The Media Guide for the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON 2026

Entry figures show half marathon runners only. In 2020 the race was cancelled due to the Corona pandemic.

Men

Women

Eric Kiptanui

Personal Best: 58:42

Nation: Kenia

Age: 35

Career Highlights

Eric Kiptanui, the current course record holder of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, returns to the race as a late entry. It was eight years ago when the Kenyan ran 58:42 here and this also still is his personal best. 

Eric Kiptanui was already 27 years old when he finally started his international running career. The Kenyan had instant success on European roads, winning his first three races: The Madrid New Year’s Eve Race in 2017 as well as the renowned half marathons in Lisbon and Berlin in spring 2018. He clocked 60:05 in Portugal and then, in the German capital, he improved the long standing course record of the former marathon world record holder Patrick Makau to 58:42 and became the joint fourth fastest half marathon runner of all times. Kiptanui’s time still stands as Berlin’s course record today and remains his PB. 

Injuries stopped his development after spring 2018 and although he ran a fine marathon debut in Dubai in 2020 he could never fully transform his half marathon speed to the classic distance. Currently he has a marathon PB of 2:05:47.

Eric Kiptanui originally was a 1,500 m runner. However he was not fast enough to compete at the very top national level. Once going to school at St. Patrick’s in Iten and guided by Brother Colm O’Connell he then stopped running after school and instead joined the military in 2010. It was not before 2016 that he finally re-started running.

Gideon Kiprotich

© SCC EVENTS / Sportografen

Personal Best: 58:49
Nation: Kenya
Age: 24

Career Highlights
 

Gideon Kiprotich has been competing in international races since 2023 and on the roads has focused exclusively on the half marathon distance. Otherwise the Kenyan has only competed in a few cross-country races.

His international career began in New Delhi in the autumn of 2023. He finished ninth in the highly competitive half marathon in India. In 2024 Gideon Kiprotich ran four races over the ‘half distance’ and performed consistently well. He finished fifth in Naples, fourth in Prague and second in Rome.

The Kenyan achieved a breakthrough in March 2025. He took the prestigious Rome Ostia Half Marathon, breaking the one-hour barrier for the first time and significantly improving his PB to 58:49. However the slightly downhill point-to-point course is not record-eligible, so this time does not appear in the official rankings. After finishing eighth in Berlin a year ago and then running 60:03 in Valencia, the goal will now be to achieve a time of under one hour on a regular course.

Bereket Nega

Personal Best: 60:03
Nation: Ethiopia
Age: 21

Career Highlights

Bereket Nega is another young Ethiopian athlete who is trying to establish himself on the international road running scene. The 21-year-old already performed well twice last year over the half marathon distance. First he won his half marathon debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with 62:28. He then improved to 60:03 when he was fourth in Buenos Aires. On the flat course in Berlin Bereket Nega's goal will likely be a time under one hour.

Bereket Nega is also a strong cross-country runner. Three years ago, as an 18-year-old, he finished an impressive eighth in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships. In January this year he competed in the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee (Florida, USA), but was unable to finish higher than 35th in hot temperatures.

Robert Koech

© SCC EVENTS / Victah Sailor

Personal Best: 60:56
Nation: Kenya
Age: 29

Career Highlights

Robert Koech will run the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON for the third time in a row. The Kenyan, who won the 5,000 m gold medal at the 2019 All Africa Games, finished seventh (2024) and tenth (2025) here. He has shown solid results over 21.0975 k, surprisingly running his personal best of 60:56 in high altitude in Nairobi.

In the last two years Robert Koech has focused much more on cross country than before. He qualified for the competitive World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee (USA). However in the heat of Florida he had to be content with 43rd place in January this year. Running a personal best will most likely be Robert Koech's goal at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON.

Benson Kiplangat

© SCC EVENTS / Victah Sailor

Personal Best: Debut
Nation: Kenya
Age: 22

Career Highlights

Benson Kiplangat is a debutant who has the potential to have immediate success in the half marathon.

The World 5,000 m Junior Champion from 2021 took the bronze medal at senior level at the World Cross Country Championships in 2024 when he was just 20. Little over a year later Kiplangat ran a top-class 10,000 m time of 26:50.00 in Eugene less than three weeks after his 22nd birthday.

These performances suggest that he could be in for a surprise at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON.

Michael Temoi

Personal Best: 58:00

Nation: Kenya

Age: 21

Career Highlights

A Kenyan newcomer, who was a late entry for the Berlin elite field, could cause an upset at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. 21 year-old Michael Temoi took the Rome Ostia Half Marathon at the beginning of March with a course record of 58:00. He improved the mark of his famous fellow-Kenyan Sabastian Sawe by two seconds. It would have been a world lead at that time, but the the point to point course is not record eligible so that these times are not included in the official lists. 

However this does not devalue Michael Temoi’s performance. Only one runner has ever achieved a faster half marathon debut: Rhonex Kipruto of Kenya was third in Valencia in 2020 with 57:49. He was 21 years old at the time. In regular and record-eligible races, times faster than Michael Temoi’s have only been recorded on eleven occasions to date. “I hope I can run even faster in the future,” said Michael Temoi, who has previously competed mainly on the track and was racing in Japan only in 2025. The best runners in Japan compete for corporate teams. Michael Temoi runs for the GMO Internet Group and celebrated a major success with his team in Japan on 1 January: the team won the 2026 New Year’s Ekiden in which seven runners share a distance of 100 km.

Dominic Lobalu

Personal Best: 59:12

Nation: Switzerland

Age: 27

Career Highlights

When Dominic Lobalu ran the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON three years ago he was still competing for South Sudan. But he lived as a refugee in Switzerland. In August 2023 he was granted Swiss citizenship and since then he is one of Europe’s strongest road and track runners. So far the 27-year-old has focused more on the long distance track events although he has top-class personal bests over 10 k (26:54) and in the half marathon (59:12). On the track he is the reigning European 10,000m Champion and finished fourth in the 5,000m final at the 2024 Olympics. This year Dominic Lobalu already ran an excellent half marathon. In Barcelona he was runner-up in 59:26. He will probably aim to beat his personal best at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. In doing so he would also set a Swiss record.

