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Berlin, Germany

Berlin Marathon

Marathon, 42.195 km

Imagery: Google Earth and its imagery providers

Berlin: the fastest road on earth

long cut · 16:9 · 4:38

Our reading of the course

01km 0–42.2Geometry

Measured

Fast because of geometry, not gradient

Forty-four corners, more than New York’s 40, and a longest straight of 2.88 km, under half of New York’s. No hairpin: nothing swings 150 degrees inside 60 m. And it turns early. Twenty-one of the 44 fall before halfway, only ten after km 30, and fewer than half are square. A corner costs a decelerate, lean, reaccelerate cycle paid out of the same glycogen as the pace, and Berlin bills for it early.

02km 25–30Crowd

Our reading

The wall lands where the city stops watching

It is the southwest, roughly km 25 to 30. The buildings drop from six storeys to four, the crowd thins to knots at the junctions, and the noise that has carried the field since the Siegessäule simply stops. The high point of the course sits at km 26 to 29, inside that window: a few metres, not a hill, but the only ones you climb with nobody shouting. Glycogen and quiet arrive together.

03km 0–21Tactics

Our reading

Flatness is the trap

A hilly course polices itself. A climb forces a gear change, and the interruption recruits different muscle whether you want it or not. Berlin never interrupts: the same fibres at the same cadence for two hours or four. Straße des 17. Juni is fifty metres wide, so nothing bunches and no wall of runners says the first ten kilometres have gone too fast. The course answers at km 30, and the answer is not advice.

04km 32–41.3Geometry

Measured

Six right angles, saved for the last two kilometres

The sharpest single turn is a 105.6-degree left into Fehrbelliner Platz at km 32.06. Then, from km 33.3 to km 39.9, the road turns hard exactly once. The six come at km 39.89, 40.07, 40.29, 40.57, 41.02 and 41.25: left, left, right, left, right, left. The first two are 174 m apart and both turn left, the only complete 180-degree reversal on the course. Six decelerate-and-reaccelerate cycles in 1.35 km, on legs that have gone forward for two hours.

05km 41.8–42.2Finish

Measured

The Brandenburg Gate is not the finish

The matched centreline passes 0.5 m from the centre of the arch at km 41.849, through the central passage under 13.5 m of clearance, at the loudest point of the day. Then the crowd is behind you. What is left is 351 m west along Straße des 17. Juni: fifty metres wide, grandstands set back, a finish gantry visible the whole way that does not appear to get any closer. The noise ends before the race does.

The line, and the climbing in it

Berlin: the course line

Elevation, m · 8× vertical, smoothed 1 km, dashed = bridge deck, interpolated

Lowest
33 m
Highest
51 m
Total gain
35.9 m
Fast because of geometry, not gradient
The wall lands where the city stops watching
Flatness is the trap
Six right angles, saved for the last two kilometres
The Brandenburg Gate is not the finish
Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 42. The trace runs between 33 and 51 metres, a range of 18 metres, drawn at 8 times vertical exaggeration so the shape is legible. Smoothed over 1 km before this profile was derived. An unsmoothed urban surface carries the buildings and would assert a climb that is not there. The dashed stretches are bridge decks: Alt-Moabit, km 6.3 to 6.4; Moltkebrücke, km 6.6 to 6.6; Konrad-Adenauer-Straße, km 7.1 to 7.2; Michaelbrücke, km 12.8 to 12.9; Hohenzollerndamm, km 31.1 to 31.2. A bare-earth model reads the ground or the water beneath a bridge, not the deck the runner is on, so those runs are interpolated between the ground either side rather than measured, and they under-report the real climb across a span. Marked sections: Fast because of geometry, not gradient, km 0 to 42; The wall lands where the city stops watching, km 25 to 30; Flatness is the trap, km 0 to 21; Six right angles, saved for the last two kilometres, km 32 to 41; The Brandenburg Gate is not the finish, km 42 to 42.
010203040

Distance, km

The line follows the road down its middle, so it measures 1.49% longer than the certified distance, which is measured on the shortest legal line through every bend.

Distance
Marathon, 42.195 km
Elevation gain
35.9 m
smoothed over 1 km
Course shape
loop
Surface
asphalt
First held
1974

Being there

Race day

Sun, 27 September 2026 sourced

Race week programme

72 times across 8 days sourced

Region

Europe

Series

Abbott World Marathon Majors sourced

Course line

42.82 km

Race week times as the organiser published them, in local time.

Course records

world men's, Eliud Kipchoge, 2022 2:01:09

course women's, Tigist Assefa, 2023 2:11:53

Race week

The whole programme 72 times across 8 days

  1. Sunday 20 September

    7 days before

    1. 17:00

      37th Literature Marathon Side event

      Berliner Kunstfabrik Schlot

      Reading event in the supporting programme; free entry.

