Last chance to change your Berlin Marathon start corral

5 min read

SCC EVENTS has added to the elite field for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. World record holder Sabastian Sawe has been on the list since May. Gabriel Geay, Guye Adola and Bedatu Hirpa now join him. For you, another deadline matters: until 27 August at 23:59, you can still change your declared personal best and your start corral.

The announcement comes from SCC EVENTS and has also appeared since 11 August on German Road Races. The English version is on the official Berlin Marathon website. Both texts list names and personal bests. For anyone with a race number, the more useful detail is elsewhere: on the page about race day for runners.

The deadline is there in black and white. After 27 August at 23:59, your start corral can no longer be changed. That also applies at the MARATHON EXPO by BRITA. Declare a time that is too fast and you end up too far forward. Leave an old personal best in your account and you start too far back, losing minutes in the crowd.

The elite field is now complete

In mid-May, SCC EVENTS confirmed Sabastian Sawe, the current world record holder. The women’s field followed in mid-June, with Tigst Assefa, Rosemary Wanjiru and Esther Pfeiffer. The new list fills the places behind them.

Gabriel Geay joins the men’s race. The Tanzanian finished second in Valencia in 2022 in 2:03:00 hours and remains among the 20 fastest marathon runners on the lists. In 2023, he finished second in Boston. Guye Adola knows the Berlin course better: second on his debut behind Eliud Kipchoge in 2:03:46 in 2017, victory in Berlin in 2021 and a win in Rotterdam this spring in 2:03:54 hours.

Bedatu Hirpa strengthens the women’s field. The Ethiopian won the Dubai Marathon last year in 2:18:27 hours, then won in Paris. This year, she finished second in Osaka in 2:19:54 hours. She brings world-class form to the field behind Assefa.

German times you can put in context

Johannes Motschmann of Marathon Team Berlin is aiming to break 2:10:00 hours. His personal best is 2:10:39. This spring, he ran the GENERALI Berlin Half Marathon in 61:47 minutes and dropped out of the Hannover Marathon. Sebastian Hendel, also of Marathon Team Berlin, clocked 2:07:33 hours two years ago. That remains the fastest German time in this announcement.

Aaron Bienenfeld (Düsseldorf Athletics) made his debut in Hamburg at the end of April, running 2:08:47 hours. AIMS lists it as the fastest marathon debut by a German runner. Haftom Welday (TB Hamburg Eilbeck) improved to 2:08:13 hours in Barcelona this spring. The 36-year-old finished 14th at the 2023 World Championships and is preparing in Ethiopia, according to the organiser.

Kristina Hendel set her personal best of 2:27:29 hours in Hamburg four years ago. Anna Langerwisch, 24, of Marathon Team Berlin, improved to 2:32:13 hours in Prague in only her second marathon. Before that, she won the Hannover Half Marathon in 70:53 minutes. At the start of August, she added 32:17 minutes over ten kilometres at the adidas Runners City Night.

What these numbers do for you: they put pace in perspective. A 2:08 in the professional field is a different race from your 3:45 corral. The useful lesson lies a little deeper. In the final weeks, the elite runners make sure they are ready to start. You can do the same. We cover the reduction in training separately in Boston Marathon: How 96 Hours of Taper Make Your Time .

Start-corral changes close before the taper

Your corral assignment depends on the personal best or predicted finishing time in your user account. SCC EVENTS says you can move to a corral further back. Moving forward requires a faster, documented time and is only possible before the deadline.

In practice, open your account under “My registrations”. Check the time shown there. A 3:15 from a strong spring belongs there if you intend to maintain that level. A 4:10 from your first marathon belongs there if you are being realistic. An embellished 2:59 puts you in a wave where, from kilometre three, you are constantly getting out of the way.

The deadline is ten days before the usual final long run. Sort out your corral now and you will not need to touch it during race week. Wait and you take the decision to the Expo, where you lose the chance to change it.

Which wave starts at which time

The organiser uses wave starts. The English race-day page lists the times as follows:

Times are subject to change. The time limit is 6:15 hours. If you start in wave K, you have less time before the course closes than someone in corral A. Plan your fuelling, meeting point and journey home around the actual start time of your wave.

What to decide before the deadline

Three checks are enough. First, does your account show the time you actually intend to run on 27 September? Second, does your corral match your normal race pace or a time you hope for? Third, does the person cheering you on know which wave you are in?

You do not need to take any more from the elite announcement. Sawe, Assefa and Geay are running a different race. Your race begins with an honest time in your profile. If your training block has no race number attached, the other article remains relevant: Interval Training: Get Faster Without More Mileage.

Cool-down

Click a question to expand the answer.

Until when can I change my start corral?

Until 27 August 2026 at 23:59 CET, in your user account under “My registrations”. After that, changes are no longer possible, including at the MARATHON EXPO by BRITA. Source: SCC EVENTS, Race day for runners.

When do the waves start?

A, B and C at 8:45, D and E at 9:05, F and G at 9:33, H at 10:02, J at 10:12 and K at 10:27. Times are subject to change. The time limit is 6:15 hours.

Who is new in the elite field?

Gabriel Geay and Guye Adola in the men’s race, Bedatu Hirpa in the women’s race. Sawe, Assefa, Wanjiru and Pfeiffer had already been confirmed. The list is from SCC EVENTS, as announced in the mid-August press release.

Which German personal bests does the organiser list?

Hendel 2:07:33, Welday 2:08:13, Bienenfeld 2:08:47 on his debut and Motschmann 2:10:39. In the women’s field, Kristina Hendel 2:27:29 and Anna Langerwisch 2:32:13 from Prague. These are personal bests, with no claim to a record.

Should I apply the elite times to my training?

No. The names explain the field. Until the end of August, the useful step for you is an honest personal best in your account. We discuss the reduction in training volume during the final weeks separately in the finish-stretch article.

Author

Elias Kollböck

InspiredBySports editorial team

Boston Marathon: How 96 Hours of Taper Make Your Time →
Marathon Tapering: What the Final Weeks Before the Race Bring →
Interval Training: Get Faster Without More Mileage →
London Marathon: What Elite Splits Teach Your Training →
Muscle Soreness: What Really Helps and What Is Just Myth →

Header image source: Pexels / Eddson Lens (px:29400387)

Translated from the German original using artificial intelligence. The German version is authoritative.