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Berlin Marathon

Course guide & time predictor

Berlin Marathon

Berlin, Germany

Where world records are made

Elevation gain

130 ft

Course difficulty

Reference course (fastest baseline)

Race month

September

See how your time translates to Berlin Marathon

Enter a time from any other marathon to compare.

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About the race

More world records have been set at Berlin than at any other marathon — including Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01:09 in 2022. The course is the reason: 130 feet of elevation gain, smooth roads, September weather, and a city that treats race day like a national holiday. Whatever you're capable of, Berlin is where you'll find out.

Course profile

A modified loop through central Berlin — past the Reichstag, through Potsdamer Platz, finishing under the Brandenburg Gate. No meaningful climbs anywhere on the course. Smooth concrete and asphalt throughout. Every aid station is exactly where you expect it. The course finishes through the Brandenburg Gate in front of tens of thousands of spectators. It gives you nothing to blame and no excuse to hold back.

Race-day conditions

Late September in Berlin is as reliable as marathon weather gets: 45–60°F at the start, frequently overcast, low humidity. This is the reason records fall here — not just the course profile. You will likely race in ideal conditions.

Using the predictor

Berlin is the reference course for every difficulty comparison in this tool — difficulty multiplier exactly 1.000. A time set here is the cleanest possible input for predicting performance anywhere else. Run Berlin honestly and your number is your number.

Common questions

Why is the Berlin Marathon so fast?

Three factors: course profile (only 130 feet of elevation gain, zero meaningful climbs), surface quality (smooth asphalt throughout, no cobblestones or bridges), and September weather (reliably 45–60°F, low humidity). All three align at Berlin in a way that rarely happens at other majors. This combination is why Berlin has hosted more world record performances than any other marathon.

Is Berlin a good marathon for a personal best?

Berlin is the best major marathon course in the world for a personal best attempt. It's used as the difficulty reference (1.000) in this tool precisely because no other major produces faster times. If you're capable of a given time, Berlin is where you're most likely to run it.

How do I get into the Berlin Marathon?

The Berlin Marathon uses a global lottery that opens in October for the following year's September race. It's extremely oversubscribed — roughly 10% of applicants are selected from outside Germany. Time-based fast-track entry is available for runners who have run a qualifying time (typically sub-3:00 for men, sub-3:30 for women). Charity entries are also available.

If I run a personal best at Berlin, how does that translate to other courses?

Your Berlin time is the cleanest possible fitness baseline. Use the Compare Courses tab to translate it to any other major: Boston adds roughly 1.6%, NYC adds 3.8%, London and Tokyo add about 0.5–0.7%. CIM and Houston run nearly equivalent to Berlin.

Predict your Berlin Marathon time

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