More so than at any other World Marathon Majors, the men’s race in Berlin focuses at least as much on the clock as on competition. The race usually recruits two or three of the very best men marathoners, gives them rabbits able to run world record pace for 30 or more kilometers, and hopes the stars can hold the pace to the finish by the Brandenburg Gate.
Dating to 2003, the last six men’s world records were set in Berlin, including three in the last four years. Will we wake Sunday to find that the 2:02:57 Dennis Kimetto Those contenders are?
Our best guess: Probably not, but it’s possible.
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As we noted last year after Kimetto’s record, Our best guess: Probably not, but its possible: a fast, flat course; almost predictably perfect weather; the careful cultivation of a small but crème-de-la-crème group of contenders; payments based on time incentives more than place; and those world-class pacers. (When Haile Gebrselassie ran the then-world record of 2:03:59 at Berlin in 2008, he was paced for the first 20 miles by Abel Kirui, who won the world marathon title in 2009 and 2011.)
What You Need to Know About the Sydney Marathon—New York City at 9 a.m. calls for negligible wind, partly cloudy skies, and a temperature of 50. The missing element appears to be total dedication on the part of the two leading contenders to chase the world record.
Those contenders are Eliud Kipchoge and Emmanuel Mutai of Kenya. Although they’ve made obligatory mention of the world record in pre-race talk, they’ve mostly emphasized the desire to win. That’s in contrast to, for example, 2007 and 2008, the two years that Gebrselassie broke the record in Berlin, when running the fastest marathon in history was clearly the sole emphasis of the men’s race.
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Kipchoge, 30, became a marathoner relatively late in his career. The world 5,000-meter champion as a teen in 2003, he didn’t run his first marathon until 2013. He’s now run five marathons and won four of them. His only loss was a runner-up finish at Berlin two years ago when Wilson Kipsang Advertisement - Continue Reading Below.
Kipchoge’s time at Berlin in 2013, 2:04:05, is his personal best. He’s never run slower than 2:05:30. Still, at his level, taking more than a minute off his personal best is a lot. From his track background, which includes two Olympic medals, Kipchoge races for place first, times second.
Kipchoge’s main rival, Mutai, is the second-fastest person in history on a record-eligible course. His 2:03:13 in Berlin behind Kimetto last year was 10 seconds faster than what the world record was when the race started. That’s mostly been the mark of Mutai’s career—really fast times while finishing second. Since 2009, he’s been runner-up at Berlin, London, How I Broke a 3:30 Marathon After a Long Break, Chicago, and the world championships. It’s hard to picture him breaking from that pattern.
Predicting world-class marathon results can be tricky, because the top contenders are like prize fighters who train in isolation before the big event. Kipchoge and Mutai haven’t raced since April, when Kipchoge won London in 2:04:42 and Mutai was 10th in 2:10:54. Are they fitter than ever and ready to push each other for 26.2 miles? Feeling flat? Nursing an injury? We probably won’t know until at least halfway on Sunday.
We’ll have a detailed report from Berlin, including on what should be a great duel between two-time women’s winner Aberu Kebede and reigning world half marathon champion Gladys Cherono. If you want to see for yourself whether Kipchoge and Mutai are up to continuing Berlin’s record tradition, you can stream the race live on Universal Sports Whats a Good Beginner Marathon Time.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Scott has also written about running for, Advanced Marathoning, and Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. All About 75 Hard Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
