Next race
Sunday, 26 September 2027
8:45 am start
Distance
42.195 km / 26.2 mi
Urban road
Elevation
Rolling · 73 m gain
73 m climbing
Race profile
The BMW Berlin Marathon is renowned as one of the world's fastest marathon courses, having hosted more men's marathon world records than any other venue. The flat, straight boulevards take runners past the Brandenburg Gate for a spectacular finish. Elite and recreational runners alike target Berlin for personal bests.
Berlin Marathon is a certified 42.195 km (26.2 mile) marathon — the standard World Athletics marathon distance.
Approximately 48k finishers
Course & terrain
The Berlin Marathon is a famously fast loop starting on Straße des 17. Juni and finishing through the Brandenburg Gate, passing landmarks such as the Reichstag, Potsdamer Platz, Checkpoint Charlie, and the East Side Gallery across 12 districts. Only minor bridge gradients disturb the flat profile, and huge crowds line the start, pack the Brandenburg Gate finish, and fill cheer zones across Mitte and the western districts.
The Berlin Marathon course is rolling over 42.195 km (26.2 miles). Runners cover 73 metres of climbing and 79 metres of descent, with a net descent of 6 metres from start to finish.
Rolling · 73 m gain — approx. 74 m above sea level
↑ 73 m · ↓ 79 m · net −6 m
Download the Berlin Marathon GPX file
Marathon Focus' proprietary GPX processing removes duplicate points, adds elevation data, and formats the file so you get a cleaner, more reliable route to load into your Garmin, Coros, or Apple Watch fitness watch.
Registration
Entry is by lottery. Applications are accepted online for approximately 10 days in October or November, with results released the following January or February for that September's race. With roughly 130,000 applicants for ~46,000 spots, acceptance rates are around 35%. Charity entries and club allocations through national running federations offer alternative routes. Runners rejected from the lottery for multiple consecutive years may access a Guaranteed Entry option.
Getting there
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)
19 km / 12 mi
Race footage
Common questions
Official resources
Last updated 11 October 2026. Edition dates and course details are reviewed regularly.
Close to this race
Other races closest to Berlin.
The Spreewald Marathon draws approximately 1,200 finishers each April on a canal-region road in Burg, Germany. The Spreewald setting gives the race a strong regional identity built around waterways and villages. The course passes canals, meadows, and low-lying roads through one of Germany's most distinctive wetland landscapes. The course is very flat throughout.
Next race: Sunday, 25 April 2027
The Magdeburg Marathon draws approximately 300 marathon-distance finishers each October on an urban road in Magdeburg, Germany. Its flatness makes it one of Germany's more under-the-radar fast autumn marathons. The course starts on Tessenowstraße at Messe Magdeburg and finishes between the Messe halls on two flat loops through city parks and Elbe-adjacent roads.
Next race: Sunday, 3 October 2027
The Rostock Marathon draws approximately 1,500 finishers each May through the Hanseatic port city on the Baltic Sea. The course passes the St. Mary's Church, the Warnemünde beach resort, and the harbour channel on flat northern German coastal terrain. May's Baltic spring and the seaside finish make it Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's premier marathon.
Next race: Sunday, 23 May 2027
Planning guides
Practical guides to help you plan, train for, and run this race.
The Abbott World Marathon Majors series, the Six Star Medal, qualifying paths, and how to approach racing the world's biggest city marathons.
What flat, rolling, and hilly really mean — and how to read elevation gain, net change, and altitude on a marathon course.
How major marathons allocate places — open entry, lotteries, charity bibs, tour operators, and what to check before you commit to a trip.
