News

With 13,686 entries to date, the 22nd Bewag BERLINER HALBMARATHON has come to

be the most important half-marathon competition in Germany.

Race entry stats:

10,677 runners

1,749 in-line skaters

5 wheelchair athletes

106 power-walkers

1,149 FUN-RUNners

Total: 13,686 competitors from 47 nations

Late entries will be accepted on Friday and Saturday only. On Sunday, race

day, while bib numbers will still be handed out, entries are definitely

closed.

As in previous years, many elite athletes will regard the 22nd Bewag

BERLINER HALBMARATHON on 7 April as their first real test for the season

ahead.

The women’s race sees Restituta Joseph (TAN) as favourite. Her recent

personal best of 67.59 in the Malmoe race was the 16th fastest time ever run by

a woman. Joseph’s toughest rival may turn out to be Rose Cheruiyot, an

athlete who has never before tackled the half-marathon distance, but who will

come to Berlin with high hopes. Cheruiyot who is married to 5000m world

champion Ismael Kirui, placed 8th in the cross-country world champ’s only

a few days ago. She certainly fancies her future on the roads and aspires to

represent Kenya in the next world championships. Her target is a time well

inside 70 minutes.

The men’s favourite is Peter Chebet who came 7th in last year’s

World Half-Marathon Championships in Bristol, and has a PB of 60.56. Being a

half-marathon specialist, the younger brother of Boston and New York City

Marathon champion Joseph Chebet aims to qualify for the Kenyan international

team over that distance. This goal is shared by his compatriot Stephen Rugut

whose personal best stands at 60.53, while Augustine Togom can boast of the

“freshest” PB – 60.52 – recorded in Lisbon, just ten

days ago.