The top male and female favorites for the 41. GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON on sunday,april 6, 2025

The 41st Berlin Half Marathon (founded in 1984 by Horst Milde) on Sunday, April 6, 2025 will be by far the largest half marathon in Germany with over 40,000 participants.

It is the “little brother” of the BERLIN MARATHON but is in the overtaking lane.This press release now introduces the top contenders in the men’s femals rankings.

Berlin Half is part of the SuperHalfs series, which offers runners a unique and challenging experience as they complete half marathons in the famous European cities of Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia. You now no longer have a time limit on completing the series. From the day of their first race, participants have unlimited time to complete this remarkable achievement and receive a very special medal.

In particular, the national men’s elite will honor the season opener in the German capital, while the women’s race will feature high-level international representatives. Additionally, there will be numerous top athletes in the line-up for both the wheelchair athletes and handbiker events.

Berlin Half Marathon with the famous Brandenburg Gate in the background – Photo: Horst Milde

The Strongest Top Runners in the Field
Gemechu Dida finished fourth at the Valencia Half Marathon in October 2024 with an impressive 58:39 (PB). At the beginning of February, the Ethiopian secured second place at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in the United Arab Emirates. Despite windy weather, he completed the race in 59:25. These results signal a strong race at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, where he leads the starting list with his personal best.

Gideon Kiprotich is a newcomer to international road racing. He began his career in the fall of 2023 in New Delhi. In early March of this year, the Kenyan had a breakthrough. At the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon, he claimed a prestigious victory, finishing under an hour for the first time with a time of 58:49. However, the course of the Italian race is not record-eligible. Gideon Kiprotich will now attempt to confirm his time on the regular Berlin course.

Johannes Motschmann arrives in great shape for the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. The year began excellently for him. In January, the athlete from Marathon Team Berlin set two personal bests: Over 10 km, he ran 28:13 in Valencia. A week later, despite challenging conditions, he finished the Houston Half Marathon in 61:03. With this time, he improved his previous personal best at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON 2022 by 42 seconds. The 30-year-old has since risen to become the fourth-fastest German half marathon runner of all time. In February, Motschmann won the Las Vegas Half Marathon in 1:04:13.

Richard Ringer (LC Rehlingen) returns to the race where he once made his debut over the 21.0975 km distance. The GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON was an important step in his journey towards the marathon in 2019. Just over three years later, he sensationally became the European Champion in Munich over the classic distance. Richard Ringer is making his first return to the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON since 2019. „In Berlin, I want to run well under 61:00 minutes,“ Ringer recently announced.

Richard Ringer  – Photo: 2022 NYC Half Marathon New York, New York. March 20, 2022 Photo: Andrew McClanahan@PhotoRun Victah1111@aol.com

Filimon Abraham has significant potential, especially over the half marathon distance. His personal best in this discipline stands at 62:35 minutes, a time he set three years ago. The GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON offers the athlete from LG Telis Finanz Regensburg an optimal opportunity to set a new personal record. However, it will depend on how well he has recovered after the Sevilla Marathon in February, where Abraham ran a personal best of 2:08:11.

Handcyclists and wheelchair athletes
The field of handbikers and wheelchair athletes also features promising names from numerous (emerging) athletes. Among the handbikers, last year’s winner Mathias Behr (GER) and Yvonne Pijahn (GER), who has already claimed victory at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, will be competing. In the wheelchair racing rankings, notable names include Merle Menje (GER), Thomas van Hulst (NED), Jannes Günther (GER), Rinze de Jong (NED), and Amos Ruben Donath (GER).

As the organizer of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, SCC EVENTS is proud to be regarded as the season opener for the international scene in these categories as well.

The top female favorites for the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON 2025

On April 6, 2025, the who’s who of the endurance sports community will gather at the starting line of the 41. GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, officially kicking off the season. As the event organizer, SCC EVENTS is thrilled to welcome the following outstanding female athletes to this highly anticipated race.

The International Top Runners
Fotyen Tesfay arrives in Berlin as the favorite. The 27-year-old is the third-fastest woman of all time over the 21.0975 km distance. After improving her 5,000 m personal best to 14:28.53 (3rd place) in the summer of 2024, the Ethiopian showcased her speed at the Valencia Half Marathon in October, finishing second in 63:21—making her the third-fastest woman in history. She started this year strong, securing third place in the 10K race in Valencia with a personal best of 29:42. If Tesfay brings her top form to the streets of the capital, the course record of 65:02 could be at risk.

Ftaw Zeray has broken the 68-minute barrier nine times in the past three years—four of those under 67 minutes. At the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON 2021, Zeray made a major breakthrough, running 68:30 and going under the 70-minute mark for the first time. Since then, the Ethiopian has continued to improve.

Jessica Warner-Judd made her competitive comeback at the end of 2024 after an illness. Before that, she set her personal best in the half marathon in Barcelona with 67:07. This January, the British runner impressed at the Houston Half Marathon, finishing in 69:07.

Samantha Harrison set a personal best of 67:17 at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON 2023, followed by more top performances. She placed an impressive ninth at the Half Marathon World Championships in Riga. Three weeks later, she finished seventh at the Valencia Half Marathon, improving her time to 67:10.

The National Top Runners
Rabea Schöneborn from the Marathon Team Berlin was part of the German team that won a sensational bronze medal at the 2020 Half Marathon World Championships. In 2022, she finished twelfth at the European Championships and helped Germany secure gold in the integrated Marathon European Cup team classification. After a break due to injury, the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON could mark a strong start to her 2025 season.

Kristina Hendel holds a marathon personal best of 2:27:29 and was part of the German marathon team that won gold at the 2022 European Athletics Championships. Last year, Hendel claimed victory at the Essen Marathon. She competes for the Marathon Team Berlin.

Gesa Felicitas Krause is Germany’s most successful steeplechase runner, with multiple medals at European and World Championships. Her first race after giving birth to her daughter was the Cologne Half Marathon in early October 2024, where she finished in 78:41 minutes. Now, Krause is setting her sights on this distance again (PB 72:16), with the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON as the highlight of her spring season.

Esther Pfeiffer hopes to achieve a new personal best at the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON. The 27-year-old, wife of marathon runner Hendrik Pfeiffer, is among Germany’s top half marathon runners. With a PB of 69:49, she is the fastest German athlete on the starting list.

National and International Top Skaters
The starting list for inline skaters is also packed with elite talent. Among those expected to compete are Felix Rijhnen from Darmstadt, a four-time winner of the GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, and Jason Suttles from Belgium.

Both athletes race for Team Powerslide, as does two-time winner Josie Hofmann in the women’s competition.

Several of the elite athletes mentioned above will be present by Race Director Mark Milde at the kick-off press conference for the 41. GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, taking place on Friday, April 4, at 11:00 AM at the Titanic Chaussee Berlin, the official partner hotel.

Venue details:
Titanic Chaussee Berlin
Chausseestraße 30, 10115 Berlin
Room: München

Horst Milde

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