Becoming a Berlin legend

It started with only 286 participants.

Today, 50 years after the inaugural race, there will be around 55,000 more Berlin legends — or what Berlin marathon finishers are called.

It’s the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Marathon, one of the six world majors. So today is pretty special for marathon fans all over.

I had the luck of participating in the 50th anniversary of the New York City Marathon in 2022, the first world major held after the Covid pandemic. The half a century of history made running the race even more significant.

Berlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. With nearly 4 million inhabitants, it is the European Union’s most populous city.

After World War II, the city was divided into two political enclaves — West and East Berlin — by the Berlin Wall.

West Berlin was part of the Federal Republic of Germany, or simply West Germany.

East Germany, on the other hand, was occupied by Soviet forces after the war. Eventually, the German communist party established the German Democratic Republic that governed East Germany.

In the middle of the Cold War in 1974, a local baker and marathon fan, Horst Milde, founded the Berlin race in the countryside area of Berlin. After only three years, it already established its first world record when female runner Christa Vahlensieck ran a new world best time of two hours, 34 minutes and 47 seconds.

As the race grew in popularity, it moved to the city center in 1981 with the starting line in a meadow in front of the Reichstag.

After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and the obstruction to the Brandenburg gate was removed, the runners were finally able to run through the gate for the first time in 1990.

The historic gate, with its majestic Doric columns topped by a bronze sculpture of a Quadriga, makes for a stunning start and finish area.

Imagine crossing it and then seeing the lofty Victory Column, another famous Berlin landmark, ahead of you. No other World Major start boasts of so much history.

The route is one large loop around the city running through more landmarks such as the Reichstag, the Siegessäule, Berliner Dom, Brandenburg and Potsdamer Platz.

Its flat and fast course with minimal elevation has yielded at least 13 world records.

Until the late Kelvin Kiptum ran 2:00:35 in Chicago in 2023, the previous eight men’s world records were all run there, and the women’s world record of 2:11:53 was set in Berlin in 2023 by Tigist Assefa.

Apart from being flat, the wide roads of Berlin allow faster runners more room to overtake. The temperate weather in late September, with temperature averaging 14C, further contributes to the marathon’s popularity.

This year, the price for the first place is $50,000.

While course record holder Eliud Kipchoge will not be running this year, the men’s division will have 14 athletes who have finished under 2:06. The fastest male entrant is said to be Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele, who placed third last year with a personal best of 2:03:24.

In the women’s division, the favorite is Ethiopia’s track and field star, Tigist Ketema.

Just last January in Dubai, Ketema made the fastest debut in the marathon with an impressive time of 2:16:07.

To illustrate how these times are mind bendingly fast, my finish time when I ran Berlin in 2019 as a newbie runner was 4:42.

I was then following an alternating run-walk method upon the instruction of Coach Ken Mendola, which allowed me to survive the grueling distance. I had the grandest time.

Today, 15 of my WeKenRun teammates are running this milestone race. Wishing all of them viel glück läufer!