Sawe and Wanjiru head deep Berlin fields

Kenyans Sabastian Sawe and Rosemary Wanjiru head deep start lists with personal bests of 2:02:05 and 2:16:14 respectively. While they are considered favourites the men’s race features the defending champion Milkesa Mengesha of Ethiopia. He set his PB of 2:03:17 in Berlin last year.

Ten men are on the start list with personal bests of sub 2:05:00 and six women have already achieved times of under 2:19:00. Based on these figures it is the best line-up in the history of the BMW BERLIN MARATHON. Once again a very fast race can be expected on the flat Berlin course, which has seen a unique number of 13 world records during its 50-year-history.

The organisers have also pulled off an extraordinary coup. Both Japanese record holders will be running in Berlin next week: Kengo Suzuki holds the national record with a time of 2:04:56 and Honami Maeda is the fastest Japanese woman of all time with 2:18:59. For around 25 years at least, no other organiser of a city marathon outside Japan has managed to get the two Japanese record holders to compete in one race. This reflects the enormous significance the BMW BERLIN MARATHON has in Japan, a country where long distance running is hugely popular.

The Top 20 on the Start List

MEN:
Sabastian Sawe KEN 2:02:05 1. Valencia 24
Gabriel Geay TAN 2:03:00 2. Valencia 22
Milkesa Mengesha ETH 2:03:17 1. Berlin 24
Haymanot Alew ETH 2:03:31 3. Berlin 24
Guye Adola ETH 2:03:46 2. Berlin 17
Leul Gebresilase ETH 2:04:02 2. Dubai 18
Daniel Mateiko KEN 2:04:24 3. Valencia 24
Haftu Teklu ETH 2:04:42 5. Berlin 23
Chimdessa Debele ETH 2:04:44 6. Valencia 24
Kengo Suzuki JPN 2:04:56 1. Otsu 21
Chala Regasa ETH 2:05:06 2. Rotterdam 25
Samwel Mailu KEN 2:05:08 1. Wien 23
Yihunilign Adane ETH 2:05:37 1. Osaka 25
Tariku Novales ESP 2:05:48 11. Valencia 23
Kyohei Hosoya JPN 2:05:58 4. Osaka 25
Yuhei Urano JPN 2:06:23 13. Tokyo 25
Shuho Dairokuno JPN 2:07:12 6. Otsu 21
Hendrik Pfeiffer GER 2:07:14 3. Houston 24
Yitayew Abuhay ISR 2:07:26 11. Sevilla 25
Ezra Tanui KEN 2:07:28 1. Doha 25

WOMEN:
Rosemary Wanjiru KEN 2:16:14 2. Tokyo 24
Degitu Azimeraw ETH 2:17:58 2. London 21
Dera Dida ETH 2:18:32 2. Dubai 25
Mestawut Fikir ETH 2:18:48 2. Berlin 24
Tigist Girma ETH 2:18:52 7. Valencia 22
Honami Maeda JPN 2:18:59 2. Osaka 24
Sharon Chelimo KEN 2:19:33 1. Barcelona 25
Aberu Ayana ETH 2:20:20 4. Berlin 24
Azmera Gebru ETH 2:20:48 3. Amsterdam 19
Kidsan Alema ETH 2:22:28 6. Sevilla 22
Violah Cheptoo KEN 2:22:44 2. New York 21
Betty Chepkwony KEN 2:23:02 1. Rom 23
Domenika Mayer GER 2:23:47 14. Berlin 23
Deborah Schöneborn GER 2:24:54 4. Houston 24
Aberash Demisse ETH 2:25:43 10. Frankfurt 24
Fabienne Königstein GER 2:25:48 8. Hamburg 23
Aleksandra Lisowska POL 2:25:52 28. Valencia 23
Samantha Harrison GBR 2:25:59 11. London 23
Irvette Van Zyl RSA 2:26:11 16. Valencia 22
Hanne Verbruggen BEL 2:26:32 7. Sevilla 23