Bucket List / Fitness Goals / Complete The World Marathon Majors
Berlin Marathon
Ticked off in September 2026
The fastest marathon course on the planet, with a finish that takes you straight through the Brandenburg Gate.
The adventure
Berlin is the marathon built for fast times. The course is flat and wide, starting near the Victory Column in the Tiergarten and looping through districts including Kreuzberg, Schöneberg and Charlottenburg, with bands playing on street corners and crowds that stay out all morning. Late September usually brings cool weather, which helps explain why so many world records have fallen here.
The final kilometres are pure theatre. You turn onto Unter den Linden, see the Brandenburg Gate ahead and realise you get to run straight through it. The finish line is just beyond, and the roar under the columns is something runners talk about for years. For anyone chasing a personal best there is no better place to try, and plenty of runners leave Berlin with the fastest marathon they will ever run.
Why it’s epic
- Eight men's world records have been set in Berlin, including Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01:09 in 2022.
- Tigst Assefa ran 2:11:53 here in 2023, a women's world record at the time.
- The first Berlin Marathon in 1974 had fewer than 300 starters; it is now one of the biggest races in the world.
- The course passes Potsdamer Platz, the Kurfürstendamm and Gendarmenmarkt.
What it is
Berlin is the flattest and fastest of the majors and the course where most men’s marathon world records have been set. It finishes through the Brandenburg Gate.
How to do it
Enter the ballot, which opens in the autumn the year before, or take a charity or tour operator place.
Top tip
The last few hundred metres through the Brandenburg Gate are worth saving something for.
Need to know
- The ballot opens in the autumn, about a year before the race, and is heavily oversubscribed.
- Late September is usually cool, but some years turn warm, so plan for both.
- Hotels fill up fast on race weekend, so book as soon as you have a place.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- £750 to £2,000 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- A long weekend
- Best time to go
- Late September
- Fly into
- BER airport
Short flights and reasonable entry fees make Berlin one of the more affordable majors from the UK.
Do it yourself
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My experience
Ran it on 27 September 2026 in 3:14:54, my fastest marathon so far.
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