50th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON: Record number of participants as Milkesa Mengesha and Tigist Ketema win.

+++ Ethiopian double victory: Milkesa Mengesha (2:03:17 h) and Tigist Ketema (2:16:42 h) triumph at the anniversary marathon +++ 58,000 runners from 161 nations celebrated along the course +++ A total of around 85,000 people participated in the 50th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON +++

Berlin. For two weeks, the 50th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON was celebrated with an entertaining programme of events, culminating in Sunday's highlight under ideal conditions and sunshine. Around one million fans along the 42.195 km route through the German capital witnessed not only an exciting men's finish but also the largest starting field ever in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, with 58,000 runners.

As diverse as the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is, the Ethiopian colours dominated the podium on Sunday. In the women's race, the homeland of running legend Haile Gebrselassie celebrated a first to fourth lock-out. Favorite Tigist Ketema won convincingly ahead of Mestawot Fikir, Bosena Mulatie, and Aberu Ayana Mulisa. In the men's race, Ethiopia’s Milkesa Mengesha took a somewhat surprising victory. Kenyan Cybrian Kotut finished second, while another Ethiopian, Haymanot Alew, claimed third place.

“The 50th BMW Berlin Marathon was a lively anniversary on and off the course and a compelling sporting event with more than 85,000 active participants – more than ever before. A heartfelt thank you to all athletes, the team of our partner SCC EVENTS, the 6,500 volunteers, and all the fans along the route,” said Christian Ach, Head of BMW Germany. “BMW was delighted to contribute as the title partner to the success of this event. The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON moves many of our customers and employees. It also exemplifies the BMW Group’s commitment to sports, as it creates unique moments for everyone involved, connects people from different cultures, and celebrates both diversity and inclusion.”

The race dynamics for the men and women could not have been more different. Tigist Ketema essentially led from start to finish, achieving a commanding victory. The clock on the lead vehicle, a BMW i5, stopped at 2:16:42 h – the third-fastest time ever run by a woman in Berlin. Ketema's lead over the second and third-place finishers was more than two minutes.

The male top-runners started the marathon together at a very fast pace, leading to the fastest halfway split in BMW BERLIN-MARATHON history. However, in the final quarter of the race, the pace slowed significantly as tactics came to the fore. With three kilometres remaining, the lead group was reduced to just three runners. Mengesha took the initiative and began his final sprint shortly before the Brandenburg Gate, leaving his competitors behind. He achieved a personal best time of 2:03:17 h, with Kotut finishing five seconds behind and Alew 14 seconds behind the winner. The best German finisher was Sebastian Hendel, who placed 17th with a time of 2:07:33 h, while the fastest German woman was Melat Kejeta, who finished 11th with a time of 2:23:40 h.

The most exciting finish came from the men's handbike race. In a photo finish, Vico Merklein (GER) won ahead of Michael Jørgensen (DEN), followed closely by Johannes Herter (GER, all 1:04:46 h). In the women's handbike race, Italy’s Francesca Porcellato took victory with a time of 1:17:44 h, followed by Germans Julia Dierkesmann (1:17:45 h) and Katrin Möller (1:18:47 h).

Marcel Hug (1:27:18 h) was the fastest man in a racing wheelchair, as he was last year. The Swiss athlete finished ahead of David Weir (GBR, 1:29:05 h) and Geert Schipper (NED, 1:30:33 h). In the women's wheelchair race, the defending champion also prevailed; Catherine Debrunner (SUI) won in 1:35:23 h, followed by Susannah Scaroni (USA, 1:38:01 h) and Manuela Schär (SUI, 1:41:14 h).

At the 50th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, several hundred BMW employees from around the world also participated. To get ready and in the spirit of the event, many of them gathered on Saturday at BMW Group Plant Berlin. At the BMW Runners Get-together, they prepared for the race together, embodying the marathon's spirit of bringing together people from different cultures.

Title partner BMW supported the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON with 65 electric route and organisational vehicles. The all-electric BMW i5 and BMW i4 were used as lead cars. The BMW iX2 safety car was also emission-free, as were four BMW CE 04 scooters. The marathon was a home outing for the two-wheelers that are produced at the BMW Group Plant Berlin.

The BMW Group plant in Berlin can look back on a long tradition of motorcycle manufacturing. BMW motorcycles have been produced in Berlin-Spandau since 1969. With over 2,400 employees and a capacity of up to 900 motorcycles and premium e-scooters per day, the plant is the heart of BMW Motorrad’s global production.