RUNNING GERMANY: BERLIN – Kenyans target top times again – 42nd BERLIN-MARATHON 2015

Once again the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON will be the major opening event of the autumn marathon season. And as in the past years results of the highest calibre can be expected this Sunday. During the history of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON a total of ten world records have been broken – more than at any other marathon race worldwide.

Together with Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago and New York Berlin forms the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors. The next superfast BMW BERLIN-MARATHON can be expected on Sunday.

Four athletes are on the start list who have already clocked sub 2:05 times: Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge, Emmanuel Mutai and Geoffrey Mutai as well as Ethiopia's Feyisa Lilesa. Kipchoge and Emmanuel Mutai have both achieved their personal bests in Berlin.

Kipchoge placed second in Berlin two years ago with 2:04:05. Beaten only by fellow Kenyan Wilson Kipsang, who ran a world record of 2:03:23 on that day, Kipchoge then went on to win his next three major marathons: Rotterdam in spring 2014, Chicago in October, where he left behind Ethiopia's superstar Kenenisa Bekele, and finally London this April, which featured the strongest city marathon field of the year.

With a time of 2:04:42 Kipchoge heads the world lists this year. Emmanuel Mutai has already achieved a significantly faster time than Kipchoge in Berlin a year ago.

With 2:03:13 he was quicker than Kipsang in 2013, however there was another Kenyan even faster than him: Dennis Kimetto clocked 2:02:57, which remains the current world record time, to deny Mutai a famous victory. While he was not in that sort of shape when he finished eleventh in London this year with 2:10:54 Mutai will be eager to hit back on Sunday. Then there is Geoffrey Mutai, who is not related to Emmanuel and who knows the Berlin course even better than the other two.

Geoffrey Mutai was second in Berlin in 2010 and then took victory in 2012 with a world lead of 2:04:15. In between those two Berlin races he clocked a sensational course record time of 2:03:02 in Boston in 2011 (this could not be ratified as a world record because Boston's traditional point to point course is not eligible for records). Mutai then went on to establish an amazing course record of 2:05:06 in New York later that year. The 33 year-old has not been able to reach that sort of times after 2012, however the flat Berlin course gives him a perfect opportunity to shine again.

"We are really happy that we were able to sign these three Kenyan stars. With such a field we can expect a thrilling and high-class race," said Race Director Mark Milde. If weather conditions are fine it is likely that the pace will be extremely fast again. Eliud Kipchoge may then want to try to attack the world record.

While another Kenyan victory looks likely there are two Ethiopians in the field who could do very well. Feyisa Lelisa ran his personal best of 2:04:52 three years ago in Chicago when he was second. Sisay Lemma showed two great performances this year. The 24 year-old improved to 2:07:06 in Dubai in January, where he finished fifth. Then he took the Vienna City Marathon in commanding style in April. It is his aim to qualify for the Ethiopian Olympic team. Lemma will need a very fast time to succeed. If he is in that sort of shape he could perhaps even stage an upset on Sunday.

The women's race for victory could develop into a duel between Ethiopia's Aberu Kebede and Gladys Cherono of Kenya.

Kebede has already won the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON twice, in 2010 and 2012. Three years ago she clocked her personal best of 2:20:30 in the German capital. She has plenty of experience in the marathon and also took the races in Rotterdam 2010, Tokyo and Shanghai 2013 plus Frankfurt 2014.

In contrast to the Ethiopian Gladys Cherono is a novice in marathon running. However the Kenyan ran a superb debut in Dubai in January, when she clocked 2:20:03. She not only missed breaking the prestigious 2:20 barrier by a few seconds. Beaten by Ethiopia's Aselefech Mergia, Cherono missed victory in Dubai by just one second.

Nontheless her debut was one of the fastest ever and her success at shorter distances suggest that there is much more to come from the reigning World Half Mara-thon Champion. Two more Ethiopians belong to the favo-urites for the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON. Meseret Hailu has a personal best of 2:21:09.

While she was not in peak form during the past two years she showed a fine performance this spring: Hailu won the Ham-burg Marathon in 2:25:41. Fellow-Ethiopian Tadelech Bekele might at present be stron-ger than Hailu. Bekele ran a fine marathon debut in Berlin a year ago, when she fini-shed fourth with 2:23:02. She then improved this time in Dubai this year where she clocked 2:22:51.

Germany's crowd favourite Anna Hahner could do well again in Berlin. A year ago she placed seventh and ran a personal record of 2:26:44. With a similar result on Sunday the 25 year-old would be in a pole position for Olympic selection. As a number of other runners Anna Hahner hopes to qualify for the Rio Olympics in Berlin.

Source: BERLIN-MARATHON –  Marathon Magazine 2015