The Berlin Marathon (branded BMW Berlin Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards) is set up as a citywide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate. Initiated in 1974, the event traditionally takes place on the last weekend in September, except two weeks earlier in 2018 due to Day of German Unity preparations. There have been several title sponsors in the race's history. From 1974 until 1989 it was just the Berlin Marathon. In 1990 it was the Yanase Berlin Marathon. In 1991 and 1992 it was the Canon Berlin Marathon. It reverted to simply the Berlin Marathon from 1993 until 1997. It then became the Alberto Berlin Marathon in 1998 and 1999. A new title sponsor changed the name to real,- Berlin Marathon from 2000-2010. Finally this has been the BMW Berlin Marathon since 2011.
The Berlin marathon and related events are split over two days. Thousands of additional inline skaters compete at the marathon course the Saturday before the running event. Power walkers, hand-bikers, wheelchair riders, and a children's marathon (4.2195 km) are also part of the marathon weekend, which is organised by SCC EVENTS. Along with five other city races, the World Championships and Olympic Games it forms the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series offering a $1 million prize purse to be split equally between the top male and female marathoners and lesser amounts for the second and third male/female finishers plus awards for the top wheelchair competitors.
The most marathon world records for men and women have been set at the Berlin course, which is known for its flat profile, even surface, cheering spectators, and frequently mild autumn temperatures. Elite marathoners are provided with highly proficient pace-setters which has led to Berlin having the fastest average time (2:03:28.4) among its all-time top ten finishers. For a record seven consecutive years (2011–2017), Berlin has been the site of the world leading men's time for the year (Boston 2011 with strong tailwind excluded).
The course within the metropolis starts and finishes near the Brandenburg Gate. Because of the division of the city, the marathon events before 1990 were limited to the area of West Berlin. Only on 30 September 1990, were athletes able to run through the Brandenburg Gate and the unified city saw its first race running through both halves. It was reported that a great many of the runners had tears in their eyes as they ran through the gate. Nowadays, after leaving Brandenburg Gate, the course passes Charlottenburg, around Tiergarten, along Moabit and Mitte, and then south to Friedrichshain. After that, it winds west between Kreuzberg and Neukölln, through Schöneberg, over to Friedenau and Zehlendorf, before turning north back toward the city's center. Looping above Schöneberg, the course comes full circle as it finishes through the Gate. On different routes there have been two major international marathons at the 1936 Olympic Games and 2009 IAAF World Championships. Also Ulrich Hutmacher (GER) won a marathon in Berlin on 14 Oct 1973 with a time of 2:19:32 but that race is not considered part of this series.
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