  2. Wednesday 23 September

    4 days before

    1. 12:00–19:00

      Hall of Fame & Wall of Fame open Side event

      Brandenburger Tor / Platz des 18. März

  3. Thursday 24 September

    3 days before

    1. 00:00

      4-day public transport ticket becomes valid Getting there

      Included for marathon and inline skating participants; fare zones A, B and C; valid until 28 September 03:00. The race number itself serves as the ticket.

    2. 12:00–19:00

      Hall of Fame & Wall of Fame open Side event

      Brandenburger Tor / Platz des 18. März

    3. 14:00–20:00

      Participant hotline open

      030 - 30 12 88 10

    4. 15:00–20:00

      MARATHON EXPO by BRITA open Expo

      Flughafen Tempelhof, Platz der Luftbrücke 5, 12101 Berlin

      Free entry; access via the main hall. Max bag size 55x40x25 cm.

    5. 15:00–20:00

      Race number / race packet pickup Bib pickup

      Flughafen Tempelhof, Hangar 5

      Must be collected in person without exception; photo ID plus the start pass emailed 7-10 days before are required. Timeslots bookable in the user account until 21.09.2026.

  4. Friday 25 September

    2 days before

    1. 09:30–20:00

      Participant hotline open

      030 - 30 12 88 10

    2. 10:00–20:00

      MARATHON EXPO by BRITA open Expo

      Flughafen Tempelhof, Platz der Luftbrücke 5, 12101 Berlin

    3. 10:00–20:00

      Race number / race packet pickup Bib pickup

      Flughafen Tempelhof, Hangar 5

      Organiser advises collecting on Thursday or Friday morning; Friday afternoon and Saturday are the busiest.

    4. 14:00–16:30

      Hall of Fame & Wall of Fame open (first slot) Side event

      Brandenburger Tor / Platz des 18. März

    5. 15:00

      Kids Skating on-site registration opens Side event

      MARATHON EXPO by BRITA, Flughafen Tempelhof, next to the Bambini registration

    6. 17:00

      Kids Skating races Side event

      MARATHON EXPO by BRITA, Flughafen Tempelhof (covered apron)

      From 17:00 for all three age groups: 6-8 years approx. 400 m, 9-10 and 11-13 years approx. 1,000 m. Helmet and wrist guards compulsory.

    7. 18:15

      Official Opening Ceremony / Meet the Legends Ceremony

      Brandenburger Tor

      The website gives 'from 18:15'; the organiser’s Race Briefing PDF gives 18:30 for the same event. Elite athlete presentation and Hall of Fame induction.

    8. 19:30–21:00

      Hall of Fame & Wall of Fame open (second slot) Side event

      Brandenburger Tor / Platz des 18. März

  5. Saturday 26 September

    The day before

    1. 05:00

      Road closures in force (Saturday programme) Getting there

      Earliest closure band on the organiser’s closure map for 26 September is 'from 05:00'; further bands follow at 07:00, 08:50, 11:15, 12:00, 15:55, 17:30 and 18:00. The map does not state which bands are closures and which are reopenings.

    2. 08:30–20:00

      Participant hotline open

      030 - 30 12 88 10

    3. 09:00–19:00

      MARATHON EXPO by BRITA open Expo

      Flughafen Tempelhof, Platz der Luftbrücke 5, 12101 Berlin

    4. 09:00–19:00

      Race number / race packet pickup (final day, marathon only) Bib pickup

      Flughafen Tempelhof, Hangar 5

      Last pickup opportunity for the marathon. No Saturday pickup for inline skaters, for the GENERALI 5K or for the mini-MARATHON; those are Thursday and Friday only. Collection in person only, no exceptions.

    5. 09:00

      Bambini race packet pickup Bib pickup

      MARATHON EXPO by BRITA, Flughafen Tempelhof

      From 09:00 until 30 minutes before the scheduled start of each age group.

    6. 10:00

      GENERALI 5K start Start

      Potsdamer Platz, between Alte Potsdamer Str. and Sigismundstr.; finish on Straße des 17. Juni past the Brandenburg Gate

      5 km on the closing kilometres of the marathon course. Time limit 1 hour from crossing the start mat.

    7. 10:00–19:00

      Hall of Fame & Wall of Fame open Side event

      Brandenburger Tor / Platz des 18. März

    8. 10:45

      Inline skating: start and finish area opens Start

      Only entrance: Paul-Löbe-Allee, north side, in front of the Federal Chancellery

      Only participants with an official race number and wristband may enter. Anyone leaving to warm up must re-enter by the same single northern entrance.

