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For Ariane Hendrix, the Olympic Trials Marathon Is Just the Beginning

ntriolo — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 21:58:36 +0000

When Ariane Hendrix, 35, ran her first marathon in Bismarck, North Dakota, in 2012, she started off on a similar trajectory as many new recreational runners. She had one goal, which was to complete the race without walking, and ended up finishing in 3:57:51.

From there, she spent much of the next few years chipping away at her times while conquering other milestones like qualifying for the Boston Marathon (on her second marathon in Los Angeles in 2013) and breaking three hours, which she accomplished with a 2:57:00 finish at the 2018 Ventura Marathon in southern California, near her hometown of Oxnard.

In new territory as a sub-elite athlete, Hendrix set her sights on qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon, held in Atlanta on February 29. She aimed to do so at the 2020 Houston Marathon, which took place on the final day to qualify, and while she didn’t hit the women’s standard of 2:45, she ran a new personal best of 2:54:25. Shortly thereafter, Hendrix, like many runners, had to put her racing goals on hold as the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. She never lost motivation, however, going on to run a 2:44:33 virtual marathon that April.

“It was obviously too late to qualify for the Trials, which were in February, but I wanted the boost of confidence and to prove to myself that I could run that time, especially after trying twice to hit the standard and not getting it,” Hendrix says.

(Photo: Courtesy Oiselle)

Not only did Hendrix manage to stay in it, but she continued to bring down her race times, going on to run a new personal best of 2:42:51 at the 2022 Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, Michigan. By then, however, the Trials standard had been tightened to 2:37 for women for 2024, which only added fuel to her fire.

Hendrix did a shorter speed segment in the summer of 2022 in preparation for the California International Marathon (CIM) in December, spending more time on track work that was 5K- and 10K-focused. She also brought her overall volume down from the 100-mile weeks she had been doing before, which she believes contributed to three stress fractures (one in her tibia and two in her sacrum) in the previous two years.

“The goal was to try to make my marathon pace feel more comfortable when I would eventually start the CIM block,” Hendrix explains. “I think that change and really figuring out that [lower but consistent] weekly mileage in the 80s worked best for me was key.”

Making the List

The adjustment paid off. Hendrix ran her current PR of 2:35:13 at CIM, not only punching her ticket to the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando on February 3, but also becoming the second-fastest American-born Black woman in history.

While Hendrix was somewhat familiar with of Black women who have run under three hours in the marathon (which is maintained by historian Gary Corbitt, son of Olympian and founding NYRR president Ted Corbitt) since she first went sub-three herself, it’s only been in the last few years that she’s become invested in what it means in terms of representation.

“I know in the last two years especially, the List has become more prominent and more people know about it. I’m really honored and proud to be a representative of not just African American women, but also of the LGBTQIA community,” Hendrix says. “For a long time, I felt like I was trying to prove to myself and the running community that I belonged, that I was fast enough to be around. I’m so excited to be someone who people like me can see themselves in and say ‘Hey, I can do that, too,’ or, ‘I belong there, too.’”

Looking ahead to the Orlando Trials, Hendrix, who lives in Portland, Oregon, with her fiancée, Veronica, has earned the support of women’s apparel brand Oiselle. In September she was named to the brand’s “Year of the Underbird” sponsorship roster, along with Carrie Verdon, Molly Bookmyer, Elena Hayday, and Briana Boehmer. The program serves to support athletes in their build-up to the Trials by providing a monthly $2,000 health and training stipend and $1,000 stipend for Oiselle apparel and gear, as well as covering their travel and lodging expenses in Orlando. Applying for this sponsorship was a no-brainer for Hendrix (who also works as a test analyst for HOKA) not only because she’d been a fan of the brand’s apparel for many years, but because of the conscious efforts she’d seen .

“Qualifying for the Olympic Trials is the biggest thing that I’ve done in my athletic career, and having a brand like Oiselle supporting me like this is just amazing,” Hendrix says. “I check a lot of boxes in that I’m African American and I’m gay, and I’ve seen a lot in terms of community, diversity, and representation from Oiselle, and this is important to me when it comes to who I want to associate myself with and partner with.”

(Photo: Courtesy Ariane Hendrix)

Since running her marathon PR at CIM last year, Hendrix has also brought her half marathon and 5K PRs down to 1:15:50 and 17:20, respectively. She also moved down to number three on the List, which is currently made up of only 31 women, after professional runner debuted at the distance in 2:33:57 at this year’s Boston Marathon. But Hendrix is not only seeking to improve her PR yet again in Orlando—hopefully breaking the 2:30 barrier in the process—she’s hoping to make her way to the top of the List.

