Hot asphalt in the capital: This is how the Berlin half marathon went
In Berlin, pretty much everyone who is well-known in the German running scene was there. Which professionals were able to shine - and which ones got burned by the high speed and warm weather?
Photos: Nina Ludwig
Berlin was buzzing on Sunday morning. This year's edition of the Berlin Half Marathon was like no other - rarely have so many of Germany's best runners gathered in the capital to test their strength. They all had one goal: to secure a place on the German team at the European Athletics Championships.
Germany can nominate up to six men and six women each. The standards are 61:40 for men and 70:30 for women. The high temperatures in the capital of up to 20 degrees posed a challenge for the norm hunters. But two managed it. Samuel Fitwi (Trier New Year's Eve Run) was the fastest German and even ran a personal best of 61:33. He finished ninth overall. The fastest German and third overall was Melat Kejeta (Kassel Running Team), who achieved a German best time of the year of 67:26.
"I'm happy that I at least achieved a personal best and the European Championship standard," said Fitwi after the race. He had actually planned to challenge Amanal Petros' German record of 60:09 and be the first German to run under an hour. He left no doubt about this intention after the start - and ran away from all his other competitors. But shortly after kilometer 10, the attack was over. "Then it got too warm and after 16 km I couldn't go any further," said Fitwi. His German competitors crossed the finish line well behind him. Aaron Bienenfeld (SSC Hanau-Rodenbach) came twelfth in 62:34 and Johannes Motschmann (Marathon Team Berlin) came 14th in 62:46.
“The Berlin Half Marathon wasn't as much fun as usual - but with the fans it was still a success.”
- Johannes Motschmann
Things didn't go so well for Hendrik Pfeiffer (TK Hannover), who had recently made a name for himself with his marathon personal best of 2:07:14. He finished 15th in 63:05. Simon Boch (LG Telis Finanz Regensburg) finished 17th in 63:32.
Johannes Motschmann had the clearest words for the course of the race: "It was very hard today," said the Magdeburg native, who is running for the Marathon Team Berlin. "It wasn't as much fun as usual, although the atmosphere was still great, of course." The last two kilometers were very painful, said the third fastest German of the day.
Eva Dieterich (LAV Stadtwerke Tübingen) caused a surprise in the women's field, becoming the third fastest German behind Melat Kejeta and Miriam Dattke (LG Telis Finanz Regensburg). She finished her first half marathon in 71:15. Not many of the prominent German norm-chasers had expected Dieterich.
Esther Pfeiffer (Hannover 96), who had announced a time of under 70 minutes the day before, also had to admit defeat. She crossed the finish line after 72:32 minutes. Kristina Hendel (LG Braunschweig) finished just ahead of her in 72:31. Local hero Deborah Schöneborn (Marathon Team Berlin) crossed the finish line after 73:12 minutes.
But even the fastest German of the day, Melat Kejeta, who ran a very fast time of 67:26, was confronted with the humid conditions in Berlin in the second half of the race. At least she was still on course for the European record up to kilometer 10 (65:15). But the high temperatures dashed record hopes for many professionals - and amateurs - that day. "It was too warm for me," said Kejeta. "I wanted to run faster, but I had to slow down during the race because of the conditions."
Although everything was at stake for the professional runners, there was no sign of great tension immediately before the start; the athletes seemed focused but calm. So the hope remains that they will quickly get over the tough race in Berlin, not let themselves get demotivated and will soon delight the fans again with top performances. After all, in addition to the European Championships, the Olympic Games are also coming up this year - and the 2024 road running season has only just begun.
The results at a glance
Women:
1. Tekle Muluat 🇪🇹 1:06:53
2. Ftaw Zeray 🇪🇹 01:07:22
3. Melat Kejeta 🇩🇪 1:07:26
Men:
1. Daniel Ebenyo 🇰🇪 59:30
2. Amos Kurgat 🇰🇪 59:42
3. Isaia Lasoi 🇰🇪 59:47
The results of the fastest Germans
Women:
1. Melat Kejeta - 1:07:26
2. Miriam Dattke - 01:11:01
3. Eva Dieterich - 1:11:15
4. Kristina Hendel - 1:12:31
5. Esther Pfeiffer - 1:12:32
Men:
1. Samuel Fitwi - 1:01:33
2. Aaron Bienenfeld - 01:02:34
3. Johannes Motschmann - 1:02:46
4. Hendrik Pfeiffer - 1:03:05
5. Simon Boch - 1:03:32
