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Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru will compete against elite entries in the women’s Berlin Marathon set to be held on September 29, 2024.

She will face Ethiopia’s Tigist Ketema, who, just like Wanjiru, tops the women’s entry list with personal bests that put them in the top 10 on the world marathon all-time list.

Ketema, who had been better known as an 800m and 1500m specialist, stormed into the marathon spotlight in Dubai in January as she ran 2:16:07, a time that makes her the ninth-fastest women’s marathon runner in history. She followed that with 2:23:21 for seventh place in London in April, and Berlin will be her first race since then.

Just one place behind Ketema on the all-time list is Wanjiru, who clocked 2:16:14 to finish second in Tokyo in March. That followed her sixth place in the World Championships marathon in Budapest and victory in the Tokyo Marathon last year. Wanjiru also finished second in Berlin in 2022, running 2:18:00 on her debut.

Joining them on the start line are Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba and Yebrugal Melese, who have respective personal bests of 2:18:05 and 2:19:36, plus their compatriots Mestawot Fikir (2:20:45), Azmera Gebru (2:20:48), Sisay Gola (2:20:50), Ababel Yeshaneh (2:20:51), and Fikrte Wereta (2:21:32), as well as Japan’s Mizuki Matsuda (2:20:52).

According to World Athletics, a total of 13 world records have so far been set in the Berlin Marathon, the most recent being the 2:11:53 by Tigist Assefa in last year’s women’s race.

Women’s elite entries

Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:07
Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) 2:16:14
Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 2:18:05
Yebrugal Melese (ETH) 2:19:36
Mestawot Fikir (ETH) 2:20:45
Azmera Gebru (ETH) 2:20:48
Sisay Gola (ETH) 2:20:50
Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:51
Mizuki Matsuda (JPN) 2:20:52
Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:21:32