Berlin Marathon 2027: how to get in, and why it’s so fast

The Berlin Marathon runs on Sunday, 26 September 2027, under a new name from 2027: the Generali Berlin Marathon. It is one of the seven World Marathon Majors and one of the most sought-after places in running, and the lottery for 2027 is open now, until 12 November 2026.

Key dates for 2027

Register for the lottery on the official registration page. Signing up costs nothing: you only pay if you are drawn.

Other ways in

• Fast time: runners with a recent fast marathon (within the last two years) can upload proof. The standards depend on your year of birth: 2:45 for men born 1983–2009, 2:55 for 1968–1982 and 3:25 for 1967 or earlier; 3:10, 3:30 and 4:20 for women in the same bands. Note that a qualifying time doesn’t guarantee a place.
• Charity places: run for one of the race’s charity partners, usually with a fundraising target.
• Tour operators: official travel partners sell race entry together with a hotel package, a good option if you miss the lottery.
• Returning runners: members of the race’s Jubilee Club can secure a place, and runners who couldn’t start in 2026 and used the organiser’s goodwill offer have a 2027 code to redeem by 12 November 2026.

Why Berlin is so fast

Berlin is famous for world records, and the numbers back it up. The course is almost flat, with about 73 m of climb in total, on wide avenues with few tight turns. Late September usually brings cool mornings: the start at 09:15 averages about 13°C over the last 10 years.

More telling than the profile are the results. Over the last 5 editions, the 10 fastest men averaged 2:05:38 and the 10 fastest women 2:20:15: the fastest women’s field and the second fastest men’s field of the Majors we have results for. The men’s course record is Eliud Kipchoge’s 2:01:09 from 2022.

Planning race week

The start and finish are in the Tiergarten, close to the Reichstag, and the last stretch runs through the Brandenburg Gate. Hotels in Mitte and around the Tiergarten fill up early for race weekend, so book as soon as you have a place: the Berlin Marathon page has hotels sorted by distance from the start, flights, the course map and race-day weather.

Not ready for the full distance? The Berlin Half Marathon in spring is a big race in its own right. For the other Majors and how to get into each, see our World Marathon Majors guide, and for more autumn races in Europe, autumn marathons in Europe.