Participation record broken – dress rehearsal a success
The season’s highlight—the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON—is fast approaching the capital. The final test leading up to it is growing by leaps and bounds, too. The dress rehearsal set a phenomenal participation record with 6,439 active runners.
With decent running weather—sun, clouds, temperatures between 12 and 20 degrees Celsius, and a few brief showers—the vast majority of runners completed two laps through Steglitz, Zehlendorf, and Wilmersdorf, covering the half-marathon distance.
One of them was Thorsten Wittke. The Program Director at Radio Paradiso is a seasoned runner. As a "Jubilee Runner" (having participated in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON more than ten times), he always uses the dress rehearsal as a final test before the big race. Are running shoes and gear well broken in? Are the legs in good shape? Is fluid intake smooth? Is the support team ready? Is the playlist well-mixed? All these crucial points need testing to ensure nothing goes wrong during the main event four weeks later. The experienced runner also jogs the 4 kilometers from his home to the start line on Schlossstraße and back again. "That way, I hit a total of 30 kilometers, get a real test run for the marathon, and don't have to run the long training distance in one go. That works best for me." On Sunday, everything went like clockwork. He crossed the finish line at Walther-Schreiber-Platz in a wonderfully relaxed manner. “Now the anticipation for the biggest running party of the year is really kicking in. My family will be standing at four or five points along the course to cheer me on. And now I’m jogging home for a hearty brunch with my loved ones. We’re all fully prepared. Bring on the marathon!”
Read Thorsten’s recap of his dress rehearsal on Radio Paradiso here.
A view from the other side
Jessica Hanack is a journalist for the *Berliner Morgenpost*. She has participated in almost all SCC EVENTS races. “I find the energetic support from the volunteers very motivating every time. To give something back, I sign up to volunteer at least once a year. I took part in the dress rehearsal for the first time this year. It was great fun handing out water at the aid station on Rheinbabenallee and seeing so many happy, grateful faces. It was a wonderful feeling. I’m already looking forward to my next race, when the volunteers will be cheering me on again.”
Around 300 volunteers were on duty during Sunday’s dress rehearsal. For the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON on the last weekend of September, there will be 6,000 of them. We extend our special thanks to all the volunteers who make our events possible in the first place.
Pacer team makes its debut
They have long been a fixture at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. Now, they made their debut at the dress rehearsal. For the first time, a pacer team was present to cover specific finish times (1:30, 1:45, 2:00, 2:15, and 2:30 hours). This allowed for optimal testing of pacing and race strategy during the final trial run.
We look forward to the next edition of the dress rehearsal run on Sunday, August 29, 2027
Results and Statistics
Number of participants
Total of 6,439 participants, including 463 in the Bambini run and 860 in the quarter-marathon
Quarter-marathon
Women: 1. Sandra Guldborg DEN / Kolding 40:44 minutes (net time)
Men: 1. Khalil Aljasem Alhamad GER / Lichtenrader 36:01 minutes (net time)
Half-marathon
Women
- Antonia Müller GER / LG eXa Leipzig 1:18:46 hrs (gross time)
- Rabea Schöneborn GER / Marathon Team Berlin 1:20:10 hrs (gross time)
- Victoria Brandt GER / LAC Olympia 88 Berlin 1:20:10 hrs (gross time)
Photo finish between 2nd and 3rd place (3-hundredths-of-a-second lead for Rabea).
Men
- Maurits de Liefde NED / PAC Rotterdam 1:09:30 hrs (gross time)
- Bogdan Postolachi MDA 1:09:53 hrs (gross time)
- Johannes Barisch GER 1:11:29 (gross time)
