Berlin has been the site of many a re-write when it comes to the marathon record books, most recently thanks to the wondrous effort made here last year by Tigst Assefa.
The Ethiopian emerged from relative obscurity to annihilate Brigid Kosgei’s four-year-old world record, blowing through the 2:14, 2:13 and 2:12 barriers in one fell swoop.
When she stopped the clock at 2:11:53, it heralded a new era in women’s marathon running, and was quickly followed by Sifan Hassan’s 2:13:44 in Chicago two weeks later.
The two fastest times ever seen in women’s marathon running were chalked up within 14 days of each other. Barrier-breaking can sometimes have that domino effect.
There is no Assefa nor Hassan here this weekend, as the race approaches its 50th birthday.
Instead, the stage is set for a new name to elevate herself into that rarified air.
Most observers would tip that name to be Tigist Ketema.
The 26-year-old Ethiopian put the marathon world on notice earlier this year when she ran the fastest debut marathon in history, clocking 2:16:07 in Dubai. She was seventh in London in April, a race where Assefa lost to Peres Jepchirchir in a new women’s only world record.
She starts on Sunday with a PB almost two minutes faster than anyone else in the field, with her fellow Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba the second fastest contender with a quickest time of 2:18:05 set in Amsterdam in 2022.
“It is a good time (2:16) but I am prepared to do something to make it better,” said Ketema on Thursday.
Her pedigree before Dubai was in 800 and 1500m on the track, winning world and African titles over the shorter of the two in 2016 and 2017, but her sights are now firmly fixed on the 26.2-mile challenge after such a stunning first foray.
“I announced that I would like to try long distances and it worked out so well on my first attempt that I am now running marathons,” she added.
With the withdrawal of Tokyo champion, the Kenyan Rosemary Wanjiru, through injury, it certainly seems as though Ketema is well-placed to follow Assefa as an Ethiopian champion of a race that is no stranger to creating new legends.
"Tigist will probably run at a slightly faster pace than the others. But overall, the top field is very compact and there could be a surprise," said race director Mark Milde, who has signed a total of eleven runners with personal best times of under 2:22:00.
This has only happened once before in Berlin: in 2023, and there is much to suggest that the Ethiopian winning streak will continue on Sunday.