“My family has not seen me race a marathon since I first broke three hours, so I’m really excited for them, as well as my three young nieces, to see me running in the Olympic Trials,” she says. “Having them all there cheering for me as I chase these goals is going to be something really special.”

As far as what’s next both before and after the Trials, Hendrix, who is currently self-coached, plans to run some shorter-distance races including two half marathons and a 10K as part of her preparation. Beyond the Trials, she hopes to try her hand at ultra distances and eventually run in the elite field at the Boston Marathon.

“Boston is one of my favorite races, so being in the elite field and having my name on my bib would be really special,” she says.

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Tigist Assefa Shatters Women’s Marathon World Record in Berlin

mmitchell — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:40:58 +0000

Ethiopia’s Tigiist Assefa smashed the women’s world record in the marathon on Sunday, defending her Berlin Marathon title with an astonishing 2:11:53 effort.

Aided by a fast pack of women competitors early in the race and her male pacemaker Azmera Gebru, Assefa averaged 5:02 per mile wearing a pair of Adidas’ new Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 racing shoes and took more than two minutes off the previous women’s world record of 2:14:04, which had been set by Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei at the 2019 Chicago Marathon.

From the Track to Marathon World Record Holder

Assefa, 29, was a 2016 Olympian in the 800-meter run, but she only began running marathons about two years ago. She entered the Berlin Marathon last year with a very modest personal best of 2:34:01, but surprised everyone with her 2:15:37 course-record victory in the third-fastest time ever.

This year, she and compatriot Workenesh Edesa set a blistering early pace, but they weren’t alone as they went through the 5K mark in 15:58 and the 10K in 31:45. Through the first nine miles, 12 women were within 15 seconds of one another—and all were running inside world record pace.

Assefa and Edesa had managed to open up a slight gap on Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui and Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi and Zeineba Yimer, but by the time Assefa reached the halfway mark in 1:06:20 she was all alone. From there, she ran stride for stride with Gebru before eventually running solo to the finish, easily securing the win over Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui (2:17:49). Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri, making her marathon debut, finished third in 2:18:41.

The top eight women finished under 2:20, making it the fastest women’s marathon in history.

Americans Annie Frisbie (2:27:02) and Jacqueline Gaughan (2:27:08) finished 17th and 18th, respectively, while Jane Bareikis was 21st (2:29:00).

Tigist Assefa from Ethiopia and Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya celebrate their victories after the 2023 BMW Berlin-Marathon (Photo: Luciano Lima/Getty Images)

Kipchoge Wins Again

Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge didn’t break his own world record (2:01:09) that he set last year, but the 38-year-old Kenyan added to his Berlin legacy with a record fifth victory in 2:02:42, the fifth-fastest time of his illustrious career.

The two-time Olympic champion, who wore a pair of new Nike Alphafly 3 supershoes, averaged 4:41 per mile and won by 31 seconds, but for most of the race he had company in the unheralded Derseh Kindie of Ethiopia.

Kipchoge and Kindie separated from the lead pack early in the race, reaching the 5K mark in 14:12. They continued their fast, frontrunning pace and reached the 10K point in 28:27, which put them exactly on 2:00:00 marathon pace and 30 seconds ahead of the seven-man chase pack.

They continued to run together at world record pace through the halfway point (1:00:22), but they slowed shortly thereafter. Kipchoge finally broke away from Kindie after the 19-mile mark and ran strong at the front all the way to the finish. He won by 31 seconds over fast-finishing Vincent Kipkemoi of Kenaya (2:03:13). Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele was third in 2:03:24.

Although Kindie dropped out before the finish, the top nine men broke 2:04 and the top 15 were faster than 2:06, making it one of the fastest men’s marathons in history.

Teshome Mekonen, an Ethiopian-born New York City-based runner who received U.S. citizenship in 2022, placed 24th in 2:10:16. Jared Ward, a 2016 U.S. Olympian from Utah, was 27th in 2:11:44, while fellow American Tyler Pennel was 29th in 2:14:28.

Jake Riley, who ran in the Tokyo Olympic marathon three years ago for the U.S., finished 54th in 2:18:18 in his first marathon since undergoing double Achilles surgery in 2022 to correct Haglund’s syndrome.

Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya crosses the finish line in first place during the 2023 BMW Berlin-Marathon (Photo: Luciano Lima/Getty Images)

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Eliud Kipchoge’s Greatest Competition at the Berlin Marathon? Himself.

ntriolo — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 18:25:35 +0000

In April, marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge did something unusual: He apologized for losing. On a cold and rainy Monday at the Boston Marathon, the two-time Olympic champion from Kenya faded from the front pack after leading for 19 miles of the race. He finished sixth overall in 2:09:23, three minutes behind winner Evans Chebet of Kenya.

The next day, Kipchoge sat behind a blue table dressed in an orange jacket and gripping a microphone as he faced a frenzy of questions from the media about his uncharacteristic performance. His left leg gave him problems during the race, Kipchoge said during a post-marathon press conference. Despite that, no, he didn’t think about quitting, adding, “they say it’s important to win, but it’s great to participate and finish.”

Kipchoge’s performance and words were a mark of resilience at the world’s oldest annual marathon, and one of the most prestigious road races across the globe. Now, five months after his highly-publicized Boston debut, he is ready for another run this Sunday, September 24, when he toes the starting line for the 49th edition of the Berlin Marathon at 9:15 A.M. CET (3:15 E.T.).

Coach Patrick Sang and Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin. (Photo: Courtesy of NN Running Team)

“I Fell Down, But I Got Back Up.”

“This is the higher branch now,” Kipchoge said on Thursday morning at the Intercontinental Hotel, the elite athlete hub for the marathon. “I grabbed this one, and I’ll wait for the next one.”

The analogy is one he often references about moving forward. “If you want to be successful, then you learn from failure. I failed in Boston. I fell down, but I got back up.”

Kipchoge arrived in the German capital on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, greeted at the airport with a bouquet of sunflowers from Claus-Henning Schulke, the man who has served as Kipchoge’s race day bottle handler since 2017. Though a light blue face mask covered Kipchoge’s signature pearly wide smile as he wheeled a carry-on suitcase, his eyes glowed as he hugged Schulke and received the flowers, an annual tradition here in Berlin and symbolic of good fortune.

“It’s like home,” Kipchoge said as he sat calmly sipping tea, smiling as he reflected on his previous Berlin Marathon experiences. He has visited Berlin several times in the past, and the city holds special significance. It’s where he achieved two marathon world records, lastly in 2022, when he ran 2:01:09, lowering his former world mark from 2018 by 30 seconds.

Kipchoge’s Outstanding Track and Marathon Career

After a standout track career as a 5,000-meter specialist, Kipchoge found his calling in 26.2 miles in 2013, when he debuted in Hamburg, Germany. He won and set a course record of 2:05:30 in the process. Five months later, Kipchoge ran his first Berlin Marathon, finishing second to fellow countryman Wilson Kipsang, who won in world-record time. Kipchoge would go on to win 15 marathons, including four London Marathon titles and back-to-back victories in 2016 and 2022 at the Olympic Games. (Two of the marathons—the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in 2019 and the Nike-sponsored Breaking2 project in 2017—were not an open competition, and therefore his times of 2:00:25 and 1:59:40 are not officially recognized by World Athletics.)

An artist in Berlin paints a mural of Kipchoge in anticipation of his 2023 race. (Photo: Courtesy of NN Running Team)

Berlin Marathon 2023: The Calm Before the Storm

Three days out from the start of the marathon, life is business as usual for the defending champion—who has earned four Berlin Marathon titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. Kipchoge woke up at 6:10 A.M. for a jog in Tiergarten, Berlin’s largest and most popular urban park. Then, he sipped tea followed by a massage before several interviews from local and international press.

He is as calm as ever, not minding the fact that he will face off against a field that includes Kenyan Amos Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, and the second-fastest entrant at this year’s Berlin race. Kipruto finished second to Kipchoge at the Tokyo Marathon in 2022. Kipchoge’s personal best is two minutes faster than Kipruto’s 2:03:13 finish.

In his sixth Berlin Marathon appearance, the 38-year-old Kipchoge is aiming for an unprecedented fifth title. He is currently tied atop the list of most Berlin Marathon victories (four) with retired Ethiopian champion Haile Gebrselassie, who also twice lowered the marathon world record in Berlin.

“I want to win the race,” Kipchoge flatly declared. But Berlin is also a strategic step as he eyes one of three men’s spots on Kenya’s team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. “Berlin is good preparation for next year’s Olympics in Paris,” he added.

Berlin is part of the World Marathon Majors circuit—the six largest and most competitive international marathons that include Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago, and New York City. A race that attracts world-class competition annually, the flat asphalt course with wide sweeping turns (and the race’s hired pacemakers, brought to assist the elites to run a fast time) has monopolized record-breaking activity since 1998; nine men’s world records, including two from Kipchoge, have been achieved at the Berlin Marathon, the most of any World Marathon Majors race.

