Kipchoge before Berlin: “Nervousness is good!”
Berlin is known worldwide as a fast route. Marathon superstar Eliud Kipchoge set the world record in the German capital. The best of all time returns. Besides, who wants to run really fast? A brief overview of the elite fields.
Words: Agata Strausa
Photos: Marta Robles Diaz
Berlin rolled out the red carpet for world record holder Eliud Kipchoge. Everything is geared towards last year's winner, the Kenyan is the star of this event. His record time from Berlin 2022 of 2:01:09 hours is by far the fastest on the entry list. He was excited, he said at the press conference before the marathon. It's a good sign, said Kipchoge. “Nervousness is good, it shows I’m up for the challenge.”
The question is in the air: Will it be his last big appearance in Germany? After all, Kipchoge is already 38 years old, has celebrated countless successes and won Olympic gold twice. He has competed in Berlin five times so far, winning four of them. After the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, he could say goodbye to the marathon stage, reports speculate.
“Nervousness is good, it shows I’m up for the challenge.”
- Eliud Kipchoge
Who else dares to go record speed?
Last year's winner is also taking part in the women's race: Tigist Assefa. Your goal: nothing less than another course record. The 29-year-old reduced this to 2:15:37 hours last year. At that time, the Ethiopian narrowly missed the world record (2:14:04 hours).
It cannot be ruled out that this will fall on Sunday. The field in the women's race has never been as well filled as it was in 2023: seven of the starters have a best time of under 2:20 hours. Who dares to also run at record speed? There could also be a surprise in the fight for victory.
What are the Germans doing?
A German runner could make history: Amanal Petros. He has announced that he wants to beat his own best time. The current time for the 28-year-old from SCC Pro Team Berlin is 2:06:27 hours. The Olympic ticket is secured for Petros. The other two top German runners Hendrik Pfeiffer (Hannover) and Samuel Fitwi Sibhatu (Trier) still have to run for their chance to be included in the Olympic squad.
The capital's marathon twins are also celebrating their premiere: Rabea and Deborah Schöneborn from the SCC Marathon Team Berlin. Both are competing together in Berlin for the first time. “Debbie” is the fastest German in the field with a reporting time of 2:25:52 hours.
For her sister Rabea and other top German runners such as Domenika Mayer (Regensburg), Kristina Hendel (Braunschweig) and Laura Hottenrott (Kassel), it's about breaking the Olympic standard of 2:26:50 hours - or at least running as close to it as possible . Because only the three best in the country are allowed to go to Paris.