Dominic Lobalu fled from South Sudan to Kenya when he was nine years old. There, at the age of 15, he took up running and became a member of the ‘IOC Refugee Team’ (the International Olympic Committee’s multinational refugee team), which was led in Kenya by former marathon world record holder and BERLIN MARATHON winner Tegla Loroupe. However after competing in Switzerland in 2019 Dominic Lobalu did not board the return flight to Kenya and stayed in Switzerland. He effectively fled for a second time.

Amanal Petros

© SCC EVENTS / Jean-Marc Wiesner

Personal Best: 59:31

Club: Hannover 96

Age: 30

Career Highlights

After a extraordinary successful year 2025 Amanal Petros returns to the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON to start the new season. Twelve months ago he broke his own German half marathon record here, became the first German to smash through the one hour barrier with 59:31 and moved up to fourth place on the European all-time list. He still is the only German with a PB of sub 60:00.

In the summer Amanal Petros won the silver medal in the World Championships’ marathon in Tokyo in sensational style, just missing out on the gold by the tiniest of margins. Finally in December he ran 2:04:03 for second place in the Valencia Marathon, making sure that he became the German record holder again. 

At the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON Amanal Petros will be among the favourites. He hopes to further improve his national record. However the main spring race will be the London Marathon on 26th April. As in the past Amanal Petros trained in high altitude in Iten, Kenya. He will return there after the Berlin race to continue training for the London Marathon.

This will be Amanal Petros' fourth appearance at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. In what was only his second over the distance, he improved his time to 62:32 in 2019 and finished ninth. This marked the beginning of his rise that led him into world class. In 2022 he was not in top form in Berlin and finished 15th in 62:21. 

Amanal Petros achieved a fine result in a half marathon championship race as well. At the European Championships in Rome in 2024 he won the bronze medal. With 300 metres to go he was still fighting for the title, but then stepped on the track barrier in the stadium, twisted his ankle and lost second place as well. Amanal Petros had even more bad luck at the Olympic Games two months later. An infection weakened him so much that he had to drop out in Paris. 

Amanal Petros is the first athlete in German athletics history to have broken the three main road running records 10 k, half marathon and marathon and even hold the records simultaneously for some time. In February 2023 he improved the almost 30 year-old 10 k mark from Carsten Eich (27:47) to 27:32 in Castellon, Spain.

Amanal Petros comes from Eritrea. He fled the country as a teenager. For many years he belonged to the long distance group of TV Wattenscheid, which was coached by Tono Kirschbaum. Marathon runners Hendrik Pfeiffer and Tom Gröschel were among his training partners. In 2023 and 2024 Amanal Petros competed for Marathon Team Berlin, since 2025 he is associated with Hannover 96. However Amanal Petros spends most of the time training in Kenya, where he joins the group of legendary Italian coach Renato Canova. 

Johannes Motschmann

© SCC EVENTS / Petko Beier

Personal Best: 61:03

Club: Marathon Team Berlin

Age: 31

Career Highlights

Johannes Motschmann will run the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON for the fourth time. His strongest race here was his first: In 2022 Motschmann surprisingly was the fastest German, leaving behind Amanal Petros in the process and clocking a fine PB of 61:45. He improved this PB to 61:03 in Houston a year ago. He also ran a 28:13 PB for 10k in 2025 in Valencia.

However Johannes Motschmann still did not achieve the expected breakthrough in the marathon. His PB remains at 2:10:39. In very warm weather conditions he did well in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON with 2:10:40 for eleventh place. A second attempt to finally break 2:10:00 in December in Chandler (Arizona, USA) failed and he dropped out after 30 k. Now Johannes Motschmann prepares for the Hannover Marathon and hopes to make the most of the fast course on 12th April.

Johannes Motschmann studied psychology at New York’s Iona College for five years after receiving a sports scholarship. In 2019 he came to Berlin and started competing for SCC Berlin / Marathon Team Berlin.

The former steeple chaser (PB: 8:33,12) ran a fine 2:14:38 marathon debut in December 2022 when he was second at the Austrian marathon championships in Vienna, where international competitors were accepted despite the pandemic. He continued on the roads and improved to 2:12:18 in Rotterdam. With this time he qualified for the European Championships in Munich, where he took 16th place in 2022. With the German marathon team he won a silver medal in the team competition (European Marathon Cup). One of his best races came at the London Marathon 2024, where he ran his PB and finished ninth.

Johannes Motschmann started studying medicine in Bochum, Western Germany. However at the moment running is his priority. Motschmann is self-coached. The places he spends most time during the year are Berlin and Blacksburg in Virgina, USA, where his girl friend studies.

Simon Boch

Personal Best: 61:15

Club: Düsseldorf Athletics

Age: 31

Career Highlights

After prolonged hip problems Simon Boch came back with two 10 k victories in Siegburg (28:32/German Championships) and Berlin (28:17) last autumn. In December he then improved his marathon PB by 30 seconds in Valencia (2:08:55). Can he now continue to improve over the ‘half distance’ at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON as well?

Simon Boch established himself among Germany's top long-distance road runners during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020 he qualified for the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, where he achieved a respectable 35th place with a personal best of 61:36. 

During one of the lockdowns Simon Boch made a remarkable marathon debut in Dresden in March 2021. In freezing cold and windy weather he ran alone at the front for around 30 kilometres after his pacemaker gave up early. Simon Boch won the race in 2:10:48, finishing almost two minutes ahead of the runner-up. In the end, however, he narrowly missed out on an Olympic spot at the 2021 Games in Japan.