“The streets love my muscles,” Kipchoge says, laughing. “The crowds are wonderful, too.”

Left-to-right: Noah Kipkemboi, Eliud Kipchoge, Hillary Chepkwony (Photo: Courtesy of NN Running Team)

Compared to his 2022 season, not much of his routine has changed. Kipchoge, who trains under coach Patrick Sang at Global Sports Communication Training Camp in Kaptagat, Kenya, routinely tallies 136 miles a week, often running twice a day at 8,200 feet above sea level in the Rift Valley of Kenya. He couples high mileage with twice-weekly hour-long cycling on an indoor trainer along with 10-minute ice baths two days a week after speed work. And he sleeps at least nine hours a day to recover from it all. The intense routine has kept Kipchoge at the top of his form for 20 marathons to date. Berlin will be his 21st marathon.

“I’ve never missed a training,” Kipchoge says. “I can say I’m ready.”

Yet, as ready as he feels, even the marathon king gets nervous. “Nervousness shows that I am ready to race,” he says. “Nervousness shows that the mind and the whole body are ready to conquer the streets. The moment you are not nervous shows that something is actually not good.”

While he doesn’t let on about a specific time, one thing is clear, Kipchoge’s objective is to have a “good” race.

“Running a good time and enjoying the race and inspiring all of my fans,” he says, grinning. “That’s what I call good.”

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10 Things to Know About the 2023 Berlin Marathon

Mallory Arnold — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 21:52:28 +0000

More than 45,000 runners are expected to participate in the Berlin Marathon on September 24 in Germany’s capital city. It’s the 49th edition of the race and one of the six World Marathon Majors races along with races in Chicago, New York, Boston, London and Tokyo. The weather forecast is calling for cloudy and cool conditions on race morning in Berlin, so fast times are once again expected.

Here’s a rundown of 10 noteworthy elements about this year’s race.

1. The Berlin Marathon Course Is Very Flat and Very Fast

(Photo: Matthias Makarinus, Getty)

The Berlin Marathon has produced 12 world records—more than any other marathon—since its inception in 1974, including the past eight men’s records since 2003. Kenya legend Eliud Kipchoge lowered the world record for the fastest official marathon ever run (2:01:09) last year in Berlin, and it’s also where he ran the previous world record (2:01:39) in 2018.

Berlin has produced six of the top 10 fastest men’s times in history, including three of the four sub-2:02 efforts (including the 2:01:41 run by Kenenisa Bekele in 2019). It hasn’t been quite as fast for women, however it has been the site of three women’s world records, most recently when Japan’s Naoko Takahashi ran the world’s first sub-2:20 marathon (2:19:46) in 2001. Last year, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa won the women’s race in 2:15:37, which, at the time, was the second-fastest marathon ever run and now ranks fifth.

Berlin is the flattest course of all the World Marathon Majors, with a total elevation gain of 241 feet and loss of 260 feet. (The biggest “hills” come between miles 16 and 20, but they max out at less than 30 feet of gain.) Berlin annually produces some of the fastest pro results in the world, in part because it’s a flat course, but also because the race organization provides pacemakers (auxilliary runners who set an optimal pace but only run about a portion of the course before dropping out) so the opportunity for fast times are assured. (There are no pacemakers at the Chicago, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon, so those races play out only by the tactics of the runners in the field.) But the fast elite times, flat course, and typically cool weather conditions have attracted age-group runners targeting new PRs, too.

2. Eliud Kipchoge Headlines the Men’s Field

Eliud Kipchoge celebrates on the podium after winning the Berlin Marathon race on September 25, 2022. (Photo: Tobias Schwarz, Getty)

Running legend , universally accepted as the G.O.A.T. of marathoning, has won 15 of the 18 marathons he has entered, including the past two Olympics. Berlin is where he’s had most of this success, dating back to his first victory in 2015 and he has since also won there in 2017, 2018, and 2022. Can he add one more victory to his total?

He lowered his own world record to 2:01:09 last year by averaging 14:21.4 per 5K, or 4:37 per mile. However, the 38-year-old Kenyan is coming off an uncharacteristically disappointing race at the 2023 Boston Marathon, where he finished sixth in 2:09:23. Will he approach another world record? “My aim is to always run a good race,” he said recently. “Berlin is like home for me. In view of the Olympic Games next year in Paris, I thought about which race could be the best preparation for the Games for me, and Berlin is the best option.”

