2019 Berlin Marathon
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The 2019 Berlin Marathon was a
marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
race held on 29 September 2019 in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, Germany. It was the 46th edition of the annual
Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...
. The marathon distance is just over in length and the course is run around the city and starts and finishes in the Tiergarten. The elite men's race was won by Kenenisa Bekele in 2:01:41, two seconds slower than the world record set by Eliud Kipchoge in
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
. The elite women's race was won by
Ashete Bekere Ashete Bekere DidoIn some sources: Ashete Bekele Dido (born 17 April 1988) is an Ethiopian marathon runner. In 2019, she won the Berlin Marathon with a time of 2:20:14. In 2019, she also won the Rotterdam Marathon in Rotterdam, Netherlands with ...
following a sprint finish in 2:20:14. The wheelchair men's and women's races were won by
Marcel Hug Marcel Eric Hug (born 16 January 1986) is a Paralympian athlete from Switzerland competing in category T54 wheelchair racing events. Hug, nicknamed 'The Silver Bullet', has competed in four Summer Paralympic Games for Switzerland, winning two ...
and
Manuela Schär Manuela Schär (born 5 December 1984) is a Paralympian athlete from Switzerland competing mainly in category T54 sprint events. She has used a wheelchair since the age of 8, when a playground accident paralysed her from the waist down. Car ...
in 1:28:09 and 1:38:07, respectively.


Course

The marathon distance is officially long as sanctioned by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) now known as
World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
. The course starts at the
Großer Stern Der Große Stern (''The Great Star'') is the central square of the Großer Tiergarten park in Berlin; the Berlin Victory Column The Victory Column (german: , from ''Sieg'' ‘victory’ + '' Säule'' ‘column’) is a monument in Berlin, G ...
in the Tiergarten and runs west on the Straße des 17. Juni before turning right at the
Ernst-Reuter-Platz Ernst-Reuter-Platz is a town square in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany. It is named after Ernst Reuter, mayor of West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin durin ...
onto the Franklinstraße. The course turns east and passes the before crossing the
Spree Spree may refer to: Geography * Spree (river), river in Germany Film and television * ''The Spree'', a 1998 American television film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace * ''Spree'' (film), a 2020 American film starring Joe Keery * "Spree" (''Numbers' ...
via the
Moltke Bridge Moltke Bridge is a bridge over the Spree River in Berlin, Germany. Completed in 1891, it connects Alt-Moabit near the main railway station on the north bank to Willy-Brandt-Straße and the Chancellery on the south bank. The bridge is named after ...
, running along the southern side of the Spreebogenpark and crossing the river again via the
Crown Prince Bridge The Crown Prince Bridge (german: Kronprinzenbrücke) is a road bridge over the River Spree in the city of Berlin. It links the Berlin quarters of Mitte and Tiergarten with the parliamentary quarter within the borough of Bezirk Mitte. The structu ...
. The runners continue east through
Mitte Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding. It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreuzb ...
until before turning south to cross the :de:Michaelbrücke into
Neukölln Neukölln () is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located in the southeastern part from the city centre towards Berlin Schönefeld Airport. It was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city. It featu ...
. At just before , the course turn east onto the Gneisenaustraße where the course passes the halfway mark. The runners leave
Schöneberg Schöneberg () is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelh ...
in a south-westerly direction, passing the
Rathaus Schöneberg Rathaus Schöneberg is the city hall for the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg in Berlin. From 1949 until 1990 it served as the seat of the state senate of West Berlin and from 1949 until 1991 as the seat of the Governing Mayor. History The san ...
to enter
Steglitz Steglitz () is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in Southwestern Berlin, the capital of Germany. is a Slavic name for the European goldfinch, similar to the German . Steglitz was also a borough from 1920 to 2000. It contained the ...
. The course runs west until just after , where it turns north-east onto Hohernzollerndamm. The runners head in the direction of the finish, passing the
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (in German: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, but mostly just known as Gedächtniskirche ) is a Protestant church affiliated with the Evangelical Church in Berlin, Brandenburg and Silesian Upper Lusatia, a regi ...
in the 35th kilometre before heading east along the
Leipziger Straße Leipziger Straße is a major thoroughfare in the central Mitte district of Berlin, capital of Germany. It runs from Leipziger Platz, an octagonal square adjacent to Potsdamer Platz in the west, to Spittelmarkt in the east. Part of the Bundesstr ...
to the Konzerthaus Berlin. The course turns back west and passes through the
Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate (german: Brandenburger Tor ) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after restoring the Orangist power by suppressing the Dutch popular unrest. One ...
in the 42nd kilometre before re-entering the Tiergarten to finish. The course is very flat, starting at above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
, reaching a maximum elevation of and minimum of . The course also has few corners and is run on asphalt instead of concrete which is easier for the runners' legs. The Berlin Marathon has been host to eight men's and three women's world records since the first race in 1974. The 2019 edition took place on the 29 September. The title sponsor for the race was German automotive corporation BMW, with the main sponsors being sportswear company
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
, healthcare and pharmaceutical
Abbott Laboratories Abbott Laboratories is an American multinational medical devices and health care company with headquarters in Abbott Park, Illinois, United States. The company was founded by Chicago physician Wallace Calvin Abbott in 1888 to formulate known dr ...
, and tire company Giti Tire.