At the European Championships in Munich in 2022 Simon Boch was part of the German men's team that won the silver medal in the European Marathon Cup. In the individual standings he finished 50th in very warm weather. In spring 2023 Boch won the Linz Marathon and broke the 2:10 hour mark for the first time with 2:09:25. He then improved this PB two and a half years later in Valencia.

Simon Boch is originally from St. Georgen in the Black Forest. In 2014 he moved to Regensburg to join the training group of Kurt Ring at LG Telis Finanz. He completed training as a retail salesman, working in a sports shop. In 2020 and 2021 Simon Boch was voted Germany's Road Runner of the Year by German Road Races (GRR), the association of German road race organisers. Since 2025 he has competed for Düsseldorf Athletics and is a training partner of Hendrik Pfeiffer.

Hendrik Pfeiffer

© SCC EVENTS / Petko Beier

Personal Best: 61:28

Verein: Düsseldorf Athletics

Age: 33

Career Highlights

Hendrik Pfeiffer has continually improved over the years. The marathon is his strongest distance and with a 2:06:45 PB from Valencia last December he is the fourth fastest German of all time. In contrast, his half marathon PB of 61:28 from Larne, Northern Ireland, last summer leaves room for some improvement. With this time he is not inside the top 10 in Germany’s all-time list.

Hendrik Pfeiffer specialized in the marathon early. In 2016 he finished his first ever marathon in Düsseldorf in sensational style, running 2:13:11 which was just enough to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio. Due to serious heel injuries the dream to start at the Olympic Games had to wait. He missed the 2018 European Championships in Berlin as well. After two surgeries Hendrik Pfeiffer made his comeback in 2020. In Sevilla he ran his personal best in 2:10:18 which was enough to qualify for the 2021 Olympic Games in Japan. In Sapporo, host of the Olympic Marathon races, he finished 50th.

Hendrik Pfeiffer was a member of the German team at the European Championships in Munich that won the silver medal in the team event (European Marathon Cup). Trying to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 he ran a brave race in Houston in January that year. Pfeiffer had to push the pace himself at the front for most of the distance since there were no pacemakers. He was third in 2:07:14 and missed Germany’s third Olympic spot by an annoying ten seconds.

In April 2024 he showed another fine performance, when he was seventh in London with 2:10:00. It was the best result by a German in London’s men’s race since 1988. Only Christoph Herle has ever achieved a better position in London, when he was fourth in 1985.

Hendrik Pfeiffer lives in Düsseldorf and is married to long distance runner Esther Pfeiffer (maiden name: Jacobitz), who he partly coaches as well. She is the fastest German woman on the start list of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. Since this year Simon Boch is a training partner of Hendrik Pfeiffer.

Sebastian Hendel

© SCC EVENTS / Petko Beier

Personal Best: 61:52

Club: Marathon Team Berlin

Age: 30

Career Highlights

After what was a disappointing year the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON brings the opportunity of a re-set for Sebastian Hendel. He had missed the spring season in 2025 due to health issues and fully focussed on the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. However in the unusually hot conditions he dropped out after 30 k. He then gave it another try at the Valencia Marathon in December. But this time a hip problem forced him to abandon that race as well.

Berlin is usually a good venue for Sebastian Hendel. He clocked all his three personal bests at the major road events in the capital. In 2021 he ran his 10 k personal best of 28:35 at the third Berlin Invitational, one of the few races held worldwide during the coronavirus lockdowns. Two years later he improved to 61:52 at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON and in 2024 he ran the best race of his career at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON: Sebastian Hendel clocked 2:07:33 and was the fastest German at the 50th anniversary of the race. He remains the fifth fastest German marathon runner of all times with this PB. 

Sebastian Hendel’s strengths clearly are the long distance road events. He showed his best performances so far in the half marathon and the marathon. But originally he ran middle and long distances on the track. For several years now his focus is on the roads. Running his debut at the distance he took second place at the 2021 German half marathon championships in Hamburg with 62:28. It took over a year before he then ran his first marathon in Munich with a fine 2:10:37.

Sebastian Hendel’s wife Kristina is a long distance runner who formerly competed for Croatia (maiden name: Bozic). She will run the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON as well. Sebastian and Kristina Hendel live in Vogtland near Zwickau with their nine year-old son.

Likina Amebaw

Personal Best: 64:44 

Nation: Ethiopia

Age: 28 

Career Highlights

Likina Amebaw has been competing internationally for a decade. However it was only recently that she broke into world-class. She ran a huge personal best of 64:44 in Copenhagen last September, which now makes her one of the major favorites at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. 

During the first half of her career Amebaw struggled to achieve a significant half marathon PB. It was not until 2022 that she finally broke the 70 minutes barrier with a 69:01 performance in Warsaw. But apart from a 29:56 10 k race in Paris in 2024 she did not achieve any results that can be considered top-class until last year. Then she clocked 29:40 for 10 k in Castellon, Spain, before smashing her half marathon PB in Denmark. Amebaw already showed very promising form this January in Valencia when she ran another PB at 10 k with 29:29.

Veronica Loleo

Personal Best: 65:46 

Nation: Kenia

Age: 28 

Career Highlights

Despite being 28 years old, Veronica Loleo has not been involved in international road running for very long. The Kenyan ran her first race outside Kenya in the summer of 2022, finishing second in the Hamburg Half Marathon in 72:54. Since then Veronica Loleo has mostly focused on the 21.0975 k distance and has continuously improved. In 2023 she finished second in both Ghent and Malaga, clocking 68:03 on both occasions. This was followed by victories in Venlo (67:38) and Zwolle (67:21) in 2024 as well as a further improvement to 67:08 in Copenhagen. Her best year so far followed in 2025. Veronica Loleo celebrated her biggest victory to date at the Buenos Aires Half Marathon, and then she put in her strongest performance in Valencia: she finished third in the high-class race with her current PB of 65:46.

