Berlin, September 22nd, 2026 (The Berlin Spectator) – Lots of events are going on in Berlin all the time. The BMW Berlin Marathon is one of the biggest. More than 55,000 runners, inline skaters and wheelchair riders are registered. Hundreds of thousands of spectators will be cheering for the participants along the way.
On Saturday, September 26th, the whole thing will start with an inline skater race. Most participants start at 12:20 p.m., while the fastest ones can still finish their lunch. Inline skaters who can do five loops in 1:24 hours or faster start an hour later. The route commences on Strasse des 17. Juni, close to Brandenburg Gate. From there, the participants have to go all the way to Richard Wagner Square and back to the Gate. Once they have covered the loop five times, they are done.
The actual Marathon takes place on Sunday, September 27th. The closer the big day comes, the more excitement there is. At 8:20 a.m., the starting gun for handbikers will be heard. Six minutes later, another shot is supposed to be fired for wheelchair riders.
But the moment almost everyone is waiting for will be coming at 8:45 a.m., when the first wave of runners needs to get going. By the way: Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to get those 42 kilometers (26 miles) behind you as quickly as possible. Runners, please don’t get lost on the way.
First, race along Strasse des 17. Juni to Ernst Reuter Square and Alt-Moabit. At some point, you will hit Reinhardtstrasse, Torstrasse and Alexanderstrasse. Before you can shout “Get out of my way!”, you’ll be running on Karl-Marx-Allee, sweating like a horse. Lichtenberger Strasse, Heinrich-Heine-Strasse and Moritzplatz square are next. By the time you get here, you will wish you had stayed in bed, watching Netflix and munching pizza.
By the time you’re at Kottbusser Tor and Hermannplatz square, you will be using the f-word. Whoever reaches Yorckstrasse, Grunewaldstrasse and Rathaus Schöneberg is really good. Then, once you are on Hohenzollerndamm and Kurfürstendamm, you will know the finish line is still much too far away. Either take a taxi or keep on running like crazy. Potsdamer Platz! Yes! You’re close! Gendarmenmarkt is next. And then you finally made it.
Last year, Sebastian Sawe from Kenya won the Berlin Marathon. No, he did not take breaks at McDonald’s on the way. That’s why he finished the race in 2:02:16 hours. His compatriot Rosemary Wanjiru was the fastest woman. She did it in 2:21:05 hours.
