Berlin Marathon: Tigst Assefa targets world record

The 52nd BMW Berlin Marathon is set to take place on Sunday, September 27, with over 56,000 participants expected. The event is highly anticipated due to its history of world records, with 13 having been set on this course.

In the women’s elite race, Ethiopian star Tigst Assefa aims to reclaim the world record, targeting a time under 2:10:00. She faces competition from defending champion Rosemary Wanjiru of Kenya and Finnish runner Alisa Vainio, who hopes to achieve a personal best under 2:20:00. Additionally, Germany’s Esther Pfeiffer is attempting to break the long-standing national record of 2:19:19.

The men’s field remains competitive following the withdrawal of world record holder Sabastian Sawe due to injury. Contenders include Olympic 10,000-meter champion Selemon Barega and Gabriel Geay. To account for previous high temperatures, the start time for the main race has been moved forward by 30 minutes to 8:45 a.m. local time.