“My goal is to be as successful as the best in the future – that is where I want to be,“ says Veronica Loleo. “I run for my country and my family. I want to make them happy.“

Daisilah Jerono

Personal Best: 66:59 

Nation: Kenya

Age: 23

Career Highlights

Daisilah Jerono was initially a middle-distance runner. However her personal bests of 2:08.32 and 4:13.92 in the 800 and 1,500 m respectively were not fast enough to have an impact at national level – even though they were achieved in altitude conditions which reduce the performance level. 

In 2024 Daisilah Jerono ran the half marathon distance for the first time and was immediately successful. She won her first six races – all of them in China. However these were not high-profile international races. In 2025 she then achieved a fine third place at the Istanbul Half Marathon, significantly improving her PB to 68:17. She got off to a very good start in 2026 with two personal bests: first she won in Santa Pola (Spain) with 67:27, then she came second in Dubai in 66:59. 

Samantha Harrison

Personal Best: 67:10

Nation: Great Britain

Age: 31

Career Highlights

Samantha Harrison will compete in the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON for the fourth time. The Briton from Nottingham has made an astonishing, even sensational development. She improved significantly in a relatively short period of time, and the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON played a role in this. When she competed here in 2022 she broke 70 minutes for the first time, improving by almost two minutes to 68:12. In the same year she followed this up with two sixth places in the 10,000 m at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the European Championships in Munich.

In 2023 Samantha Harrison returned to the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON and once again ran a personal best (67:17), which was followed by further top performances. First she improved by over six minutes at the London Marathon (2:25:59) and then she finished a very strong ninth at the World Half Marathon Championships in Riga. Three weeks later Harrison took seventh at the competitive Valencia Half Marathon and clocked her current PB to 67:10. 

She had bad luck in the Olympic year of 2024 when an injury stopped her. Harrison came back at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON in 2025.

Samantha Harrison managed to develop from an amateur runner to a top runner. To keep fit she started jogging and then ran more and more often. "At some point I asked myself: why am I doing all this? So I entered a race and was among the fastest,“ Samantha Harrison said in an interview with Yahoo UK. As she developed into a professional runner, she was able to significantly reduce her job as a dental assistant.

Melal Siyoum

Personal Best: 67:21

Nation: Ethiopia

Age: 19 

Career Highlight

If we should see a major upset at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON it could well come from her: Melal Siyoum is still just 19 years old. The Ethiopian has just run a single race outside Ethiopia so far. But she produced a very good performance taking into account her age, when she was runner-up in the competitive New Delhi Half Marathon last October. Since then she had plenty of time to prepare her next race. She belongs to a strong training group in Addis Ababa. Melal Siyoum may well be ready for a surprise.

Esther Pfeiffer

Personal Best: 67:28

Nation / Club: Germany / Düsseldorf Athletics 

Age: 28

Career Highlights

Esther Pfeiffer returns to the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON as the third fastest German half marathon runner in history. The 28 year-old wife of German marathon runner Hendrik Pfeiffer, who was earlier known as Esther Jacobitz, will aim to run another personal best of Berlin’s fast course. She will run this race for the fourth time in a row. Twice she has achieved a PB here: in 2023 she ran 72:53 and a year ago she was the fastest German with 69:15.

The half marathon distance has been Esther Pfeiffer's strongest event so far, having initially competed in the 800 and 1,500 metres on the track. However she was not fast enough over the middle distances to have any prospects at national or even international level. Three and a half years ago Esther Pfeiffer then ran her half marathon debut in Cologne and won in 75:53 without any proper competition. She also won in Cologne in 2024 and 2025 without being challenged. Most recently she ran her 67:28 PB there. Within three years Esther Pfeiffer has improved by over eight minutes. 

Esther Pfeiffer made her national breakthrough just over two years ago. She finished fifth in Seville and qualified for the European Championships in Rome in the summer with 70:24 minutes. In Italy she impressed in her first major international championship, finishing 18th as the third-fastest German. Esther Pfeiffer won the silver medal with the German team at these championships. 

Esther Pfeiffer, who studies psychology, has already run a marathon in 2023. She won in Cologne with 2:37:00. But once again, in Cologne there was no significant competition. Her current half marathon PB suggests that she could be around 15 minutes faster in the marathon.

For around four years, Esther Pfeiffer has been partly coached by her husband Hendrik, who is one of Germany's top marathon runners. Her talent for running was discovered early, when she was in nursery school: ‘My teacher recommended athletics to me because I was never caught when we were playing catch,’ says Esther Pfeiffer.

Deborah Schöneborn

Personal Best: 69:41

Nation / Club: Germany / Marathon Team Berlin

Age: 32

Career Highlights

It will already be the fifth time that Deborah Schöneborn competes in the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. And it will be her fourth start in a row here. A seventh place in 2019 was her best position and her fastest Berlin race came in 2023 with 72:12 (12th place). A result with a similar time would be a welcome boost for Deborah Schöneborn. Since she missed out on Olympic marathon qualification by just 23 seconds early in 2024 her career did not develop further. This had mainly to do with a long lasting foot injury. It took 15 months until Deborah Schöneborn was able to run another marathon. She ran 2:29:30 a year ago in Hannover - but she was still not as strong as in former times. 

Parallel to her twin sister Rabea Schöneborn, who will also compete in the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, she developed strongly for many years. Both were among the German team that won a bronze medal at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia (Poland) in 2020. And both were running strongly at the European Championships in Munich in 2022 where “Debbie“ Schöneborn finished tenth, two places ahead of her sister. With the German team they won the gold medal in the European Cup (marathon team competition).

