The Berlin Spectator
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Eliud Kipchoge and Tigist Assefa Win Berlin Marathon

The 48th Berlin Marathon took place on Sunday. Eliud Kipchoge managed to finish it in record time. More than 40,000 slower runners did a great job too. Both the weather and the mood in Berlin were awesome.

Berlin, September 26th, 2022. Update: 12:25 p.m. CEDT (The Berlin Spectator) — Eliud Kipchoge just won the Berlin Marathon, and he broke his own record in the process. The 37-year-old master athlete from Kenya is one of today’s superstars. He covered the 42 kilometers (26 miles) in 2:01:09 hours (2 hours, 1 minute, 9 seconds), 30 seconds less than he did in 2018, when he was four years younger. Kipchoge is one of the best runners of all time.

Tigist Assefa’s Win

The next winner is Tigist Assefa from Ethiopia, today’s fastest woman. She finished the race after 2:15:37 hours, the third-best time a female runner has ever scored at the Berlin Marathon. Haftom Welday was the first German citizen to cross the finish line.

More than 40,000 participants were registered. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

Earlier this morning, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey had fired the starting shot. Almost 45,000 runners got going in three waves. They moved through the entire city, from Strasse des 17. Juni via Tiergraten, Mitte, Neukölln, Kreuzberg, Schöneberg, Steglitz and Charlottenburg back to Mitte, where they ran right through Brandenburg Gate, just before they crossed the finish line.

Sporty Expats

Tens of thousands of Berliners and tourists cheered for the runners, and the wheelchair riders who had their own race today. Spectators were seen all over the city, along the entire route. At some spots, groups of expatriates from certain countries cheered for their compatriots. At kilometer 35, Mexican Berliners gathered. Expats from all over the world were present.

Athletes on wheelchairs were in a race as well. Photo: Imanuel Marcus

Volunteers and the Berlin Police Department did a great job on the big day by protecting the participants and handling the traffic. Going into the city by car was a mission impossible this morning, in most areas. Bus and tram lines were interrupted or shut down as well. Even crossing the Berlin Marathon route as a pedestrian or cyclist was difficult. Close to Alexanderplatz square, at the intersection of Mollstrasse and Otto Braun Strasse, cars were routed towards Kreuzberg via tram tracks because the streets were occupied by runners.

Team Work

From the start, Eliud Kipchoge had reached impressive times. At first, he was part of a group of several African runners. Later, the others fell back to slower paces, one by one. Once he had made it, behind the finish line, Kipchoge grabbed a Kenyan flag and presented it to the audience by running around with it. In an interview with RBB television he said his victory had been possible thanks to team work. He wanted to motivate people to engage in sports activities.

Runners of all ages, from 18 to 90, were part of the 48th Berlin Marathon. Some already looked desperate and tired behind the first corner. Others, including Eliud Kipchoge and Tigist Assefa, probably could have done the same distance again.

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