Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie and Cybrian Kotut are set to headline a competitive men’s field at the BMW Berlin Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race, on Sunday.

Kandie, the former world half marathon record-holder, is racing the marathon for the third time in his career.

Kandie’s personal best

He posted an impressive personal best of 2:04:48 in Valencia last year, and Berlin will offer him a golden opportunity to not only improve that time but also secure his first-ever win over the marathon distance.

Hot on his heels will be fellow Kenyan, Cybrian Kotut, who boasts a personal best of 2:04:34, which he set when finishing second at the Amsterdam Marathon last year.

Kotut, who has shown strong form leading into the race, will aim to break into the sub-2:04 territory and potentially challenge for the top spot on the podium.

Another Kenyan, Samwel Mailu, the 2022 Vienna City Marathon winner, will also be in the mix. He holds a PB of 2:05:08 and could be a surprise contender if the race plays out in his favor. Joining Mailu is Enock Onchari (2:05:47) and Justus Kangogo (2:05:57), further strengthening Kenya’s representation in the marathon elite field.

Ethiopia will not be outdone, with two of the fastest marathoners in the field representing the country. Tigist Ketema, a rising star in the marathon scene, comes into the race as one of the top women’s contenders. The former 800m and 1500m specialist stunned the world with her 2:16:07 marathon in Dubai earlier this year, placing her ninth on the women’s all-time list. Berlin will be her first race since finishing seventh in London in April, where she ran 2:23:21.

“I’ve prepared to set a personal best and plan to run the first half in around 68 minutes,” said Ketema, indicating her readiness to challenge the course and weather conditions on Sunday.

Tigist will face strong competition from her compatriots, Genzebe Dibaba and Yebrugal Melese. Dibaba, one of Ethiopia’s most decorated middle-distance runners, is aiming to better her marathon PB of 2:18:05, which she set on her debut in Amsterdam in 2022.

In the men’s race, Tadese Takele returns after a third-place finish in last year’s Berlin Marathon, where he ran his PB of 2:03:24. Following an injury layoff, Takele is confident and ready to make his mark once again, aiming to challenge his own best time and potentially secure victory.

Strong fields

The women’s race also features a host of sub-2:20 runners, including Ethiopia’s Mestawot Fikir (2:20:45), Azmera Gebru (2:20:48), and Sisay Gola (2:20:50). They will be joined by Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda (2:20:52) and Ai Hosoda (2:21:42), making the women’s field equally competitive.

In the men’s category, other top contenders include Ethiopia’s Hailemaryam Kiros (2:04:41) and Bazezew Asmare (2:04:57), as well as Milkesa Mengesha (2:05:29). All eyes, however, will be on the Kenyan and Ethiopian elites as they look to push the limits in one of the world’s fastest marathons.

With a total of 13 world records having been set in the Berlin Marathon, including Eliud Kipchoge’s legendary sub-2-hour run, all athletes know that Berlin’s course offers a unique opportunity for fast times and historic performances.