The Berlin Marathon is famous for being the fastest marathon in the world. Proof? The last 7 marathon world records were set in Berlin. The recipe is simple, a super flat course, plenty of shelter from the wind, and a truly elite field. At the same time, the Berlin Marathon is open to runners of every level and it is part of the Six Marathon Majors.
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The Berlin Marathon course
The Berlin Marathon route starts in the Großer Tiergarten park and finishes just a short distance away. Created in 1974, it originally ran through the streets of West Berlin with fewer than 300 participants. On September 30, 1990, three days before Germany reunified, twenty-five thousand runners passed through the Brandenburg Gate.
On this Berlin course, runners know they are basically home when they go through the Brandenburg Gate. And for good reason, this iconic landmark is less than 1 km from the finish line.
The course is known for being extremely fast. The elevation gain is among the lowest on the marathon circuit. There is only a gentle uphill false flat around km 25, before the route rolls back down.
How to enter the Berlin Marathon
To enter the Berlin Marathon, you usually need to go through the lottery. It often takes place in January. If you get selected, the entry fee of €150 will then be charged.
If luck is not on your side in the draw, you still have other options. The easiest is to book through an official tour operator approved by the race organization. We recommend the Contrastes Running travel agency, a France-based company with nearly 40 years of experience in marathon travel packages.
It is also possible, like for the London Marathon, to run for a charity by adding around €1,000 to your entry. If you or your friends raise that minimum amount, you can secure a guaranteed bib.
Berlin Marathon qualifying times
Marathoners with a fast enough personal best can skip the lottery by meeting a qualifying standard. But be warned, Berlin’s qualifying times are among the most demanding on the circuit:
Men:
Up to 44 years old: under 2:45
Ages 45 to 59: under 2:55
60+: under 3:25
Women:
Up to 44 years old: under 3:00
Ages 45 to 59: under 3:20
60+: under 4:10
A flat course to set a marathon personal best
Feeling fired up by the legends who have flown down Berlin’s asphalt? Since 2007, Haile Gebrselassie, Patrick Makau, Wilson Kipsang, Dennis Kimetto, and Eliud Kipchoge have all lowered the world record on this course. Eliud Kipchoge holds the current world record at 2:01:39.
To see how he trains in the build-up to a marathon, check out Eliud Kipchoge’s training plan ahead of the Berlin Marathon.
On the women’s side, the Berlin Marathon record belongs to Kenya’s Gladys Cherono in 2:18:11.
Training plan for the Berlin Marathon
Are you signed up for the Berlin Marathon to break your personal record or to tick off one of the Six Marathon Majors? For this September marathon, the toughest part is often training in the middle of summer during July and August, especially when temperatures soar.
That is why having a personalized marathon training plan matters if you want to train smart, with enough long runs, marathon pace work, and interval sessions to boost your endurance performance and speed.
That is exactly what RunMotion Coach offers with an adaptive training plan. You can download the RunMotion Coach app and prepare like more than 500 runners did for the 2022 Paris Marathon.
After that, you can test yourself on other marathons in Germany, like the Frankfurt Marathon, also very fast, Munich, Düsseldorf, and more. The atmosphere at German marathons is said to be seriously addictive.
Photo credits: Official Berlin Marathon website