Around 48,000 participants over two days
More and more women are running
Premiere of the Garmin BERLIN MILE
New: app with live tracking and more
Fast times & records possible
To mark the 45th anniversary of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, around 48,000 participants will bring the German capital to life over two days—more than ever before. Among them are 42,563 runners, 900 skaters, as well as 20 wheelchair athletes and handbikers. The younger generation is also making a strong impact: around 1,500 Bambini runners and about 100 children in the Kids Skating event will take part and experience their own personal sporting moments.
In addition, more than 3,000 runners will celebrate the premiere of the Garmin BERLIN MILE at GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON on Saturday—a new competition that has immediately attracted strong interest. “The Garmin BERLIN MILE at GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON is perfect for beginners who want to celebrate their first personal achievements over the 1,609 meters,” said Jürgen Lock, CEO of SCC EVENTS.
“We are very proud to have been part of this special event as title partner for eight years. For us, sport is far more than movement—it connects people, creates community, and stands for equal opportunities. Together with SCC EVENTS, we share values such as performance, fairness, and team spirit,” said Tina Mirzai-Spitzer, Head of Corporate Communications at Generali Deutschland. “Especially in challenging times, the integrative power of sport becomes clear.”
Long-standing partnerships with the Berlin Police, the Berlin Fire Department, and Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe ensure a smooth event and a comprehensive safety and support concept. This includes not only managing the race course but also considering the needs of the entire city—for example, through specially set-up fire stations along the route.
Share of women reaches a new record
The GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON is becoming increasingly female: 46 percent of runners are women—more than ever before. The trend is clearly rising (2025: 43 percent, 2024: 41 percent, 2019: 39 percent). Particularly striking is the younger generation. In age groups under 30, women now dominate. Among 25- to 30-year-olds, their share is 54 percent, and among 18- to 25-year-olds it is an impressive 60 percent—a clear signal for the future of running.In this context, Jürgen Lock also points to the “WOMEN WHO RUN in the dark” initiative, in which SCC EVENTS, together with Tagesspiegel, offered free training runs for women during the darker months of the year.
Premieres and home advantage
This year, 28,015 participants will be at the starting line of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON for the first time. At the same time, the capital proves to be a strong host, with 14,349 Berliners in the field enjoying their home race on the city’s streets.
First-ever GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON app
With a specially developed app, SCC EVENTS is offering both participants and spectators improved service this year. The app provides live tracking, an interactive course map, news, background information, and much more.
Well prepared for cool temperatures
With temperatures expected to be around 4°C on Sunday morning, the advice is: dress warmly and avoid cooling down before the start. Cold can reduce performance and cause the body to use unnecessary energy even before the race begins. Extra clothing such as hoodies or jackets can be donated shortly before the start line to Berliner Stadtmission, benefiting homeless people.
Strongest Elite Field in the History of the Race
The 45th edition of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON will be staged on Sunday with the strongest elite field in the history of the race. Kenya’s Michael Temoi and Likina Amebaw head the start lists of Germany’s biggest and fastest half marathon. With a personal best of 58:00 Temoi is the fastest athlete ever entered into the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. Amebaw has a very strong PB of 64:44 as well. National record holder Amanal Petros, who became the first German to break the hour barrier last year with 59:31, and Esther Pfeiffer are the leading domestic athletes. Pfeiffer has a PB of 67:28. Both could achieve strong positions on Sunday.
The Men’s Race
Eight runners with personal bests of under an hour are on the start list – a record for the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. The fastest of them is a youngster: 21 year-old Kenyan Michael Temoi recently caused a major surprise by winning the Rome Ostia Half Marathon in a world-class time of 58:00. “I hope I can run even faster in Berlin than in Rome. I have heard about the fast course,” said Michael Temoi during the press conference. However with cool temperatures forecasted it might not be so easy to run very fast times. Temoi faces a very strong group of athletes. Among them are Berlin’s course record holder Eric Kiptanui, who won the race in 2018 with 58:42, as well as fellow-Kenyan Gideon Kiprotich (PB: 58:49) and Dominic Lobalu (59:12). The Swiss runner, originally from South Sudan, is the reigning European 10,000m champion.
Just a few weeks ago Amanal Petros (Hannover 96) was at the top of the start list. However, due to a number of high-profile late entries, he is now seventh on that list. “I have been able to train very well in Kenya and I am optimistic. If it does not get too cold, I will aim for a time of around 59:00,” said Amanal Petros. Three other German top runners will be competing on Sunday: Johannes Motschmann (Marathon Team Berlin/personal best: 61:03), Hendrik Pfeiffer (Düsseldorf Athletics/61:28) as well as Nils Voigt (TV Wattenscheid/61:35). Simon Boch (Düsseldorf Athletics/61:15), Sebastian Hendel (Marathon Team Berlin/61:52) and Sam Parsons (SCC Berlin) had to pull out at short notice.
The Women’s Race
In the women’s race there are five athletes on the start list who have run sub 68:00 – the joint most in the history of the race. Likina Amebaw is considered the favourite, having made a breakthrough over the half marathon distance in 2025. The Ethiopian won in Copenhagen and surprised with a course record of 64:44. Amebaw hopes to use the fast course to set another personal best. Kenyan Veronica Loleo is expected to be Likina Amebaw’s strongest rival. She improved her time to 65:46 in Valencia last October. “I’m expecting a good time,” said the Kenyan.
While Belgium’s European Half Marathon Champion Chloe Herbiet (PB: 70:04) is one to be watched two German runners could do very well on Sunday: Esther Pfeiffer (Düsseldorf Athletics) is returning to the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON where she was the fastest German runner last year. Since then she has improved to 67:28. Domenika Mayer (LG Telis Finanz Regensburg) will be running the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON for the first time. She showed strong form in Barcelona in February when she improved her PB to 68:08. “I am hoping for a fast race. I have already run a good time this year, but I think there is more to come,” said Domenika Mayer.
Three other top German female runners feature on the start list: Deborah Schöneborn (Marathon Team Berlin/PB: 69:41), 3,000m steeplechase specialist Gesa Krause (Silvesterlauf Trier/69:47) and Deborah Schöneborn’s twin sister Rabea (Marathon Team Berlin/70:35).
Numbers (registered participants)
Runners: 42.536
Skaters: ca. 900
Handbikers/Wheelchair athletes: 20
Kids Skating/Bambini: ca. 100/ca. 1.500
over Participants from 134 nations
Press Conference on Race Day: April 29, 2025
The press conference after the races will also take place in the Media Center at the Hotel TITANIC Chaussee Berlin, Room Munich. Start times:
approx. 12:15 p.m. – Inline skating
approx. 12:30 p.m. – RunnersA video recording of the press conference will be available for download afterwards via our YouTube channel.