3. There Is an Exceptionally Deep Men’s Field

From right to left, Mark Korir, Amos Kipruto, and Geoffrey Kamworor. (Photo: Getty)

Including Kipchoge, the men’s field in Berlin includes 10 runners who have run faster than 2:06 and seven more who have broken 2:07, including last year’s runner-up Mark Korir (2:05:58). Kipchoge should be challenged by fellow Kenyan , who owns a 2:03:13 from his runner-up showing at last year’s Tokyo Marathon. The winner of the 2022 London Marathon last fall (2:04:39), Kipruto, 31, placed a distant second in the 2018 Berlin Marathon behind Kipchoge (2:06:23) and owns a bronze medal in the marathon from the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.

Other top runners in the field include Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor, who ran 2:04:23 to place second at the London Marathon in April, Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese, who was second (2:02:48) in Berlin in 2019 and Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang, 41, a former winner in Berlin, New York, and Tokyo. However, Kipsang, who lowered the world record to 2:03:23 on the Berlin course in 2013, is coming off a four-year ban for missing drug tests in 2018 and 2019.

4. A Fast Two-Runner Duel Is Expected in the Women’s Race

Tigist Assefa and Sheila Chepkirui.

Last year, Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, a 2016 Olympian in the 800-meter run, entered the race as an untested marathon (with a PR of 2:34:01) and surprised everyone with her 2:15:37 victory in the third-fastest time ever.The 26-year-old is back this year but hasn’t run any races because she’s been sidelined with a few nagging injuries.

Her biggest competitor will likely be Sheila Chepkirui, who holds a personal best of 2:17:29 from last December’s Valencia Marathon. She’s a former African Cross Country Championships winner and was the bronze medalist in the 10,000-meter run at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Other top women runners include Ethiopians Tigist Abayechew (2:18:03), Workenesh Edesa (2:18.51), and Hiwot Gebrekidan (2:19:10).

5. Several Top American Men Are Racing in Berlin

From left to right, Scott Fauble, Jared Ward, Jake Riley, and Teshome Mekonen. (Photo: Getty, @timzanation)

Scott Fauble, a three-time seventh-place finisher at the Boston Marathon (including this year in 2:09:44), is racing Berlin with the hopes of securing the Olympic-qualifying standard of 2:08:10. The 31-year-old runner from Portland, Oregon, will still need a top-three finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on February 4 in Orlando, but securing the time will give him a leg up on qualifying for the Paris Olympics next summer.

Also racing in Berlin are 2016 U.S. Olympian Jared Ward (Provo, Utah) and 2020 U.S. Olympian Jake Riley (Boulder, Colorado). Ward, 35, owns a 2:09:25 personal best, but he hasn’t run faster than 2:12 since his sixth-place finish (2:10:45) in the New York City Marathon in 2019. The 34-year-old Riley, who owns a 2:10:02 PR, is coming back after having double Achilles surgery in July 2022 to correct Haglund’s syndrome (the second time in his career), and hopes to run in the 2:12-2:14 range. Ethiopian-born Teshome Mekonen, who recently received U.S. citizenship, will also be racing in Berlin. The 28-year-old, who lives in New York City, has a 1:00:02 half-marathon personal best and lowered his marathon personal best to 2:11:05 last January in Houston.

6. Annie Frisbie is the Only American Woman in the Elite Field

(Photo: Getty, )

in the women’s field in Berlin. The 26-year-old from Hopkins, Minnesota, made her marathon debut at the 2021 New York City Marathon with an impressive seventh-place finish (2:26:18). She’s continued to run well since then, placing 20th (2:28:45) in the 2023 Boston Marathon (2:28:45) and most recently finishing fifth (1:07:27) at the U.S. 20K Championships on September 4 in New Haven, Connecticut. Frisbie was a Wisconsin state champion runner in high school and an All-American runner for Iowa State University.

7. The Race is a Showcase of Berlin Started by a German Baker

Horst Milde (Photo: John Macdougall, Getty)

The Berlin Marathon was started in 1974 by Horst Milde, a German baker and running enthusiast. When it began at the height of the Cold War and East Berlin being sealed off by a wall, the marathon was run only in West Berlin. Since 1990, it has started and ended near the , —including the neighborhoods of Charlottenburg, Tiergarten, Moabit, Mitte, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Neukölln, Schöneberg, Friedenau, and Zehlendorf. Runners will pass tourist sites like , , , and . Live music is played at more than 60 locations along the course, including at all the famous landmarks.