“Debbie“ Schöneborn had already proved that she is a strong championships’ runner a year earlier, when she finished in a surprisingly strong 18th place at the Olympic Games marathon in Sapporo, Japan, which was run in very hot weather. In the qualifying period for those Olympics she was just eight seconds ahead of her sister, who did not qualify. 

Their eight year older sister Lena Schöneborn is the Olympic Modern Pentathlon Champion from 2008. The twin sisters also competed in the Modern Pentathlon first but then switched to running from 2017 onwards. Deborah Schöneborn has studied medicine in Berlin. She partly works for the department of SCC EVENTS that provides services in sports medicine and she belongs to the “Medical Team“. She also writes for “Runner’s World“ Germany about health topics and has her own monthly column called “Ask Debbie!“.

Domenika Mayer

Personal Best: 68:08

Nation / Club: Germany / LG Telis Finanz Regensburg

Age: 35

Career Highlights

Domenika Mayer will compete at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON for the first time, hoping that she can run another personal best in Berlin. Both her PBs in the marathon (2:23:13) and 10k (31:43) are from Berlin last year. In the half marathon she recently improved considerably when she ran 68:08 in Barcelona in February. She moved up to fifth position in the German all-time list.

Relatively late and during the Corona pandemic with regular lockdowns she managed to move up to the national elite in distance running. First she improved her 10k time to 32:34 in Berlin in March 2021. Two weeks later she clocked a half marathon time of 69:52 in Dresden.

A year later Domenika Mayer decided on relatively short notice to run her marathon debut in Hannover. Despite a Corona infection some time before the race and freezing conditions she won with 2:26:50 and became German Champion. She qualified for the European Championships in Munich, where she caused another upset in hot weather: Taking sixth position she was the second best German runner and won the gold medal with the team (European Marathon Cup).

Although she developed a foot problem during the BMW BERLIN MARATHON in 2023 she managed to come through and improved her personal best by over three minutes. With 2:23:47 at that time she became the second-fastest German female runner ever behind Irina Mikitenko (2:19:19). She currently ranks fourth in the national all-time list. Finishing in 28th position Domenika Mayer was Germany’s strongest runner in the Olympic Marathon in Paris in 2024. She is also the most consistent German marathoner of the recent past.

Domenika Mayer is married to Christian Mayer who is also her coach. He guided her into the group of Germans best marathon runners. They have two daughters and live near Nuremberg in Bavaria. Domenika Mayer works as a chief inspector for the police. She mainly trains near her home.

Men

Women

As of: 22.3.26

Only those results listed which were achieved on courses that meet the required standards for records.

Men

Women

As of: 22.3.2026

Only those results listed which were achieved on courses that meet the required standards for records.

Men

Women

As of: 22.3.2026

* These courses do not meet standards needed for official records or have not met them during a certain period.

Men

Women

As of: 22.2.26

Only those results listed which were achieved on courses that meet the required standards for world records.

Men

Women

As of: 22.3.2026

Only those results listed which were achieved on courses that meet the required standards for records.

Men

Women

As of: 22.2.2026

Only those results listed which were achieved on courses that meet the required standards for records.

Men

Women

As of: 22.2.2026

Only those results listed which were achieved on courses that meet the required standards for records.

Men

2026

2025

Women

2026

2025

As of: 22.2.2026

Only those results listed which were achieved on courses that meet the required standards for records.

Click here for the route map, the interactive map and the maps of the start and finish areas.

What the Blue Line represents at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, the Green Line represents at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. This marking on the road indicates a guiding line for the entire distance of 21.0975 km.

The Green Line is painted onto the road a few days before the race, requiring dry weather conditions. The work usually begins late in the evening and takes several hours. In case of rain, the work must be interrupted or postponed.

Such a line is used at many international championships and races, primarily to demonstrate to the public that an event is taking place along that particular stretch of road.

Fast and attractive

The GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON course is fast and exciting. It passes by many of Berlin’s most iconic landmarks.

With virtually no significant elevation changes along the 21.0975 km route, it’s ideal for achieving personal best times—weather permitting.

Elevation Profile

About 150 meters after passing the Brandenburg Gate, the finish line comes into view, turning it into an unforgettable running experience for the half marathon finishers. The 21.0975 km course through Berlin makes this sightseeing tour very special. It takes you past some of the most iconic landmarks of the German capital at a running pace. The historical and cultural monuments you spot within such a short time are unmatched by any city bus tour.

Passing Numerous Capital Highlights

From the start, in the first few meters you see the Siegessäule in front and the Brandenburg Gate behind you. The route passes by the Technical University (2 km) and Ernst-Reuter-Platz (2.3 km) before continuing straight along Otto-Suhr-Allee toward Charlottenburg Palace (4.2 km). Here, you turn sharp left into Schlossstraße and continue straight to Kurfürstendamm, which is reached by turning left near the Schaubühne, one of Germany's most renowned spoken theater companies (6.7 km).

Now on the famous West Berlin promenade, we head east past Café Kranzler to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (9 km), where we make a slight right turn onto Tauentzienstraße, passing Wittenberplatz (9.8 km) with its historic subway station (on the right, Kaufhaus des Westens, aka KaDeWe), and following Kleiststraße, which leads to Bülowstraße at Nollendorfplatz (10.5 km; on the right: historic Metropol building). The left turn onto Potsdamer Straße at kilometer 11 is traditionally a crowd favorite, with enthusiastic spectators loudly cheering the beginning of the second half of the race.

Historic Places and Routes of the Past

Passing by the National Gallery (Mies van der Rohe, on the left / 12.2 km) and the State Library (on the right), Potsdamer Straße turns slightly to the right, and we soon see the striking yellow building of the Philharmonie on the left (12.5 km), before reaching Potsdamer Platz, a historically significant highlight in Berlin’s East-West history. At Leipziger Platz (13 km), the route continues along Leipziger Straße into the former eastern part of the city. At the 14 km mark, we turn left into Markgrafenstraße, leading us past Berlin’s most beautiful historical square (German Cathedral, Concert Hall, French Cathedral). After a right turn, we pass the Foreign Ministry (on the right) and then the Humboldt Forum (on the left, 15.2 km). This is a nod to the history of the race, which had its start and finish area on Karl-Marx-Allee for many years before moving to Brandenburg Gate in 2019.

