Lace up your shoes and prepare to take off, because incredible records will take over the BMW Berlin Marathon 2023.
The event will take place from 22-24 September 2023 and, after taking place annually since 1974, it has now reached its 49th edition.
As customary, it will take place during the last weekend of September in the streets of Berlin, Germany.
The weekend will open on Saturday with an exciting inline skating marathon, which will be followed by the classic endurance-based race on Sunday.
The city-wide event measures a total of 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi) and unravels through the streets of the German capital.
Elite long-distance runners, pro athletes and public participants will come together to conquer the coveted Berlin Marathon 2023 medal, featuring a representation of Kenyan professional runner Peres Jepchirchir.
With records like the fastest marathon dressed as a mummy (attempted by 53-year-old Grzegorz Galezia, running for the Polish charity Spartans for Kids) and the fastest marathon dressed as a ninja, Guinness World Records finally returns to Berlin for a weekend of outstanding achievements and colourful costumes.
Sarah Johann
Sarah is a 39-year-old experienced runner from Germany, and she is going to test her limits… on roller skates!
Dressed as Wonder Woman, she broke the record for the fastest inline skating marathon dressed as a superhero (female) during the Berlin Marathon 2022 and now she's certainly hungry for more.
“I found my passion for skating over 11 years ago,” she says.
Although Sarah has plenty of experience on inline skates, she decided to venture into a completely new field and opted for a pair of roller skates this year, aspiring to break the record for fastest marathon on roller skates (female).
Her enthusiasm for the BMW Berlin Marathon encouraged Sarah to power through the unexpected difficulties in her training.
Berlin is THE skater race on earth, with fast streets and great people – the best combination of all. - Sarah
“I've never been on roller skates before the end of March 2023,” she says, and the beginning was far from sweet.
“My first roll on roller skates was a painful experience and the kids that were present laughed at me. But I'm a person who doesn't like to give up. I worked hard on myself to make this work.”
She continued to train up to six times a week on the roads close to her house.
Sarah also had to juggle her constant training with a busy day job and her studies: “I'm working full time, and I work some weekends as a fitness trainer in a studio. I am also studying for a bachelor's degree.”
Andy and Caroline Brown
Andy and Caroline are in it to win it.
Andy is a British Army officer and he is going to run the ambitious long-distance race with his wife Caroline: the two will be handcuffed to break the record for fastest marathon with two runners handcuffed together (mixed pair).
The two have prepared strenuously for the race, also thanks to the help of a running coach: "He designed for us a mix of long runs, interval training, strength, stretching, and cycling," they explained.
Finding the right props wasn't an easy feat, either.
“We had the handcuffs imported from the United States because we could only find very short or very long chain handcuffs in the UK, and the record allows a chain length of up to 20cm."
The slightly longer chain makes it a bit less important for us both to be in step, which can be challenging to maintain as we have different body mechanics.
We have only trained in the handcuffs a few times because once we had found the right combination of handcuffs and wristbands and worked out how to eat and drink it was most important to just get the running part right. Also, it looks really strange in public! - Andy and Caroline
The couple from Hampshire is running for Get Kids Going! a UK charity that focuses on giving children and young people with different disabilities the opportunity to experience and enjoy sports.
“We want to help others to have the same opportunities for enjoyment, regardless of ability,” they said.
Masakazu Konno
Masakazu Konno already set a Guinness World Records title running the fastest marathon wearing a suit and dress shoes during the TCS London Marathon 2023, and now he’s ready to double that result.
This time, the Massachusetts-based runner will tackle the challenge dressed as a ninja.
By choosing such an impactful traditional costume, Masakazu aims to shine a light on Japanese culture.
This is also his fourth challenge of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, after completing a total of nine full marathons and one 100-km ultra marathon.
“For a long time, I have wanted to get the Guinness World Records title to be the best in the world in some areas,” he explains.
This time, he will not be running for a charity.
Instead, the record holder aims to send a strong signal of inclusivity and encouragement to all his fellow athletes, and he is sure that his attempt at the Berlin Marathon "will make an impact".
I will not run for a charity this time. I would like to show that regardless of age, we can continue to take on challenges by breaking my private record as well as achieving my second Guinness World Records title. - Masakazu
Joan Pons Laplana
Chesterfield-based nurse Joan will run a very special marathon to break the record for fastest marathon dressed as a Christmas Cracker (male).
During the London Marathon 2022, Joan already broke a record running as a pint of beer, achieving the title of fastest marathon dressed as a glass.
After his record was broken by Daniel Bent the following year at the London Marathon 2023 (a title achieved with a time of 03:50:21), Joan set himself the goal to break a new record to continue to be a part of the Guinness World Records family.
“I have run a total of seven marathons so far: Liverpool, Barcelona, Nottingham and four times London,” he explains.
I stopped running 10 years ago due to an injury and following my PTSD diagnosis I started to run again just two years ago to improve my mental health. Since then I lost five stones and my mental and physical health have improved a lot. - Joan
Joan is a father of three and lives with his partner, Lucy.
He was born in Barcelona but moved to the United Kingdom 23 years ago: “to pursue my dream of having a career in Nursing.”
Having achieved his goal of a successful career within the NHS, now Joan is ready to challenge his boundaries and set yet another record during the BMW Berlin Marathon.
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