The inaugural Berlin Marathon had 244 finishers; 234 men and 10 women, and was won by Günter Hallas (2:44:53) and Jutta von Haase (3:22:01), respectively. Last year, the race had 34,788 finishers, including 23,280 men (67 percent) and 11,508 women (33 percent). The last German runners to claim victory were Irina Mikitenko (2:19:19) in 2008 and Ingo Sensburg (2:16:48) in 1980. No American man or woman has ever won the Berlin Marathon.

8. There is Also an Inline Skating Marathon

Inline skaters competing in the Berlin marathon power down Grunewald Strasse in the Schoeneberg neighbourhood in Berlin.

The Berlin Marathon has an inline skating division for 500 participants that begins at 3:30 P.M. after all runners are cleared from the course. The skater course record of 56:46 was set last year by Belgian Bart Swings, and he’s back this year aiming for his ninth victory. In the women’s race, all eyes are on last year’s winner, Marie Dupuy of France, in 1:11:19. All finishers of the inline skating division .

9. How You Can Watch the Race and Track Runners

The 48th BMW Berlin Marathon. (Photo: Anadolu Agency, Getty)

The race, which starts at 9:15 A.M. local time (or 3:15 A.M. ET in the U.S.), , but not in North America. However, several websites offer live streaming so people can watch the Berlin Marathon from anywhere in the world, especially if you’re a VPN subscriber. will be broadcasting the race online in real time for free, while requires a subscription ($29.99 for one month) in order to view their livestream. Runners can be tracked via the Berlin Marathon website’s Results page, or via the BMW Berlin Marathon App app available on or .

Race day begins with the elite handbike division at 8:50 A.M., followed by the wheelchair and handcycle divisions at 8:57 A.M. Runners are sent off in four waves beginning at 9:15 A.M., starting with the men’s and women’s elite waves. The race has a strict time limit of 6 hours, 15 minutes as well as course closure times at the 33K/20.5-mile mark (3:50 P.M.) and 38K/23.6-mile mark (4:35 P.M.). Runners who have not reached those points by those times can continue on the sidewalks alongside the course or get a ride on the course-sweeping bus.

10. How to Enter the 50th Berlin Marathon in 2024

The Victory Column. (Photo: Getty)

Entry to the 2024 Berlin Marathon, which is slated for September 29, 2024, will be done via a lottery that will open in October. You can enter the lottery as a solo runner or as a team consisting of two or three people. (If the team is drawn, all persons from the team are included.) Lottery dates for 2024 have not yet been announced, but the draw for the 2023 edition took place in December 2022.

If you’re selected, the registration fee will be about $160 euros. You can also secure a guaranteed spot in the race based on previous marathon times. In 2023, female runners up to 44 years old qualified if they ran faster than 3:00; female runners up to 59 years old qualified if they ran under 3:20; and female runners over 60 years qualified if they ran under 4:10. For men, the qualifying times were 2:45 (up to 44 years old), 2:55 (46-59 years old), 3:25 (60 and older.)

If you don’t get in through the lottery, you may still be able to get into the race via a bib or through .

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When Will Eliud Kipchoge Slow Down?

ntriolo — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 20:26:25 +0000

Eliud Kipchoge has expanded the universe of what’s humanly possible in the marathon, and he will forever remain a legend in the sport of long-distance running.

Not only for himself, but especially for those who have come after him. That includes everyone, both elite and recreational runners, who are preparing a marathon this fall or some distant point in the future. His current 2:01:09 world record and his barrier-breaking 1:59:40 time-trial effort in 2019 are legendary feats, both for the current generation of runners and for all time.

The 38-year-old Kenyan marathoner is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, but time waits for no one, and especially not a long-distance runner. Like all elite athletes, his time at the top is limited, but fortunately, there is still time to immerse in the inspirational examples he’s providing.

Kipchoge recently announced , where, last year, he won the race for the fourth time and lowered the world record for the second time. It is most likely what will be the beginning of a grand denouement as he goes for another gold medal at the 2024 Olympics next summer in Paris.

Given that he won his first global medal in the City of Light—when, at the age of 18, he outran Moroccan legend Hicham El Guerrouj and Ethiopian legend-in-the-making Kenenisa Bekele —it would certainly be one of the greatest stories ever told if he could win the Olympic marathon there next year when he’s nearly 40.

Certainly he’ll run a few more races after the Olympics—and maybe through the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles—but, realistically, it is the start of a farewell tour for a runner who will never be forgotten.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not at all writing Kipchoge off. In fact, I am excited to see him run in Berlin and can’t wait to watch next year’s Olympic marathon unfold. But just as we’ve watched Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Shalane Flanagan, Usain Bolt, Allyson Felix, and other elite athletes succumb to the sunsetting of their peak performance level, so too will Kipchoge eventually suffer the same fate.

