidt

Medical Board / Medical Directors
PD Dr. med. Matthias Krüll, Simone Salzger, Dr.med. Margrit Lock, Sandra Paffenbach

Medical care / Sports Medicine
Angela Hänsel, Emilia Tomassimo, Vincent Bolz, Medical Team von SCC Events

Music / Course
John Kunkeler

Self-catering
Dominic Beblie

Police leader of the operation
PD Drechsler

Protocol/VIP
Marion Strolz, Rotraud Zylka

Speaker
Jonas Frank, Dr. Karsten Holland, Sven Stöcklein

Start
Marcel Heß, Sonja Glauert, Steffen Kirner, Andreas Pohlmann

Course
Gunnar Hamel, Gregor Pfennig

Route measurement
John Kunkeler, Gregor Pfennig

Route supply
Jette Kasper, Max Roy

Operations
Oliver Bach, Ümit Cakmak, Christian Fahr, Michael Gerlach, Daniel Hoppe, Carsten Humrich, Stefanie Münzberg, Achim Rau, Janin Reinhardt, Paul Bär

Pacemaker
Martin Schöll, Sascha Ratzinger (pacerteam.de)

Mascot
Fridolin Flink

Award ceremonies
Yvonne Meißner

Ambulance service
Johanniter Unfallhilfe e.V.

Refreshments on the route

Start
SCC Berlin

5-km-Refreshment point:
„Zur Ruderer-Schänke“
Ruder-Club Tegel
Markus Hardt, Tobias Lohr

9-km-Supply point:
FV Freizeitsport e.V.
Lutz Berthold, Birgit Berthold

12-km-Refreshment point:
THW Jugend
Sascha Barnewske

15-km-Supply point:
Berliner Schwimmverband – Jugend
Manuela Krause, Jürgen Preuß

17,5-km-Refreshment point:
IBM-Klub Berlin e.V.
Holmer Jankowski, Holger Werner

20-km-Supply point:
Konstanze Krumpholz, Jennifer Achilles

22,5-km-Refreshment point:
Berliner Jugendfeuerwehr
Nils Matylewicz

25-km-Supply point:
Sportstudio Nippon
Carla Sparmann, Esther Buchwald

27,5-km-Supply point:
LG Süd Berlin
Maximilian Totel, Sarah Wagner

30-km-Supply point:
Reino Bangel, Andreas Knoll

32,5-km-Refreshment point:
TÜV Rheinland Akademie Berlin
Melanie Balzer

34,5-km-Refreshment point:
"Knackpunkt"/ Nordberliner Lauffreunde
Jörg Busche, Christian Meier

36-km-Supply point:
LAC Berlin
Stefan Bauer

38-km-Refreshment point:
LC Cottbus
Roland Füßler, Kerstin Füßler

40-km-Refreshment point:
„Zur letzten Tränke“ / Long distance runner Karsten Kupsch

Target:
ABC Zentrum Berlin
Kai-Thomas Arndt
Denise Thunich

Supply points Inlineskating:

20 km:
Barbara Noack

30 km: Motor Eberswalde
Detlef Mierig

36 km: SCC Long distance runner
Karsten Kupsch