Tigist Ketema in London (© Getty Images)
Ethiopia’s Tigist Ketema and Tadese Takele start as the fastest in the fields and will be hoping to lead the way when they line up for the BMW Berlin Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday (29).
Ketema, previously better known as an 800m and 1500m specialist, made her mark in the marathon in Dubai in January as she ran 2:16:07, a time that places her ninth on the women’s world marathon all-time list. She then ran 2:23:21 to place seventh in London in April and Berlin will be her first race since then.
“I have prepared for a personal best and plan to run the first half on Sunday in around 68 minutes,” she said. “I hope it won't be too cold because I prefer to run in slightly warmer weather.”
Ketema is one of three women with sub-2:20 PBs on the entry list, as her competition includes her compatriots Genzebe Dibaba and Yebrugal Melese, who have respective PBs of 2:18:05 and 2:19:36.
Dibaba ran that PB on her debut in Amsterdam in 2022 and she clocked 2:21:47 in Chicago a year later. “I saw Haile Gebrselassie run two world records in Berlin on TV and since then I've always wanted to run in Berlin,” she said. “Now the time has come. It would be a success for me if I ran a personal best.”
Another eight women on the entry list have dipped under 2:22 for the marathon in their careers so far, including Mestawot Fikir (2:20:45), Azmera Gebru (2:20:48), Sisay Gola (2:20:50), Fikrte Wereta (2:21:32) and Aberu Ayana (2:21:54), as well as Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda (2:20:52) and Ai Hosoda (2:21:42).
Germany’s Melat Kejeta is also part of that group, having clocked 2:21:47 in Dubai in January. She placed sixth at the Tokyo Olympics but was unable to finish the Olympic marathon in Paris due to stomach problems.
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 – a training partner of Ketema – 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.
Kipchoge does not return this year but Takele does, following his third-place finish in last year’s race in a PB of 2:03:24. That was his most recent race due to injury, but he says he is now fit and ready to run. “I’ve trained very well,” he said, “and expect to run a strong race.”
Another four men to have dipped under 2:05 feature on the entry list, including Kenya’s Cybrian Kotut, who ran his PB of 2:04:34 when finishing second in Amsterdam last year, and Ethiopia’s Hailemaryam Kiros and Bazezew Asmare, who respectively clocked 2:04:41 in Paris in 2021 and 2:04:57 in Amsterdam in 2022.
Kenya’s former world half marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie races the marathon for the third time and will be looking to build on the PB of 2:04:48 he set in Valencia last year as he hunts for a first win over the distance.
They will be joined by athletes including 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, and Ethiopia’s Milkesa Mengesha, who finished sixth at the World Championships last year and has a best of 2:05:29.
Elite fields
Women
Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:07
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
Mizuki Matsuda (JPN) 2:20:52
Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:21:32
Ai Hosoda (JPN) 2:21:42
Melat Kejeta (GER) 2:21:47
Aberu Ayana (ETH) 2:21:54
Calli Hauger-Thackery (GBR) 2:22:17
Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 2:22:54
Lisa Weightman (AUS) 2:23:15
Betelihem Afenigus (ETH) 2:23:20
Veronica Maina (KEN) 2:24:46
Bosena Mulatie (ETH) 2:26:59
Alisa Vainio (FIN) 2:27:26
Sonia Samuels (GBR) 2:28:04
Nora Szabo (HUN) 2:28:25
Philippa Bowden (USA) 2:29:14
Pauline Esikon (KEN) debut
Men
Tadese Takele (ETH) 2:03:24
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
Josphat Boit (KEN) 2:05:42
Dejene Megersa (ETH) 2:05:42
Enock Onchari (KEN) 2:05:47
Oqbe Ruesom (ERI) 2:05:51
Justus Kangogo (KEN) 2:05:57
Haimro Alame (ISR) 2:06:04
Ashenafi Moges (ETH) 2:06:12
Asbel Rutto (KEN) 2:07:04
Samuel Tsegay (SWE) 2:06:53
Yohei Ikeda (JPN) 2:06:53
Stephen Kiprop (KEN) 2:07:04
Hendrik Pfeiffer (GER) 2:07:14
Kento Kikutani (JPN) 2:07:26
Melaku Belachew (ETH) 2:07:28
Godadaw Belachew (ISR) 2:07:45
Yuhei Urano (JPN) 2:07:52
Guojian Dong (CHN) 2:08:12
Filimon Abraham (GER) 2:08:22
Haftom Welday (GER) 2:08:24
Sebastian Hendel (GER) 2:08:51
Olonbayar Jamsran (MGL) 2:08:58
Haftamu Gebresilase (ETH) debut
