Event organiser SCC EVENTS has announced additions to the elite field for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, set to take place on September 27, 2026.
The event company had previously announced world record holder Sabastian Sawe for the men’s race, as well as world record holder Tigst Assefa, Rosemary Wanjiru, and Esther Pfeiffer for the women’s event. Additional international runners and German national record contenders have now joined the start line.
In the men’s race, Tanzania’s marathon record holder Gabriel Geay has been added to the entry list. The 29-year-old clocked 2:03:00 to finish second in Valencia in 2022, retaining his spot among the 20 fastest marathon runners in history, and placed second at the Boston Marathon in 2023.
Guye Adola will also compete in Berlin. The 35-year-old ran his personal best of 2:03:46 on his debut in Berlin in 2017, where he finished second. Adola won the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2021 and recently won the Rotterdam Marathon this spring in 2:03:54.
Several athletes from Marathon Team Berlin are aiming for personal bests. Johannes Motschmann is targeting the sub-2:10:00 mark, with a current personal best of 2:10:39. After running 61:47 at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON in the spring, an injury forced him to withdraw from the Hanover Marathon shortly after, so the event in Berlin presents a new test post-injury.
Sebastian Hendel, also representing Marathon Team Berlin, returns after setting a personal best of 2:07:33 in Berlin two years ago before being side-lined by health issues.
Aaron Bienenfeld recorded a debut time of 2:08:47 in Hamburg in late April, marking the fastest marathon debut by a German runner. Haftom Welday, who finished 14th at the 2023 World Championships, improved his personal best to 2:08:13 at the Barcelona Marathon this spring and is currently preparing in Ethiopia for the September 27th race.
In the women’s field, 27-year-old Bedatu Hirpa of Ethiopia has joined the line-up. Hirpa won the Dubai Marathon last year with a personal best of 2:18:27 before winning the Paris Marathon a few months later. Earlier this year, she finished second at the Osaka Marathon in 2:19:54.
For the German women, Kristina Hendel of Marathon Team Berlin is aiming to recover her top form, having set her personal best of 2:27:29 four years ago in Hamburg.
Her teammate, 24-year-old Anna Langerwisch, ran 2:32:13 at the Prague Marathon this year in her second race over the distance. Langerwisch previously won the Hanover Half Marathon in 70:53 and ran 32:17 over 10km at the adidas Runners City Night earlier this month.
Alongside the elite line-up announcements, SCC EVENTS published its 2025 Sustainability Report, evaluating its office, warehouse locations, and sporting events. The non-profit report noted that events organised by SCC EVENTS generated €10.24 million in donations for charitable projects in 2025.
