09/18/2025 BMW BERLIN-MARATHON

Strong Women’s Race Expected at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2025

Jürgen Lock answers a question from the moderator at the press conference.

^{© SCC EVENTS / Petko Beier}

Today, the first press conference for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2025 took place. Jürgen Lock, CEO of SCC EVENTS (the organizer), looked ahead to the marathon weekend with great confidence: “It is wonderful to see all the puzzle pieces—put together by more than 90 full-time staff members, countless partners and service providers, and over 5,700 volunteers—coming together to form a big picture.”

Taking Sunday’s Temperatures Seriously

The organizer is also well-prepared for the expected rise in temperatures over the weekend. In addition to the dense network of refreshment stations, ten extra shower installations and ice stations will be available. All 55,146 runners will also be informed once again in advance via direct mailing about important behavioral guidelines. “We currently expect temperatures to rise to 25 degrees Celsius or higher. That makes it all the more important to follow the golden rules of temperature management,” emphasized Lock.

MARATHON EXPO at Messe Berlin

The MARATHON EXPO opens today at 3 p.m., this year at its new location in Messe Berlin. Organizers are expecting up to 120,000 visitors over three days. For the first time, participants were able to book a time slot in advance to collect their race kits as smoothly as possible. The children’s runs will also take place at a new location this year—the Mommsenstadion—where about 1,800 kids are expected on Saturday starting at 10:30 a.m.The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON promises not only to be an international celebration of movement on the course—with 160 nations represented—but also along the route. With countless cheering points, live bands, DJs, and spontaneous spectator actions, the event “is set to become Berlin’s biggest flashmob,” said Jürgen Lock.

BMW BERLIN-MARATHON App for Participants and Spectators

With the official BMW BERLIN-MARATHON app, SCC EVENTS is once again offering a wide range of services for mobile phones: including live tracking, real-time results, interactive course maps, a favorites list for up to 25 participants, and the latest updates. iOS Download Android Download (Please uninstall the old version and download the new one. Minimum requirements: iOS 16 / Android 10.)

BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Inline Skating

Despite the World Championships taking place simultaneously in China, many top elite skaters have chosen Berlin—underscoring the importance of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Inline Skating. Leading the way is German Felix Rijhnen, the 2019 champion, who will face off against Ewen Fernandez (FRA) and Jason Suttles (BEL)—both previous winners here as well. Olympic champion and nine-time Berlin winner Bart Swings (BEL) had to withdraw on short notice due to injury. Among the women, last year’s champion Noraly Berber Vonk (NED) returns as one of the favorites. She will face, among others, Berlin speed skater Michelle Uhrig, who is currently preparing for qualification for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games.Since last year, the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Inline Skating has partly been held on a circuit course, helping to ease the burden on Berlin’s traffic situation during marathon weekend. A total of around 2,200 skaters have registered for the race. Young talents will also get the chance to showcase their skills, starting at 12:30 p.m. on the start line at Straße des 17. Juni.

Group photo of the international favorites Honami Maeda, Rosemary Wanjiru, and Dera Dida (from left to right).

^{© SCC EVENTS / Petko Beier}

Rosemary Wanjiru and Dera Dida could target world lead

Featuring an unprecedented depth in the women’s elite field the 51st edition of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON will take place on Sunday morning in the German capital. While Rosemary Wanjiru of Kenya is the likely favourite and heads the women’s field with a PB of 2:16:14 there are seven athletes with personal bests of sub 2:20:00 - exactly the same number of women with such a PB competed in last Sunday’s World Championships’ marathon in Tokyo. Six of them have even run unter 2:19:00, which is unique for Berlin. Berlin’s super fast course might well see extraordinary times again despite a relatively warm weather forecast. The world leading time of 2:15:50 could become a target. With over 55,000 entries from 160 nations the 51st BMW BERLIN-MARATHON will once again be among the world’s biggest marathons. Rosemary Wanjiru knows the course of the BMW BERLIN MARATHON well. Three years ago she ran a strong marathon debut here, finishing second in 2:18:00. “If the weather is good and I feel fine in the morning, I intend to run a very fast time,“ said the 30-year-old Kenyan during the press conference with the elite female runners. With a personal best of 2:16:14, Rosemary Wanjiru is the fastest woman on the Berlin start list. Dera Dida, who is the wife of Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola, ran a personal best in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON as well: In 2023 the Ethiopian finished sixth here with 2:19:24. She improved her PB this January in Dubai to 2:18:32. “I have been training intensively with Tamirat and want to run a personal best on Sunday. I am looking forward to the great atmosphere along the course and want to give something back to the spectators with a top performance,” said the 28-year-old, who is aiming to continue an unusual winning streak. Berlin’s women’s winners of the last three years are all from one training group in Addis Ababa to which Dera Dida belongs as well.

Japanese marathon record holder competes

The Japanese record holder Honami Maeda is another athlete who has run below 2:19:00. She could continue the series of strong performances that Japanese athletes have shown in Berlin in the past. The highlight was Naoko Takahashi's run in 2001, when she became the first woman to break the 2:20:00 barrier with a time of 2:19:46. Four years later, the 2004 Olympic champion, Mizuki Noguchi, won in Berlin with a time of 2:19:12. This Japanese record stood for 19 years. And it was Honami Maeda who broke the mark in Osaka in January 2024 with a time of 2:18:59. “Berlin is a restart for me because I was injured for a long time. I will run as fast as possible,“ said Honami Maeda, who will be running her first marathon since breaking the Japanese record. Unfortunately Norwegian Karoline Grovdal had to pull out at short notice due to an illness.

Group photo of the national favorites Deborah Schöneborn, Domenika Mayer, and Fabienne Königstein (from left to right).

Domenika Mayer, Fabienne Königstein and Deborah Schöneborn

A German athlete could now be the fastest European in Berlin: Domenika Mayer was the most consistent German marathon runner in the past couple of years. The 34-year-old ran her personal best of 2:23:47 at the BMW BERLIN- MARATHON two years ago. With this performance she qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games where she was the best German runner in 28th place. “I am looking forward to the great atmosphere in Berlin and want to try to run a personal best. I had some health problems during my preparation, but I got back on track just in time,“ said Domenika Mayer, who is the third fastest German marathon runner ever. Fabienne Königstein, who has a 2:25:48 PB, is also expected to be strong. After suffering of injuries and illnesses for several years she came back promisingly this spring. “I really enjoy my running,“ said the 32-year-old after finishing fourth in the Vienna Marathon. “I am well prepared and want to run under 2:23:00 on Sunday.“ Deborah Schöneborn, who competes for Marathon Team Berlin, which is associated with the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, is the second fastest German on the start list with her PB of 2:24:54. However, she has suffered from recurring foot problems over the last year and a half. “I am glad that I can start the race in good health and I am looking forward to it,“ said the 31-year-old, who will be running her tenth marathon on Sunday.