Elite Field Set for Historic 50th Berlin Marathon: A Showcase of Marathon Legends and Rising Stars

Friday, 16 August 2024

The elite men's lineup for the 50th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON reflects recent shifts in top-tier marathon racing. This year marks the first time since 2014 that neither Eliud Kipchoge nor Kenenisa Bekele will compete in Berlin, a city where 13 world records have been set. Elite Race Director Mark Milde remains optimistic about the race's prospects. While breaking world records is not the primary aim for the jubilee race on September 29, fast times are still expected.

An unprecedented turnout is anticipated for this milestone edition of the race, with over 50,000 participants expected on September 29. This is a significant increase from the inaugural 1974 race, which had 244 finishers.

Among the contenders, Kibiwott Kandie of Kenya stands out. As a former world half marathon record holder with a time of 57:32, Kandie shows promise of becoming one of the all-time great marathoners. Now 28 years old with a personal best of 2:04:48, he was inspired by Berlin's previous world record holder, Paul Tergat, and is one of several runners with personal bests under 2:05:00.

Returning competitors include Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele and Kenya’s Ronald Korir, who placed third and fourth respectively last year with personal bests achieved in Berlin. Cybrian Kotut, also from Kenya and younger brother to former Abbott World Marathon Majors Champion Martin Lel, is making his Berlin debut with a personal best of 2:04:34. Other notable athletes include Ethiopians Hailemaryam Kiros (2:04:41) and Bazezew Asmare (2:04:57), and Samwel Mailu of Kenya, who set a course record at the Vienna City Marathon last year with a time of 2:05:08.

In the women's race, a compelling showdown is anticipated between Ethiopian Tigist Ketema and Kenyan Rosemary Wanjiru, who rank among the top ten marathon times ever. Ketema won this year's Dubai Marathon in what was reported as the fastest marathon debut ever at 2:16:07. She trains with Tigst Assefa, last year's Berlin Marathon record breaker. Wanjiru, who debuted in Berlin with a second-place finish at 2:18:00, improved her personal best to 2:16:14 in Tokyo this year.

Also competing is Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia, a former 1,500m world record holder and the 2014 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, who debuted with a 2:18:05 in Amsterdam and is eager to excel on Berlin's flat course. Yebrgual Melese, another Ethiopian, enters with a personal best of 2:19:36, completing a strong field of sub-2:20 runners.

Elite Runners for the 50th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON:

MEN