Ethiopian double at the Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon celebrated its 50th edition recently on a sunny morning in the German capital.
Ethiopian elite runners Milkesa Mengesha and Tigist Ketema were the winners, coming first in the men’s and women’s races respectively.
Mengesha won his race with a personal best time of 2:03:17, beating his Kenyan rival Cybrian Kotut by five seconds. Mengesha had finished sixth in the World Championships marathon last year, but started more strongly in Berlin as part of a lead pack of 11, which eventually whittled down to two as he held off the Kenyan.
They were followed by another Ethiopian Haymanot Alew who finished third in 2:03:31.
Ketema dominated the women’ race, clocking in at 2:16:42, finishing more than two minutes ahead of three other compatriots. She is a training partner of Tigist Assefa, who broke the world record last year, setting 2:11:53 at the same race.
Further back, the race also saw veteran Günter Hallas cross the line, 50 years after he won the very first Berlin Marathon in 1974. Until the country’s reunification in 1990, the race was confined to West Berlin, but thereafter runners could pass through the Brandenburg Gate.
Held annually over two days, the current event includes multiple races over the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles, including elite level road running competitions for men and women, alongside other events, such as ones for disabled athletes.
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