What I’m saying here is that we still have and continue to be inspired in our own running and other pursuits in life. Remember how we marveled at Michael Jordan’s greatest in more than 20 years after his heyday? This is the start of the last dance for Kipchoge, who, like Jordan, is much, much more than a generational talent; he’s an all-time great whose legacy will transcend time.

Running has seen many extraordinary stars in the past 50 years who have become iconic figures— Frank Shorter, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Ted Corbitt, Carl Lewis, Steve Jones, Paul Tergat, Catherine Ndereba, Paula Radcliffe, Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Mary Keitany, Brigid Kosgei, and Kilian Jornet, to name a few—but none have come close to the body of work and global influence of Kipchoge.

Not only is Kipchoge one of the first African athletes to become a household name and truly command a global audience, but he’s done more than other running champions because of he’s been able to take advantage of this advanced age of digital media to deliberately push positive messages and inspiring content to anyone who is willing to receive it.

Kenyan elite runner Eliud Kipchoge is preparing to run the 2023 Berlin marathon as part of his preparation for the 2024 Olympics. (Photo: Adam Berry/Getty Images)

Kipchoge has won two Olympic gold medals, set two world records, and won 17 of the 19 marathons he entered, but he’s so much less about the stats and bling and more sharing—to runners and non-runners alike—that and also that, despite our differences, we’re all human beings faced with a lot of the same challenges in life and, ultimately, hard work and kindness are what put us on the path to success.

How can an average runner who works a nine-to-five job and juggles dozens of other things in daily life be inspired by an elite aerobic machine like Kipchoge?

He is supremely talented, no doubt, but many elite runners have a similar aerobic capacity to allow them to compete on the world stage. What Kipchoge uniquely possesses—and why he’s become the greatest of all-time—is the awareness and ability to be relentless in his pursuit of excellence, and the presence and good will of how beneficial it is to share it.

If you haven’t been following Kipchoge or heard him speak at press conferences or sponsor events, he’s full of genuine wisdom and encouragement that can inspire you in your own running or challenging situation in life. His words come across much more powerfully than most other elite athletes or run-of-the-mill social media influencers, not only because he’s achieved at a higher level than anyone ever has, but because of his genuine interest in sharing the notion that it’s the simplest values—discipline, hard work, consistency, and selflessness—that make the difference in any endeavor.

This is not a suggestion to idolize Kipchoge, but instead to apply his wisdom and determination into the things that challenge you.

“If you want to break through, your mind should be able to control your body. Your mind should be a part of your fitness.”

“Only the disciplined ones in life are free. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods and your passions.”

“If you believe in something and put it in your mind and heart, it can be realized.”

“The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second-best time to plant a tree is today.”

Those are among the many simple messages that Kipchoge has lived by, but he also openly professess to giving himself grace to take time for mental and physical rest and recovery. It’s a simple recipe to follow, if you’re chasing your first or fastest marathon, or any tall task in life.

Kipchoge seems to defy age, but his sixth-place finish in the Boston Marathon in April proved he’s human. As much as it was painful to watch him falter, it was oddly refreshing and relatable to see him be something less than exceptional, and especially now that he’s tuning up for Berlin. He has nothing left to prove—to himself, to runners, to the world—but he’s bound to keep doing so just by following the same simple, undaunted regimen he always has.

There will be other young runners who will rise and run faster than Kipchoge and probably very soon. Fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum—who has run 2:01:53 (Valencia) and 2:01:25 (London) in his first two marathons since December—seems to be next in line for Kipchoge’s throne of the world’s greatest runner. But even after that happens, Kipchoge’s name will go down in history alongside the likes of Paavo Nurmi, Abebe Bikila, Emil Zátopek, Grete Waitz, Shorter and Samuelson because of how he changed running and how he gave us a lens to view running without limits.

Berlin is definitely not the end of Kipchoge’s amazing career as the world’s greatest long-distance runner. I fully expect him to win again in an unfathomable time. But the sunset is imminent and, no matter if you are or have ever been an aspiring elite athlete at any level, a committed recreational runner, or just an occasional jogger trying to reap the fruits of consistent exercise, his example is still very tangible and something to behold.

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Eliud Kipchoge Shatters Marathon World Record in Berlin

mmitchell — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 14:36:22 +0000

How many more times will Eliud Kipchoge remind the world that he is the G.O.A.T. of marathon running?

Every time he laces up his Nike shoes and runs a race, it seems he adds to his legacy of being the greatest of all time.

