Berlin marathon runner Wilfried Köhnke runs his eighth marathon (out of 106 in total) in Australia – a successful rehearsal for his 50th BERLIN MARATHON – Horst Milde

On 13 April 2026, we wrote about the Berlin marathon runner Wilfried Köhnke on this page.

Wilfried Köhnke (born in 1947/aged 79) is a marathon runner of a special kind. He doesn’t set records, he doesn’t win … but he never gives up!

Köhnke has a special passion and interest in Australia. Between 1976 and 2024, he visited the country 23 times, staying with his sister, who emigrated to Australia in 1973.

He has now visited Australia for the 24th time. He has taken part in a total of 17 races in Australia, including the marathons in Canberra (1991), Melbourne (1993), Southport (1995), Sydney (2003), Orange (2015), Shellharbour (2022) and Pt. Stephens (2023). On Saturday, 18 April 2026, he lined up at the start of the Wollongong Marathon there.

He has now written from Australia: “I finished my eighth marathon (106th overall) in Australia in 4:43:32”.

That was 9 minutes faster than in Berlin. There were two laps to run, including four sections over uneven grass and 2.60 m of concrete paths – tricky when overtaking and dealing with oncoming traffic from the half-marathon, 5 km and 10 km runners who started later. So, it wasn’t organised in the way I’m actually used to – even in Australia. We also had to go up and down the hill to the lighthouse four times.

The running conditions on Saturday were ideal, with temperatures of 12–19 degrees, sunshine and just a breeze from the ocean. There were five refreshment stations along the out-and-back route, offering water, cola, electrolytes and bananas.

The crowd response wasn’t huge, because on the beaches of Wollongong – at the harbour, in Fairy Meadow, Corrimal and at the turning point in Towradgi – people preferred to swim or surf.

Wilfried Köhnke, proud of his result, his medal and his Berlin Marathon Jubilee Club shirt – Photo: private

There were no music stations to cheer on the participants, as we are used to seeing at countless points in Berlin.

The two ‘digital walls’ at the finish line were interesting. The runners’ names and finishing times were displayed there, and the participants were happy to use the display to take souvenir photos.

The marathon had 392 participants (90 women, 302 men) – Winner: Matthew Gibson 2:38:34 – Winner: Catherine Fulginiti 3:03:33

Half Marathon 542 women, 718 men: Winner Jeff Chaseling 1:10:49, – Winner: Nataela Smith 1:16:54. There were also 5 km and 10 km races.

With a total of 2,817 participants, the proportion of women was very high at 47%. At smaller marathon events – such as in Wollongong – half-marathon, 5 km and 10 km runners start at staggered times, as participants often travel from far away. Unfortunately, the results list does not include club or nationality details; there were also Asian participants at the start.

At the prize-giving ceremony, the M70-79 age group of Wilfried Köhnke was initially overlooked. He was subsequently awarded the gold medal “in a somewhat perfunctory manner”, as Köhnke writes.

As for the result itself (4:43:32), Wilfried Köhnke is, of course, more than satisfied. He is well prepared and full of hope for finishing his 50th BERLIN MARATHON on 27 September 2026.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for him as he continues his preparations for Berlin, hoping that his plan to finish 50 times is a successful one.

Horst Milde 

The Berlin marathon runner Wilfried Köhnke, the BMW BERLIN MARATHON and his passion for Australia