    9. 11:00

      Bambini run: 0-4 years, 200 m Start

      Flughafen Tempelhof

    10. 11:20

      Bambini run: 5-6 years, 400 m Start

      Flughafen Tempelhof

    11. 11:40

      Bambini run: 7-8 years, 800 m Start

      Flughafen Tempelhof

    12. 11:50

      R5K Tour Finale start Start

      Start Potsdamer Platz, finish Brandenburger Tor (5 km)

      Final of the German youth running series.

    13. 12:00

      Bambini run: 9-10 years, 800 m Start

      Flughafen Tempelhof

    14. 12:00

      mini-MARATHON start Start

      Potsdamer Straße, corner Ebertstraße; finish at the Brandenburg Gate

      4.2195 km for Berlin and Brandenburg school pupils, years 2007-2017. Sold out for 2026.

    15. 12:20

      Inline skating marathon start, block A (men, speed under 1:08:00) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni, between the Brandenburg Gate and Kleiner Stern

    16. 12:21

      Inline skating marathon start, block A (women, speed under 1:20:00) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

    17. 12:23

      Inline skating marathon start, block B (fitness under 1:18:00) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

    18. 12:26

      Inline skating marathon start, block C (fitness under 1:26:00) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

    19. 13:24

      Inline skating marathon start, block D (fitness under 1:40:00) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

    20. 13:29

      Inline skating marathon start, block E (fitness under 2:00:00) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

    21. 13:33

      Inline skating marathon start, block F (fitness under 2:10:00 or first marathon) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

    22. 15:10

      Inline skating cut-off at the Siegessäule Cut-off

      Siegessäule

      Overall limit 2:10 h from crossing the start line. 15:10 is the last moment to enter another circuit lap towards Ernst-Reuter-Platz; skaters arriving later are diverted to the finish and are not classified.

    23. 16:00

      Ecumenical marathon evening prayer Side event

      Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, Breitscheidplatz

      Free entry.

    24. until 16:15

      Inline skating: last collection of clothing bags Baggage

      Clothing bags are handed back on presentation of the race number until 16:15.

    25. 21:00

      MARATHON PARTY (skaters) Side event

      Metropol Berlin, Nollendorfplatz 5, 10777 Berlin

      Entry 5 EUR.

  6. Sunday 27 September

    Race day

    1. 05:00

      Road closures in force (race day) Getting there

      Earliest closure band on the organiser’s closure map for 27 September is 'from 05:00'; further bands are labelled 05:30, 07:00, 11:20, 12:25, 12:45, 13:15, 14:00, 14:50, 15:25, 16:20, 17:00, 17:50 and 19:00. The map does not state which bands are closures and which are staged reopenings.

    2. 06:30

      Wheelchair and handbike entrance opens Start

      Großer Stern, northern carriageway of Straße des 17. Juni, in front of the Siegessäule

      Access and security screening for wheelchair athletes and handbikers. Straße des 17. Juni inside the closed start area is available for warming up.

    3. 06:30–07:30

      Personal on-course nutrition drop-off

      Annemarie-Renger-Straße, corner Otto-von-Bismarck-Allee (outside the event site)

      Race Briefing PDF states 06:30-07:30; the website states 'by 07:45 at the latest'. Containers must be labelled with name, race number and feeding station; no glass. Stations at KM 5, 9, 15, 20, 25, 30, 36 and 40.

    4. 07:00

      Event site entrance opens for start blocks A, B, C Start

      Platz der Republik (all runners) or Bremer Weg (poncho symbol on the race number, excluding block K)

      Entry only with official race number and the participation wristband fitted at race packet collection.

    5. 07:00

      Technical wheelchair service opens in the start area

      Start area

      Provided by Seeger (Das Gesundheitshaus); also a service vehicle on course.

    6. 07:00–17:30

      Participant hotline open

      030 - 30 12 88 10

    7. 07:30

      Event site entrance opens for start blocks D, E Start

    8. 08:00

      Event site entrance opens for start blocks F, G Start

    9. 08:00

      Wheelchair and handbike start line-up begins Start

      Athletes are directed to their start positions from 08:00; latecomers are placed at the back.

    10. 08:00–17:00

      Hall of Fame & Wall of Fame open Side event

      Brandenburger Tor / Platz des 18. März

    11. 08:15

      Wheelchair and handbike line-up closes Start

      Line-up for the start is ended at 08:15 for everyone.

    12. 08:20

      Start: handbikers, top group (blue race number) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni, between the Brandenburg Gate and Kleiner Stern

      Starts on the left (southern) carriageway. Helmet compulsory.

    13. 08:26

      Start: wheelchair athletes, elite (pink race number) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

      Starts on the right (northern) carriageway.

