Eliud Kipchoge wins his fifth BMW Berlin Marathon in 2:02:42

The double Olympic marathon champion and world record holder, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, won Sunday’s BMW Berlin Marathon by 31 seconds, in 2:02:42. It was only the fifth-fastest time he has ever run and he broke the tape with 31 seconds over the next-fastest finisher, Kenya’s Vincent Kipkemoi (2:03:13), who posted an astonishing result in his marathon debut. But despite going through the halfway point with a minute’s lead on world-record pace, there were some anxious moments in the final few kilometres as Kipchoge’s will appeared to fade and the chase pack slowly gained on him. Tadese Takele of Ethiopia finished third, in 2:03:24; like Kipkemoi, Takele made the podium in his first-ever marathon.

Eliud Kipchoge on pace for 2:00:44 and a big world record as he passes halfway at the Berlin Marathon.

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Kipchoge’s final 5K split, for example, was 14:56; Kipkemoi’s was 14:32. Kilometre 38, which Kipchoge ran in three minutes and three seconds, was the slowest of the race, and he was running with a target on his back. With two kilometres left, it seemed incredible to be questioning whether he could hang on, but he rallied at 40 km, laying down a 2:55 split. Kipchoge said after his victory, “I always learn from every race and every victory. I’m very happy to win for the 5th time in Berlin. And I shall use these lessons in my preparation for the Olympics.” He added that he had indeed been hoping to break his own world record, though he had not been explicit about it before the race. 

2022 London Marathon champion Amos Kipruto of Kenya, who was the athlete most expected to challenge Kipchoge on Sunday, finished seventh in 2:04:49, choosing not to go with Kipchoge’s pace early on. Germany’s Petros Amanal broke his previous national record of 2:06:27 by a minute and a half, finishing ninth in 2:04:58. This was the first time the German national record has been set on the Berlin course.

The lead pack went out at 9:15 a.m. local time, with three pacers; at 3 km, Kipchoge was running inside two-hour pace. By 15 km, he had lost only seven seconds, and Ethiopia’s Derseh Kindie, a relatively inexperienced marathoner with a personal best of 2:08:23, was the only athlete still with him. (Kindie later dropped out around 32 km along with the last remaining pacer.) It’s interesting to compare his performance on Sunday with his performance last year, where he broke his own world record in 2:01:09; similarly, last year he ran the first 17K almost entirely solo. 

As training methods become ever more sophisticated and super-shoe technology accelerates, other East Africans have been closing the gap on Kipchoge’s previously uncontested dominance of the marathon. There was some pressure on him to run fast enough to secure his team selection for Paris 2024, considering several other Kenyans have run 2:04 or faster during the qualifying window; Kipchoge hopes to become the first athlete in history to win three Olympic gold medals in the marathon.

Men’s top 10 results

1. Eliud Kipchoge KEN 2:02:42
2. Vincent Kipkemoi KEN 2:03:13
3. Tadese Takele ETH 2:03:24
4. Ronald Korir KEN 2:04:22
5. Haftu Teklu ETH 2:04:42
6. Andualem Belay Shiferaw ETH 2:04:44
7. Amos Kipruto KEN 2:04:49
8. Philemon Kiplimo KEN 2:04:56
9. Amanal Petros GER 2:04:58
10. Bonface Kimutai Kiplimo KEN 2:05:05

Tigist Assefa smashes world record

In the women’s race, defending champion Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia smashed Brigid Kosgei’s world record from 2019, streaking to victory in a jaw-dropping 2:11:53. For that story, click here. 

For full results of the BMW Berlin Marathon, click here.