Field

According to World Athletics, the favourite in the women's elite race was
Gladys Cherono Gladys Cherono Kiprono (born 12 May 1983) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in track and road running events. She became the first woman to win both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres at the African Championships in 2012. ...
. She had won the previous year's event in a time of 2:18:11, as well as the
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
and
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editions.
Vivian Cheruiyot Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (born 11 September 1983) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in track and cross country running. She represented Kenya at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2016, winning a silver medal at the 5 ...
had to withdraw from the race due to issues with her
Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...
. Cherono was due to face tough competition from
Meseret Defar Meseret Defar Tola (Amharic: መሠረት ደፋር; born 19 November 1983) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Ol ...
who had won the 5000 metres event at the
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
and
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
Summer Olympics and had a marathon personal best of 2:23:33. Also racing were
Mare Dibaba Mare Dibaba Hurrsa (born 20 October 1989) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing. Dibaba is not related to track Olympic champion and world record holder Tirunesh Dibaba. Biography He ...
(2:19:52 personal best),
Melat Kejeta Melat Yisak Kejeta (born 27 September 1992) is a German long-distance runner. She won the silver medal for the women's race at the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships and represented Germany at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Kejeta is the Europea ...
, who was running her marathon debut and was aiming for the time of 2:22:00 having run a 1:08:41 in the half marathon, and three women who had run sub-2:22:00; Haftamnesh Tesfaye (2:20:13), Helen Tola (2:21:01), and
Ashete Bekere Ashete Bekere DidoIn some sources: Ashete Bekele Dido (born 17 April 1988) is an Ethiopian marathon runner. In 2019, she won the Berlin Marathon with a time of 2:20:14. In 2019, she also won the Rotterdam Marathon in Rotterdam, Netherlands with ...
(2:21:14). The race director, Mark Milde, called it "one of the strongest women's fields in the history of the event". According to World Athletics, the favourite for the men's race was Kenenisa Bekele, who had won the
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
edition in a personal best of 2:03:03. However, Bekele had struggled with an injury and had not raced since May 2019, and since setting his personal best, had withdrawn from more races than he had finished. Three other runners, all Ethiopians, had personal bests under 2:05;
Leul Gebresilase Leul Gebresilase (born 20 September 1992) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the silver medal at the 2022 London Marathon. In 2015, Gebresilase earned silver in the 5000 metres at the African Games held in Brazzaville, Congo with a tim ...
, winner of the 2018
Valencia Marathon The Valencia Marathon (also known as Marathon Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon road running event hosted by Valencia, Spain since 1981. It is categorized as a Platinum Label Road Race by World Athletic ...
and a personal best of 2:04:02,
Sisay Lemma Sisay Lemma Kasaye (born 12 December 1990) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. Career Sisay Lemma began his running career at the age of 17 and initially competed barefoot due to a lack of running shoes. In 2012, he won the Maratona d ...
(2:04:08), and
Birhanu Legese Birhanu Legese Gurmesa (born 11 September 1994) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the 2019 and 2020 Tokyo Marathon and finished second at the 2019 Berlin Marathon. Legese is currently part of the NN Running Team, which is managed by ...
, winner of the
2019 Tokyo Marathon The 2019 Tokyo Marathon ( ja, 東京マラソン 2019) was the thirteenth edition of the annual marathon race in Tokyo and was held on Sunday, 3 March. An IAAF Gold Label Road Race, it was the first World Marathon Majors event to be held that yea ...
and a personal best of 2:04:15. The
pacemaker An artificial cardiac pacemaker (or artificial pacemaker, so as not to be confused with the natural cardiac pacemaker) or pacemaker is a medical device that generates electrical impulses delivered by electrodes to the chambers of the heart eith ...
s aimed to run through halfway in 1:01:30. The men's wheelchair race featured 61-year-old Heinz Frei who had won the race 20 times. Brent Lakatos, winner of the 2018 race, returned to defend his title from
Marcel Hug Marcel Eric Hug (born 16 January 1986) is a Paralympian athlete from Switzerland competing in category T54 wheelchair racing events. Hug, nicknamed 'The Silver Bullet', has competed in four Summer Paralympic Games for Switzerland, winning two ...
, who had lost to Lakatos in the sprint, and David Weir, the eight-time winner of the London Marathon. Also racing were
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
winner Kota Hokinoue and
Ernst van Dyk Ernst Francois van Dyk OIS (born 4 April 1973) is a South African wheelchair racer and handcyclist. He has won a record 10 wheelchair titles in the Boston Marathon. He was also awarded the Laureus World Sports Awards for ''Sportsperson with ...
, who had won a gold medal at the
2016 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 159 , athletes = 4,342 , opening = 7 September , closing = 18 September , opened_by = President Michel Temer , cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva , events = 528 in 22 sports , stadium = Maracanã , sum ...
. In the women's wheelchair race, four-time winner
Manuela Schär Manuela Schär (born 5 December 1984) is a Paralympian athlete from Switzerland competing mainly in category T54 sprint events. She has used a wheelchair since the age of 8, when a playground accident paralysed her from the waist down. Car ...
returned to defend her 2018 title, which she won in a world record time of 1:36:53. She faced 2018 third place finisher
Sandra Graf Sandra Graf (born 9 December 1969) is a Swiss wheelchair athlete. Graf competes in wheelchair races of a variety of distances. Life Graf has twice put her career on hold to have children. In 2003 a lung embolism set back her training and kept h ...
, and others including
Madison de Rozario Madison de Rozario, (born 24 November 1993) is an Australian Paralympic athlete and wheelchair racer who specialises in middle and long-distance events. She competed at the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympic ...
and
Amanda McGrory Amanda McGrory (born June 9, 1986) is an American wheelchair athlete. Biography McGrory graduated from Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. She attended the University of Illinois, graduating in 2010 with a bachelor's degree ...
.


