Wanjiru and Takele return for 50th Berlin Marathon

Four women with sub-2:20 PBs and six men to have dipped under 2:05 feature on the entry lists for the BMW Berlin Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on 29 September.

Ethiopia’s Tigist Ketema and Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru top the women’s entry list with PBs that put them in the top 10 on the world marathon all-time list.

Ketema, who had been better known as an 800m and 1500m specialist, stormed into the marathon spotlight in Dubai in January as she ran 2:16:07, a time that makes her the ninth-fastest women’s marathon runner in history. She followed that with 2:23:21 for seventh place in London in April and Berlin will be her first race since then.

Just one place behind Ketema on the all-time list is Wanjiru, who clocked 2:16:14 to finish second in Tokyo in March. That followed her sixth place in the World Championships marathon in Budapest and victory in the Tokyo Marathon last year. Wanjiru also finished second in Berlin in 2022, running 2:18:00 on her debut.

Joining them on the start line are Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba and Yebrugal Melese, who have respective PBs of 2:18:05 and 2:19:36, plus their compatriots Mestawot Fikir (2:20:45), Azmera Gebru (2:20:48), Sisay Gola (2:20:50), Ababel Yeshaneh (2:20:51) and Fikrte Wereta (2:21:32), as well as Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda (2:20:52).

A total of 13 world records have so far been set in the Berlin Marathon, the most recent being the 2:11:53 by Tigist Assefa in last year’s women’s race.

The men’s title on that occasion was won by Eliud Kipchoge, as he claimed a record fifth victory.

This year, for the first time since 2014, the men’s race will not feature Kipchoge or Kenenisa Bekele – who between them have won the race seven times, with two of Kipchoge’s wins having been claimed in world records – but fast times will still be the target.

Among those who will be returning to Berlin are Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele and Ronald Korir of Kenya, who placed third and fourth last year in respective PBs of 2:03:24 and 2:04:22. 

Kenya’s Cybrian Kotut ran his PB of 2:04:34 when finishing second in Amsterdam last year and makes his Berlin Marathon debut, while Ethiopia’s Hailemaryam Kiros and Bazezew Asmare have also broken 2:05 in their careers so far, respectively running 2:04:41 in Paris in 2021 and 2:04:57 in Amsterdam in 2022.

Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie races the marathon for the third time. The former world half marathon record-holder, who clocked 57:32 for 13.1 miles in 2020, will be looking to build on the PB of 2:04:48 he set in Valencia last year.

Also seeking a spot on the podium will be Kenya’s Samwel Mailu, the world half marathon bronze medallist who set a course record of 2:05:08 to win the Vienna City Marathon last year and continues his comeback after injury.

Elite fields

Women
Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:07
Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) 2:16:14
Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 2:18:05
Yebrugal Melese (ETH) 2:19:36
Mestawot Fikir (ETH) 2:20:45
Azmera Gebru (ETH) 2:20:48
Sisay Gola (ETH) 2:20:50
Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:51
Mizuki Matsuda (JPN) 2:20:52
Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:21:32

Men
Tadese Takele (ETH) 2:03:24
Ronald Korir (KEN) 2:04:22
Cybrian Kotut (KEN) 2:04:34
Hailemaryam Kiros (ETH) 2:04:41
Kibiwott Kandie (KEN) 2:04:48
Bazezew Asmare (ETH) 2:04:57
Samwel Mailu (KEN) 2:05:08
Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) 2:05:29
Haymanot Alew (ETH) 2:05:30
Philimon Kipchumba (KEN) 2:05:35
Stephen Kiprop (KEN) 2:07:04