All eyes on Assefa in Berlin

More than 56,000 runners will line up for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON this weekend including Tigst Assefa who will attempt to regain the world record on a course she knows well.

Behind her, a total of 254 runners will head off with a Six Star Medal in their sights.

With the weather set fair, but not as stifling as last year, a glorious day of racing awaits in Berlin.  

Assefa’s moment to shine

One of the most celebrated marathon runners in recent history will be hoping to write another chapter in her illustrious career on Sunday.

Assefa is a four-time Abbott World Marathon Majors winner including twice in Berlin, the second of which, in 2023, was a stunning 2:11:53 to set a new world record.

That time was trumped by Ruth Chepngetich 12 months later but Assefa has since gone on to break the women's-only record in London in 2025 which she lowered in April during a record-breaking day in the UK.

Sabastian Sawe’s historic sub-two grabbed the headlines but Assefa will have Berlin all to herself following the Kenyan’s withdrawal due to injury.

The Ethiopian will need a competitive push if she is going to make history once more and last year’s winner Rosemary Wanjiru could provide that.

The Kenyan showed unbelievable levels of grit to overcome the sapping heat and win here 12 months ago, collapsing in exhaustion moments after crossing the line.

But despite being a two-time Major winner herself, having also won Tokyo in 2023, Wanjiru will need to deliver something special to ruin Assefa’s day.

Elsewhere, Cape Town winner Dera Dida, who pushed Wanjiru all the way last year, and Bedatu Hirpa, a winner in Dubai and Paris last year, will hope to be in the conversation.

Maiden Major glory awaits

A career-defining first Major victory awaits all but one athlete in a wide-open men’s race.

Following Sawe’s withdrawal, the race could be a thrilling  ‘pick-em’ contest with no obvious standout favourite.

Guye Adola is the only Major winner in the field, having won Berlin back in 2021. He recently won in Rotterdam which suggests a timely return to form.

Tanzanian Gabriel Geay has run the quickest time – an impressive 2:03 in Valencia – but that was almost four years ago.

Ethiopians Getaneh Molla and Shura Kitata will fancy their chances of a first Major win having both run sub 2:04.

Molla finished second in Seoul earlier this year while Kitanta went one better to win Seville.

Homecoming for Hug

Last year Marcel Hug was inducted into the Berlin Marathon Hall of Fame and less than 48 hours later he commemorated that moment by churning out his tenth victory in the German capital.

The Swiss legend loves the Berlin course and is undefeated here since 2019. He has won an astonishing 45 Majors and few would bet against him nudging that tally closer to 50 with an 11^th win on German soil.

Hug shows no sign of slowing down despite turning 40 at the start of the year. In his last Major he finished 4:33 ahead of runner-up Luo Xing.

Netherlands’ Jetze Plat, who finished second in Cape Town, will be hoping to cause a seismic upset.

Something has to give

The last two Major winners – Catherine Debrunner and Manuela Schär – go head-to-head in the women’s wheelchair race.

Debrunner has been imperious this season, winning in Tokyo and London to sit atop the Elite Series leaderboard.

Schär, meanwhile, heads to Berlin having won here last year but more recenty in Cape Town and Sydney, the latter a tactical masterclass to see off Boston winner Eden Rainbow-Cooper.

That victory meant she became the first female athlete to win all AbbottWMM titles.

Stars shine bright

There will be 254 Six Star Medals being given a final polish ahead of being handed out in the shadow the famous victory column.

Two-time wheelchair podium finisher Yen Hoang is one of 124 American athletes who will complete their Six Star Journey in Berlin.

In total 43 nations are represented with 26 from Great Britain and 14 from Canada.

One hundred and forty are male, 113 female with one non-binary athlete set to run the sixth of the original Majors.

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