The Grand Finale with Brandenburg Gate and Finish Line

We pass Spandauerstraße and Grunerstraße, passing the Red Town Hall (on the left) and, at kilometer 16.4, the former parade boulevard of the DDR capital. Shortly after kilometer 17, we turn around and run past the Red Town Hall again (18.5 km), before heading into the final two kilometers, where one landmark follows another along the “Unter den Linden” boulevard: Berlin Cathedral (on the right / 19.3 km), Lustgarten with the New Museum (on the right), Kronprinzenpalais (on the left), Neue Wache and the German Historical Museum as well as Humboldt University (on the right), and the State Opera and Bebelplatz (on the left).

At the Friedrichstraße intersection, the Brandenburg Gate is already visible. Before reaching it, we pass the massive building of the Russian Embassy on the left, then the Hotel Adlon on the same side, before reaching Berlin's landmark, the Brandenburg Gate. From here, it’s just a few meters to the finish line.

The HALF MARATHON EXPO takes place in the hangars of the former Tempelhof Airport.

Access via the main hall, Platz der Luftbrücke 5, 12101 Berlin (U-Bahn line U6, station “Platz der Luftbrücke”).

Opening hours and all further information about the HALF MARATHON EXPO can be found here.

Sustainability is a top priority for us in organizing the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. Together with our title sponsor GENERALI and all partners, we are committed to making the event as sustainable as possible. Find out more about the Sustainability at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON.

At the HALF MARATHON EXPO, the SCC information booth offers a wide range of information on sustainability under the motto “GREEN LINE.”

The origins of today's SCC EVENTS GmbH date back to 1964, when a group of students from the Free University of Berlin - who were also members of SC Charlottenburg - organised the first Berlin cross-country run, which took place on Teufelsberg. The first competitions for amateur athletes were organised, called Volksläufe, until then only club members were allowed to take part in running competitions. The organiser of the first SCC cross-country race was still the sports department of the FU Berlin at the time, as the SCC did not receive permission for a race in which non-club runners could also start.

In 1965, the sports department and SCC organised the cross-country race together, and from 1966 the club organised it alone. After the cross-country race, other smaller races were organised before the athletes of SC Charlottenburg launched the BERLIN-MARATHON in 1974, which initially took place in Grunewald. The development of the BERLIN-MARATHON was decisive for the emergence of other running events. In 1981, after a long tug-of-war with the authorities and with the support of the US armed forces in West Berlin, the first BERLIN- MARATHON took place through the streets of West Berlin. This was followed in the 1980s by races that have developed into the biggest in Germany to this day, from the BERLIN HALF MARATHON, the Women's Race Berlin and the 5 x 5k team-relay in Berlin's Tiergarten. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 gave a further boost.

The BERLIN-MARATHON has risen to the elite of international road races. It has participants running through the Brandenburg Gate and former East Berlin since 1990 and the finish line has been at the Brandenburg Gate since 2003. 13 world records have been set at the BERLIN-MARATHON, more than at any other marathon in the world; the last was set in 2023 by Ethiopian Tigst Assefa (2:11:53).

The Berliner Wasserbetriebe 5 x 5k TEAM-Relay in the Tiergarten (in June), started in 2000 with around 1,000 participants. In recent years, it has risen to approximately 28,000. Founded in the mid-1980s, SCC EVENTS GmbH is now one of the largest organisers of sporting events in the world. In addition to the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON and the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, events include the VITAMIN WELL Women's Race Berlin, the StWB TEAM Relay Brandenburg (4 x 5 km) in Brandenburg an der Havel (both in May), the SwimRun Rheinsberg at the end of June (swimming/running) and the adidas Runners City Night (end of July).

Click here for the complete SCC EVENTS calendar of events.

There were no changes to the Marathon Team Berlin at the turn of the year this time. The team, whose parent club SCC Charlottenburg organizes events such as the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON and the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON through SCC EVENTS, remained unchanged in its lineup. However, there are clear signs of strong development from within the team’s own ranks.

Johannes Motschmann, a member of the Marathon Team Berlin almost from the very beginning and repeatedly good for surprising results during that time, got off to a furious start in 2025. In the first weeks of January alone, he set two strong personal bests: first, he ran 28:13 over 10 km in Valencia; then, despite icy cold conditions, he improved to 61:03 over the half marathon distance in Houston. This meant he cut exactly half a minute off his previous personal best and moved up to fourth place on the German all-time list (he has since dropped to fifth).

As the year progressed, however, Johannes Motschmann’s performances were mixed. He struggled on the demanding, hilly course of the Boston Marathon and finished well behind in 2:22:36. In June, he bounced back with a win at the Olomouc Half Marathon in the Czech Republic (63:29). At the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, Johannes Motschmann delivered a solid performance in unusually warm conditions, finishing eleventh in 2:10:40. However, the long-anticipated sub-2:10:00 marathon time still eluded him in 2025. In December 2025, he made another attempt in Chandler, Arizona, but dropped out of the race after around 30 km. The Hannover Marathon, with its flat course on April 12, could now offer him a good opportunity.

For Sebastian Hendel, his first year wearing the Marathon Team Berlin kit was a difficult one. After surprising many with a strong personal best of 2:07:33 at the 2024 BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, he initially suffered health setbacks during the winter, which ruled out a spring marathon. The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON was then intended to be a season highlight, but the unusual heat stopped Sebastian Hendel. Not a runner who performs well in hot conditions, he struggled and eventually dropped out. Misfortune also struck during his second attempt in Valencia in early December: hip problems forced him to abandon the race once again.