    14. 08:29

      Start: handbikes and wheelchairs, second wave (white and orange race numbers) Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

      Handbikers with white numbers on the left (southern) carriageway, wheelchair athletes with orange numbers on the right (northern) carriageway.

    15. 08:30

      Event site entrance opens for start blocks H, J Start

    16. 08:30–12:15

      Live TV coverage on RTL

      Free-to-air on RTL and via RTL+; coverage then continues as a livestream on the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON YouTube channel.

    17. 08:45

      Start: running wave 1, blocks A, B, C Start

      Straße des 17. Juni, between the Brandenburg Gate and Kleiner Stern

      Pacers for 3:00, 3:15 and 3:30.

    18. 09:00

      Event site entrance opens for start block K Start

    19. 09:05

      Start: running wave 2, blocks D, E Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

      Pacers for 3:00, 3:15, 3:30 and 3:45.

    20. 09:33

      Start: running wave 3, blocks F, G Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

      Pacers for 3:30, 3:45, 4:00 and 4:15.

    21. 10:02

      Start: running wave 4, block H Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

      Pacers for 3:45, 4:00, 4:15 and 4:30.

    22. 10:12

      Start: running wave 5, block J Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

      Pacers for 4:15, 4:30, 4:45 and 5:00.

    23. 10:27

      Start: running wave 6, block K Start

      Straße des 17. Juni

      Last wave. Pacers for 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:15, 5:30, 5:45 and 6:00.

    24. 11:45–14:15

      YouTube livestream

      Race Briefing PDF lists the livestream on youtube.com/@berlin-marathon from 08:00 and again from approx. 11:45 to 14:15; the spectator page instead says the stream picks up after RTL ends at approx. 12:15.

    25. until 14:00

      Wheelchair and handbike changing tents unguarded from 14:00 Baggage

      South side of the start area

      The changing tents are guarded until 14:00.

    26. 15:40

      Course cut-off at KM 33 Cut-off

      KM 33

      Runners who have not reached KM 33 by 15:40 are taken out of the race and driven to the finish in the sweeper bus; continuing at one’s own risk is not permitted.

    27. 17:00

      Official finish closes Cut-off

      Finish, Straße des 17. Juni past the Brandenburg Gate

      Overall time limit 6:15 h from crossing the start mat. After 17:00 it is no longer possible to run through the Brandenburg Gate and cross the finish line. Only runners with all split times who finish before 17:00 receive an official result and a medal.

    28. until 17:15

      Last collection of clothing bags Baggage

      Runners collect their deposited clothing bag on presentation of the race number until 17:15. The clothing drop is only available to participants who booked it at registration; everyone else receives a poncho at the finish.

    29. 20:00

      MARATHON PARTY (runners) Side event

      Metropol Berlin, Nollendorfplatz 5, 10777 Berlin

      Entry 5 EUR.

    30. Time not published

      Award ceremony, wheelchair and handbike Ceremony

      The first three women and men in both the wheelchair and handbike races are honoured shortly after finishing; no clock time is published.

  7. Monday 28 September

    The day after

    1. until 03:00

      4-day public transport ticket expires Getting there

      Valid in fare zones A, B and C from 24 September 00:00 until 28 September 03:00; not transferable.

  8. Thursday 1 October

    4 days after

    1. 18:00

      All roads reopened Getting there

      The organiser’s closure map labels the final layer '01.10. from 18:00 free passage'.

Times as published by SCC EVENTS GmbH, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

SCC EVENTS GmbH, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Checked , against the organiser’s own pages.

Sources and licence

Course line matched onto OpenStreetMap road geometry: (c) OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL). Elevation sampled from ATKIS DGM1 - Digitales Geländemodell Berlin, 1 m.

Elevation gain computed by us from that line, smoothed over 1 km.

Date and entry information from SCC EVENTS GmbH.

Film built from Google Earth imagery, credited on screen.

Rendered from Berlin LoD2 city model (LoD2-DE Berlin, CityGML) (Datenlizenz Deutschland - Zero - Version 2.0 (dl-de/zero-2-0)), Berlin true orthophoto 20 cm (truedop_2023) (Datenlizenz Deutschland - Zero - Version 2.0 (dl-de/zero-2-0)), ATKIS DGM1 - Digitales Geländemodell Berlin, 1 m (Datenlizenz Deutschland - Zero - Version 2.0 (dl-de/zero-2-0)), OpenStreetMap (Open Database License 1.0 (ODbL)).

Left out: Wind on the wide boulevards, Cobbles and tram tracks. Nothing we found ties a prevailing September wind to any particular stretch of this course.

How we build them, and every licence behind them →