Race summary

In the men's race, the lead group went through in 14:24 and in 28:53, 8 seconds quicker than Eliud Kipchoge's split at his world record run in the previous year's race. By , they were still 8 seconds ahead of the world record split and a group of five (Bekele, Legese, Gebresilase, Lemma, and Jonathan Korir) went through halfway in 1:01:05, one second ahead of the world record split. By , Gebresilase dropped out of the group and was soon joined by Korir, as Legese made a move shortly before the mark, dropping Bekele then Lemma. However, Bekele had reeled Lemma back in by and was 13 seconds behind Legese, who had run a 14:09 split as opposed to Bekele's 14:20 split from 30 to 35 kilometres. Bekele closed the gap, easily passing by Legese in the 38th kilometre and continued on to pass through two seconds faster than Kipchoge's split. However, during his world record run, Kipchoge had increased the pace in the final two kilometres and Bekele was not able to match that. Despite sprinting down the final straight, he fell two seconds short of the world record in 2:01:41. Legese finished second in 2:02:48, the third-fastest marathon time ever, and Lemma was third in 2:03:36. The women's race started with a pace that would have the lead pack finishing in the 2:20-2:22 range, with Cherono visible at the front. However, just before , Cherono dropped out of the race due to an infection. The race came down to a sprint finish where Bekere was able to win in 2:20:14 over Dibaba, who finished in 2:20:21.
Sally Chepyego Kaptich Sally Chepyego Kaptich ( ja, シェリー・チェピエゴ; born 3 October 1985) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes mainly in track and road running events. She established herself at the World Youth Championships in Athletics in 2001 ...
was third in 2:21:06, with Tola in fourth.
Sara Hall Sara Hall (née Bei; born April 15, 1983) is a professional American distance runner. She won the 3000 meter steeplechase at the Athletics at the Pan American Games, 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico representing the United States. ...
ran a four minute personal best to finish fifth and Melat Yisak Kejeta placed sixth in 2:23:57. In the women's wheelchair race, Schär built up an early lead and was two and a half minutes ahead of the other competitors, a lead which she extended to four minutes by the end to win in 1:38:07. McGrory and Rozario finished second and third in 1:42:05 and 1:42:09, respectively. In the men's wheelchair race, Hug had pulled away from the other competitors by and "cruised" through the rest of the race to win by over three and a half minutes in 1:28:09. Weir finished second in 1:31:45, with Lakatos third, one second behind.


Results

Results for the top ten in the running races and top three in the wheelchair races are listed below.


References


External links


Official website
{{2019 in athletics 2019 in Berlin
Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...
Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...
Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...