“That was a big disappointment, but setbacks like this are part of the sport. Better days will come again,” said Sebastian Hendel. His wife Kristina Hendel has also been dealing with recurring injury problems for years. She, too, was unable to reach her true performance level last year. While her personal best from 2022 still stands at 2:27:29, Kristina Hendel ran the Malaga Marathon at the end of 2025, finishing in 2:34:47.

Deborah and Rabea Schöneborn also struggled with injury problems over a long period of time and likewise failed to reach the level of previous years in 2025. After Deborah Schöneborn had been unable to run a marathon for more than a year, she made her comeback in spring 2025 with a third-place finish in Hanover (2:29:30). In the heat of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, however, she dropped out between kilometers 25 and 30. A few weeks later, the 32-year-old competed in the Essen Marathon and won in 2:37:46. Her twin sister Rabea also ran an autumn marathon: in Bregenz, she finished second in 2:36:49.

Twenty-three-year-old Blanka Dörfel is currently not a member of the Marathon Team Berlin, but the future could belong to her. The runner from the team’s parent club SCC Berlin made a promising return in 2025 after injury and illness problems. At the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, she first improved to 69:46 minutes, making her the second-fastest German. Over 10 km, she then set a personal best of 31:51 in Berlin in October. However, she had no luck at the end of the year: she had planned to run her marathon debut on the flat course in Chandler, Arizona (USA) in December, but a flu-like infection stopped her at the last moment.

The Advisory Board of SCC EVENTS GmbH has advisory and representative functions. It is composed of personalities from public life. The approximately 20-member body includes representatives from politics, business (including sponsors), chambers and associations, as well as the association SCC Berlin e.V., which is the sole shareholder of SCC EVENTS GmbH.

Find out more about the Advisory Board of SCC EVENTS GmbH (German).

Organizer

Sport-Club Charlottenburg e.V.

Event Organizer

SCC EVENTS GmbH
Olympiapark Berlin
Hanns-Braun-Straße/Adlerplatz
14053 Berlin

Tel. +49 30 – 301 288 10
Fax +49 30 – 301 288 20
www.scc-events.com

Executive Management and Leadership

Executive Management

Christian Jost, Jürgen Lock

Director Event Management

Mark Milde

Director Operations

Carsten Humrich

Director Participant Management, Process Management, Marketing | Digital

Antje Jüntgen

Director Sponsoring

Jennifer Barthel

Teamlead Media Relations & Editorial

Robert Fekl, Jochen Schmitz

Teamlead Operations

Michael Gerlach

Teamlead Participant Management

Judy Kumutat

Teamlead Marketing | Digital

Nadia Dagher

Teamlead Finance

Aike Fokkena

Teamlead Event Management

Achim Rau

Teamlead Sponsoring

Timo Göhler

Public Affairs

Yvonne Meißner

Human Relationships

Philip Lehmann

Organization Team GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON

Operations

Oliver Bach, Ümüt Cakmak, Christian Fahr, Michael Gerlach, Daniel Hoppe, Carsten Humrich, Lars Nitz, Victor Perez, Janin Reinhardt, Paul Bär, Stefanie Münzberg

Process Management

Linda Baumgart, Johannes Dinter, Anika Günther, Stephanie Kamen, Grischa Lewandowski, Markus März

Participant Management

Sylvia Ackermann, Georgia Andrews, Lara Bär, Anika Gerlach, Marc Goldmann, Fynn Hänsel, Monique Hoppe, Sybille Hoppe, Antje Jüntgen, Philipp Kadow, Ines Kuke, Judy Kumutat, Anja Lüthke, Britt Munzlinger, Stella Strohbach, Laura Tapia

Athlete Services (Elite)

Philipp Kadow, Nadine Mietke, Carsten Helterhof

EXPO

Katharina Holle, Sophie Richter, Dominik Scholten, Oliver Simon

Sweep Vehicle

Christian Löw

Results Service

mika:timing

Event Management

Ellen Lotz, Nadine Mietke, Mark Milde, Robert Müller, Achim Rau, Maren Riedel

Meeting Point

Bastian Klemke

Transport Service

Gabi Mahn, Mario Mahn

Green Line

Gunnar Hamel, Gregor Pfennig

Handbike / Wheelchair Competitions

Ines Kuke, Chantal Mahn, Nadine Mietke

Volunteer Management

Ralf Burzlaff, Noah Löffler, Vivian Schneider

Inline Skating

Gerte Buchheit, Ingo Monse

Clothing Drop-off

Peter Fielhauer, Yves Imbert, Christina Imbert, Alexander Schröter, Joachim Zschaler

Poncho Distribution

Alexander Horn

Marketing | Digital

Max Bodenstab, Nadia Dagher, Mareike Dehmel, Anna Engel, Janis vom Hoff, Celia Jentzsch, Antje Jüntgen, Sabrina Krause, Pauline Lischke, Kirsti Maiwald, Jonas Martin, Melanie Moll, Sarah Panski, Anna Schiffels

Media Relations & Editorial / Media Center

Max Bodenstab, Gerte Buchheit, Frauke Constantin, Vincent Dornbusch, Robert Fekl, Elisabeth Hanke, Tom Kettelhut, Jochen Schmitz, Thomas Steffens, Jakob Wartchow, Jörg Wenig, Mariella Wollenick

Sponsoring

Nicole Altenhof, Philipp Altmeppen, Jennifer Barthel, Marit van Eijk, Timo Göhler, Mirella Jaaks, Linda Kollmann, Max Lichtenberg, Ines Rentsch, Dominik Rosenau, Lara Vogel

