Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa is heading back to Berlin, and the BMW BERLIN‑MARATHON just became the gravitational centre of the marathon universe again. The Olympic silver medallist will toe the line on September 27 with one intention, and that is to reclaim the world record she once detonated on those same flat, forgiving streets, with those same monstrous rubber-bottom shoes.
Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru returns as defending champion, Ethiopia’s Amane Beriso is back to resurrect her world‑class form, and—because Berlin never does “quiet,” the organizers have already confirmed the appearance of marathon disruptor Sabastian Sawe, the man who broke the two‑hour barrier in London this spring with a scarcely believable 1:59:30 in a record‑eligible race.
Berlin loads the cannons
Race Director Mark Milde summed it up with trademark understatement, for example, the event “promises once again to become an event of the highest calibre.” Sixty thousand runners from 160 nations will flood the German capital, but it’s the women’s field that steals the oxygen, as Assefa, Beriso, and Wanjiru, three athletes capable of rewriting the all‑time lists before brunch.
Milde also confirmed that Germany’s Esther Pfeiffer will make her first serious attempt at the classic distance. Her trajectory has been steep enough to suggest intant success as she is a 67:25 half-marathoner, which suggests she’s not here for sightseeing.
Assefa likes Berlin
Assefa’s relationship with Berlin borders on myth.
2022: She obliterated her PB by nearly 20 minutes, running 2:15:37.
2023: She shattered the world record with 2:11:53, a performance that recalibrated what was thought possible.
2024–25: Olympic and World silver medals, plus the women‑only world record (2:15:41).
Now she returns to chase the big one again, which is the mixed‑race world record of 2:09:56.
Her message ahead of the race was pure Assefa. It was measured, gracious, and quietly terrifying. She’s coming back “to try again to break the world record.”
If there was speculation around her world record of 2:11:53, then she is seeking the glare of a microscope if she cracks 2:09:56.
Beriso, Assefa’s training partner in Addis Ababa, is the kind of athlete who can turn a race inside‑out without warning. Her 2:14:58 in Valencia (2022) was a shockwave, and her World Championship win in Budapest (2023) proved it wasn’t a fluke. Injuries have slowed her since, but Berlin is where comebacks are minted.
Pfeiffer hasn’t run a marathon since her 2:37:00 debut in Cologne three years ago, but her recent half-marathon breakthrough suggests she’s ready to leapfrog into Germany’s all‑time top five. She’s married to Hendrik Pfeiffer, but her trajectory is entirely her own.
