Traditional run in Berlin
New German record in the half marathon?
Updated March 28, 2026 – 3:25 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Player is loading
On Sunday the capital belongs to the runners, because the Berlin Half Marathon is taking place again. The records will be attacked again in 2026 – and could fall.
Spring tradition in Berlin: Running in spring. For years now. And how. 21.0975 kilometers through the entire city center, also on March 29, 2026. A total of more than 43,000 participants are registered for the Berlin Half Marathon 2026, and the number of participants has been steadily increasing for years.
It is the 45th edition of the run, which has been held in its current form since 1990, but emerged, among other things, from the East Berlin Peace Run, which was launched in 1981. A run along the Straße des 17. Juni, over Kurfürstendamm and Potsdamer Platz towards Charlottenburg Palace – to the ceremonial finish at the Brandenburg Gate. The half marathon is part of the schedule of thousands of runners. The skaters start at 9:15 a.m., the wheelchair users and hand bikers start at 9:55 a.m., and the track and field athletes start at 10:05 a.m. The race will take place on Sunday from 9.45 a.m SCC Events YouTube channel transmitted.
From a German perspective, the focus of the men’s race is Amanal Petros. The German record holder made history in Berlin just last year: with 59:31 minutes, he was the first German ever to stay under the hour mark and came third. Will he break the record again this year – and even take victory? The last German success in the men’s race was a long time ago: Carsten Eich from Leipzig won in 1993.
“We are very pleased that Amanal Petros is a German runner at the start who has the potential to be at the forefront and we are excited,” says Race Director Mark Milde. In addition to Petros, four other German runners from the top will be at the starting line on March 29th: Johannes Motschmann (Marathon Team Berlin), Hendrik Pfeiffer (Düsseldorf Athletics) all want to improve their times. Nils Voigt is starting, Sebastian Hendel and Simon Boch canceled their participation at short notice.
With seven top German runners, the race also takes on the character of an unofficial German championship. The best-known name is Gesa Krause, two-time European champion over 3,000 meters obstacle. However, Esther Pfeiffer (Düsseldorf Athletics) is the fastest of the German runners with 67:28 minutes. Eva Dieterich and Domenika Mayer ((LG Telis Finanz Regensburg) can also be trusted. The field of German favorites is completed by Deborah and Rabea Schöneborn from Marathon Team Berlin.