Massage

Matthias Vogel

Finance

Aike Fokkena, Antonella Giglio, Heike Krone, Marcel Reppien, Simone Schmidt

Public Affairs & Human Relationships

Marcus Mahlo, Yvonne Meißner, Marion Strolz, Philip Lehmann

Medical Board SCC Events

Priv. Doz. Dr. med. Matthias Krüll, Dr. med. Margrit Lock, Event and Emergency Physician Sandra Pfaffenbach, Angela Hänsel, Julia Seifert, Medical Team of SCC Events Music / Course

Björn Kasan

Police Operations Commander

Police Director Oliver Hartwich

Protocol / VIP

Marion Strolz, Rotraud Zylka

Commentators

Jonas Frank, Dr. Karsten Holland

Start

Janine Heß, Marcel Heß, Sonja Glauert, Steffen Kirner

Course

Gunnar Hamel, Gregor Pfennig

Race Display Service

Helmut Winter

Course Measurement

Gunnar Hamel, John Kunkeler, Gregor Pfennig

Course Refreshment Stations

Jette Kasper, Max Roy

Backbone

Christian Fahr, Carsten Humrich, Dani Jenke

Mascot Fridolin Flink

Britt Munzlinger, Tim Herrmann

Medical Service

Johanniter Unfallhilfe e.V.

Refreshment Points

5 km

Nordberliner Lauffreunde
Management: Jörg Busche, Christian Meier

10 km

SCC Long-Distance Runners
Management: Klaus Boesang

14 km

Company Sports Association Berlin e.V.
Management: Stefanie Wolz

17.5 km

FV Freizeitsport e.V.
Management: Birgit Berthold, Lutz Berthold

19.5 km

Management: Tobias Lohr, Philipp Loth

Finish

ABC Zentrum Berlin
Management: Kai-Thomas Arndt

Medal Distribution

Dirk Richter

Event Magazine GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON

Publisher

SCC EVENTS GmbH

Responsible

Christian Jost, Jürgen Lock

Production

DLM RunMedia GmbH, Cologne

Editorial Team

Gerte Buchheit, Vincent Dornbusch, Christian Ermert, Anja Herrlitz, Jochen Schmitz, Jörg Wenig

Design

CNG sports & media GmbH, Cologne

Photos

SCC EVENTS, SCC Skating, Petko Beier, Marvin Güngör, Steffen Hartz, Andreas Schwarz, sportografen, Sebastian Wells, Tilo Wiedensohler, Jean-Marc Wiesner

Medical care at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON 2026

From minor to emergency care - the medical department of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON is prepared for everything. All medical support systems will be activated before the start in order to provide competent assistance as quickly as possible in the event of any complaints or emergencies on the course and at the finish. As in previous years, medical care for the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON has been planned on the basis of a comprehensive concept which, as part of the safety concept for the event as a whole, provides in particular for networking with all systems and institutions in the state of Berlin.

The "Medical Team" of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON

The running course is entered into the Berlin fire brigade's emergency rescue system to the metre, so that the coordination and control centre can guarantee the fastest possible arrival time so that medical measures can be implemented with pinpoint accuracy. The locations of the stationary units are indicated by signs and so-called "beach flags" labelled "First AID / First Aid Station". In addition, Johanniter Unfallhilfe(JUH) will ensure a high density of medical care along the route with mobile teams on motorbikes ("first responders") as well as with vehicles.

The emergency services are always positioned at the roadside and are easily recognisable. The high standard is also maintained in the finish area, where, according to data collected in recent years, over two thirds of all assistance was provided. Specialists from intensive care and rescue medicine are also deployed here under the direction of experienced emergency doctors and sports physicians from the organiser, the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON Medical Team.

Medical coordination centre of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON

The medical aspects of the event will be managed by the organiser's medical board (medical operations management), the Berlin fire brigade/emergency rescue service and the medical service via a medical coordination centre (KOMED). All other aspects will be managed by a central coordination centre (KOST) outside the event site with the involvement of all institutions (police, fire brigade, rescue services, security service, authorities, traffic management, organiser). Here, all situations, from severe weather to potential major incidents on the weekend of the event, can be managed quickly and in a structured manner and, for example, the quickest possible changes to the deployment strategy can be decided and implemented if necessary.

GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON Medical Team 

Around 350 medical staff on duty

• 100 employees, including 30 emergency physicians, emergency doctors (internists, anaesthetists, cardiologists), orthopaedists, trauma surgeons and sports physicians, 50 nurses and intensive care nurses from Berlin hospitals

• 4 emergency (rea)teams from the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON Medical Team 

• 30 employees as a medical triage team in the immediate post-finish area

• Approx. 100 medical massage assistants (course and finish) Medical service on the course and in the finish area (Johanniter Unfallhilfe and partners)

• 1 medical centre with intensive care areas and ice baths in the finish area

• 4 first aid stations in the finish area with the possibility of intensive medical care

• approx. 16 partly mobile first aid stations along the route

• 150 paramedics, rescue assistants and helpers

• 4 first responder teams on motorbikes (emergency teams)

• 20 ambulances on duty on the day of the event in 8 fire stations in the immediate vicinity of the event site, 1 emergency ambulance + 6 ambulances (RTW), additionally included in the requirements by the Berlin fire brigade

GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON Doping Tests 

The first three men and women will be tested. Additionally up to 50 men and 30 women can be tested. The lottery will be carried out by World Athletics (WA) or by a responsible person of the National Anti Doping Agency Germany (NADA). The doping tests will be carried out by an institution, which is certified and licensed by the NADA and WA. The doping tests include pre-competition tests (blood tests) and in-competition tests (urine).

The SCC EVENTS medical team offers an easy-to-perform health test that anyone can easily undergo.

The so-called PAPS test can be carried out here, but it is also offered as part of the registration process for SCC EVENTS events. The test allows you to find out how healthy you are and to what extent you are able to exercise. Depending on the results of the test, behavioural advice is given. 

When registering for an SCC EVENTS event, this PAPS test must be completed before registration can continue.