Eliud Kipchoge is chasing a PB in Berlin

World class fields for Abbott World Marathon Majors clash in Berlin

One competitor with half an eye on a PB in Sunday's BMW Berlin Marathon will be Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge. Of course, if the four-time champion does go faster than before he will set another world record as he owns that mark with 2:01:39 set on this course in 2018.

Berlin is rightly feted as the world record course because the global mark has been revised there on 11 previous occasions, more than any other marathon, and Kipchoge will have more than 45,000 runners from over 150 countries pushing the 37-year-old toward possible glory.

Kipchoge, who started this year in great form with victory at the Tokyo Marathon in March in a new course record 2:02:40 – the fourth fastest in history – told the Berlin Race Director: “Berlin is the fastest course, it’s where a human being can showcase potential to push the limits."

Kipchoge's main opposition should come from defending champion Guye Adola (Ethiopia) who has already run the Kenyan close in Berlin in 2017 and who said: "I always have a good feeling about the BMW Berlin Marathon because it was my debut marathon and that time is still my personal best. This year I will try to run even faster and achieve a time under 2:03:00."

Race Director, Mark Milde said: "We are very happy to see these exceptional athletes running at the BMW Berlin Marathon. Such a duel is always great advertising for running in general. Who will ultimately cross the finish line as the winner will be revealed on September 25th. The Berlin public will be cheering on all participants, whether they are double Olympic champions or marathon novices."

Naturally, there are world-class fields in both men's and women's categories in Berlin, with the fastest females on paper being the US record-holder Keira D’Amato (2:19:12) and Kenya’s Nancy Jelagat Meto (2:19:31).

Berlin heralds a flurry of autumn marathon activity with TCS London Marathon (2 October); Bank of America Chicago Marathon (9 October) and TCS New York City Marathon (6 November) – all part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors along with BMW Berlin Marathon.

Berlin will have a strong contingent of British athletes of all standards competing, many of whom will have travelled with runABC travel partners Marathon Tours UK. Take a look at the teaser video below to get into the spirit of this fascinating event and, if you're motivated to try one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors next year then check out your options with our travel partners here.