The seemingly infallible Kenyan runner broke his own world record in the marathon on Sunday morning at the Berlin Marathon, clocking 2:01:09 to win the race for the fourth time since 2015 and garner his 11th World Marathon Majors race in 13 attempts. Averaging 4:37 per mile, the 37-year-old runner sliced exactly half a minute off of his previous mark of 2:01:39 set at the same race in 2018.

Conditions in the German capital were ideal for fast racing—a cool 52 degrees with no precipitation after a night of showers, and no wind. Some 45,527 runners from 157 countries were registered to take part in the first Berlin Marathon without restrictions since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Instead of sticking with the planned schedule of running 60:50 through the first half (4:39 per mile), the lead group ran 14:14 for the first 5km (4:35 per mile) and sped up to hit 10km in 28:23. They blasted through the halfway mark in an unprecedented 59:51, a red-hot 4:34 per-mile pace. It was clear that Kipchoge was trying for the 2-hour barrier which has never been broken in a World Athletics-compliant competition.

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge celebrates after winning the Berlin Marathon race on September 25, 2022 in Berlin. (Photo: Tobias Schwarz/Getty)

Along with three Kenyan pacemakers—Moses Koech, Noah Kipkemboi and Philemon Kiplimo—Kipchoge still had Andamlak Belihu, an Ethiopian half-marathon specialist, on his heels. Belihu, who has a half-marathon career best of 58:54 but a marathon best of only 2:09:43, looked fairly comfortable at the half.

But an upset wasn’t in the making. Kiplimo was the final pacemaker to stay with Kipchoge and he hit 25km in 1:11:08 before immediately stepping off the course. Kipchoge motored ahead and quickly dropped Belihu. In a familiar scene from marathons past, it was just Kipchoge against the clock. By the 27th kilometer (near mile 17), run in 2:57 (4:45 per mile), however, it was clear the “sub-2:00” attempt was off. He was beginning to tire.

“We went too fast,” Kipchoge admitted after the race in his broadcast interview. “Actually, it takes energy from the muscles.”

Although his pace slipped—he slowed to a 3:08 kilometer in the 38th and 3:11 in the 40th—he rallied in the final mile to lock in his new World Athletics record. The men’s world record has now been set eight times in a row in Berlin, a race known for its flat course and pacemakers.

Kipchoge finished nearly five minutes ahead of his nearest competitor, Kenyan Mark Korir (2:05:58), and earned the equivalent of about $106,000 in prize money and time bonuses. He was handed a Kenyan flag and celebrated in the finish area to the delight of thousands of fans.

His second-half split was 1:01:19, which means, although he slowed a bit, he still averaged 4:41 per mile for the back half of the race.

“My legs and my body still feel young,” Kipchoge said. “But the most important thing is my mind, and that also feels fresh and young. I thought, let me try for 2 hours flat. I’m so happy to break the world record.”

Eliud Kipchoge celebrates a record-breaking day on the streets of the Berlin. (Photo: Abdulhamid Hosbas/Getty)

In 2019, Kipchoge became the first athlete to run a marathon distance in under 2 hours when he clocked 1:59:40 in a time trial in Vienna. But that mark was not recognized as an official world record because it was set with a team of rotating pacemakers and not in open competition. Earlier in his career, Kipchoge won a world championship title at 5,000m on the track.

Since turning his attention to the 26.2-mile distance in 2013, Kipchoge has won 15 of the 17 marathons he’s entered. That includes wins at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, as well as four wins apiece in Berlin and London. The only blemishes on his record are a second-place finish in Berlin in 2013 (2:04:05) and an eighth-place showing in London in 2020 (2:06:49).

Belihu had to settle for fourth place and a new personal best of 2:06:40. He was passed by another Ethiopian, Tadu Abate, who got third in 2:06:28. Kenya’s Abel Kipchumba took fifth in 2:06:49. Overall, the top 12 men broke 2:10.

Winner of the men’s race Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge (R) and winner of the women’s race Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa pose on the podium after the Berlin Marathon on September 25, 2022 in Berlin.

Had Kipchoge not broken the world record, the women’s race would have been the big story. Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, a 1:59.24 800m runner who competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, burned down her previous personal best by nearly 20 minutes and ran a sensational 2:15:37.

That made her the third-fastest woman in history behind only Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei (2:14:04) and Britain’s Paula Radcliffe (2:15:25). She obliterated the Berlin course record of 2:18:11 set by Gladys Cherono of Kenya in 2018, the same year Kipchoge ran his previous world record.

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