The Berlin Marathon offers substantial prize money, with top finishers and record-breakers standing to earn millions, though five-time champion Eliud Kipchoge will not compete this year.
The Berlin Marathon is one of the most lucrative athletics events in the world, offering millions to top finishers and bonuses for record-breaking performances and faster times.
Five-time Berlin Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will not compete on his favourite course for this year’s event scheduled for Sunday, September 29. Still, the field assembled is equally strong and athletes will be out to live up to expectations.
This time around, an Ethiopian, Tadese Takele, leads the field with a personal best time of 2:03:24 with the Kenyan duo of Ronald Korir and Cyprian Kotut coming in second and third respectively in the entries. Kibiwott Kandie will also be in the mix.
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Another Ethiopian, Hailemaryam Kiros has been confirmed with other athletes including Bazezew Asmare, Samwel Mailu, and Milkesa Mengesha also in the mix to fight for the millions of prize money set aside.
The women’s field is headlined by Ethiopia’s Tigist Ketema who has a personal best time of 2:16:07. Rosemary Wanjiru, Genzebe Dibaba and Yebregual Melese are also among the top entries in the hotly contested race, with eyes on the prize money.
The winners of the race will walk away with about $22,600 with the athletes who finish second pocketing $11,300. The athletes who finish third and fourth will be honoured to bag $8,475 and $6,780 respectively.
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The fifth-place and sixth-place finishers will earn $5,650 and $4,238 while those who finish seventh and eighth will receive $2,825 and $2,260. The ninth and 10th-place finishers will earn $1,695 and $1,130. The total amount of money set for awarding the top finishers is therefore $133,905.
However, there is also an amount set aside for athletes who clock certain times in the field and for the men, the first to cross the finish line under 2:02:30 will be awarded $33,900. Those who also clock under 2:03:30 will walk away with an additional $16,950.
For the women, the athlete who crosses the finish line first and clocks under 2:17:30 will be awarded $33,900 while the ones who finish second with a time under 2:19:00 will pocket $16,950. For a world record, an athlete will earn an additional $56,500.
It is important to note that the prize money structure might have slightly changed since this was the scheme used to award athletes in 2023.