Preparation guide · Generali Berlin-Marathon (formerly BMW Berlin-Marathon)
Berlin Marathon 2027: split times, aid stations and how to run it
The next edition is on Sunday 26 September 2027, starting in Berlin (Straße des 17. Juni, Tiergarten, Germany) at 8:45. Here you have the Berlin Marathon route, split times for your target, what's at each aid station, how many gels to carry and the usual weather.
Berlin Marathon: route and profile
Official 2025 route (organisers' GPX). In 2026 the first wave started at 8:45 and the last around 10:27; the 2027 schedule hasn't been published yet. Time limit: 6 h 15 from when you cross the start.
No hills that change your pace: what matters is starting under control, and the wind.
Route keys
- It's the flattest of the big marathons (about 30 m of elevation gain on the whole course) and where the most world records have been set. What slows you down here isn't hills: it's starting too fast among tens of thousands of runners and, some years, the late-September heat.
- There's water every 2.5–5 km, but sports drink (Maurten), fruit and tea are only at km 9, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 36, and the only organiser gel is at km 27.5. Carry your gels and, if you want sports drink in between, consider a small bottle.
- You can leave your own drinks for km 5, 9, 15, 20, 25, 30, 36 and 40, handing them in before 7:45 on race day (no glass).
- The Brandenburg Gate isn't the finish: it's about 400 m further on. Don't launch your sprint when you see it; push once you're through it.
4 more keys in WinWatts: with the forecast for the days before, the wind and heat, and your split times at your pace.
Split times
At an even pace (the profile hardly changes anything), with the clock time counted from the 08:45 gun. If you start from a later corral or wave, add the time it takes you to cross the start. Write yours down or wear them on a pace band: watch GPS usually reads long.
| Point | 3 h | 3 h 30 | 4 h | 4 h 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:16 /km | 4:59 /km | 5:41 /km | 6:24 /km |
| km 5 | 0:21:17 9:06 | 0:24:50 9:09 | 0:28:23 9:13 | 0:31:56 9:16 |
| km 10 | 0:42:41 9:27 | 0:49:48 9:34 | 0:56:55 9:41 | 1:04:02 9:49 |
| km 15 | 1:03:57 9:48 | 1:14:36 9:59 | 1:25:15 10:10 | 1:35:55 10:20 |
| km 20 | 1:25:16 10:10 | 1:39:29 10:24 | 1:53:42 10:38 | 2:07:55 10:52 |
| Halfway | 1:29:58 10:14 | 1:44:57 10:29 | 1:59:57 10:44 | 2:14:56 10:59 |
| km 25 | 1:46:43 10:31 | 2:04:30 10:49 | 2:22:17 11:07 | 2:40:05 11:25 |
| km 30 | 2:08:05 10:53 | 2:29:26 11:14 | 2:50:47 11:35 | 3:12:07 11:57 |
| km 35 | 2:29:18 11:14 | 2:54:11 11:39 | 3:19:04 12:04 | 3:43:56 12:28 |
| km 40 | 2:50:38 11:35 | 3:19:04 12:04 | 3:47:30 12:32 | 4:15:56 13:00 |
| Finish | 3:00:00 11:45 | 3:30:00 12:15 | 4:00:00 12:45 | 4:30:00 13:15 |
Aid stations: what's there and how much to drink
For a typical runner finishing in about 3 h 30: sip without stopping and take each gel just before an aid station, to wash it down with water. The organisers hand out gels at km 27.5: if they match your plan, those are gels you don't need to carry.
| Where | What's there | Time (for 3 h 30) | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| km 5.0 | water | 9:10 | ~200 ml |
| km 9.0 | water, sports drink, fruit, tea | 9:29 | ~150 ml · gel just before |
| km 12.0 | water | 9:44 | ~150 ml |
| km 15.0 | water, sports drink, fruit, tea | 10:00 | ~150 ml · gel just before |
| km 17.5 | water | 10:12 | ~100 ml |
| km 20.0 | water, sports drink, fruit, tea | 10:24 | ~100 ml |
| km 22.5 | water | 10:37 | ~100 ml · gel just before |
| km 25.0 | water, sports drink, fruit, tea | 10:50 | ~100 ml |
| km 27.5 | water, gels | 11:02 | ~100 ml · gel just before |
| km 30.0 | water, sports drink, fruit, tea | 11:14 | ~100 ml |
| km 32.5 | water | 11:27 | ~100 ml |
| km 34.5 | water | 11:36 | ~100 ml |
| km 36.0 | water, sports drink, fruit, tea | 11:44 | ~100 ml · gel just before |
| km 38.0 | water | 11:54 | ~100 ml |
| km 40.0 | water | 12:04 | ~100 ml |
How many gels and how much to drink
What a typical runner (68 kg) needs depending on their time, with 35 g gels. When running the stomach tolerates less than on the bike: more than 60 g of carbs per hour only if you've trained it. Gels alone don't reach that figure (the first one comes around 45 minutes and none are due in the last half hour): the rest comes from drinking sports drink instead of water at a few aid stations.
| Time | Carbs per hour | Gels | Total drink | Sodium per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | 60 g/h | 4 × 35 g | 1.5 l | 300 mg/h |
| 3 h 30 | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 1.8 l | 300 mg/h |
| 4 h | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.0 l | 300 mg/h |
| 4 h 30 | 60 g/h | 6 × 35 g | 2.2 l | 300 mg/h |
Nothing new on race day: gels, breakfast, shoes and socks, all tested on your long runs. Vaseline on your feet, groin and armpits, and protect your nipples. If it's cold at the start, wait in your corral in old clothes you can throw away.
Berlin Marathon: weather in late September
What the weather was like during the race (from the first wave to the finish of a 3:30 runner) in recent editions:
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 11 ºC | 16 ºC | 0.0 mm | 8 km/h |
| 2023 | 11 ºC | 18 ºC | 0.0 mm | 10 km/h |
| 2024 | 7 ºC | 13 ºC | 0.0 mm | 14 km/h |
| 2025 | 18 ºC | 24 ºC | 0.0 mm | 12 km/h |
| 2026 | 13 ºC | 20 ºC | 0.0 mm | 13 km/h |
When running, heat slows you down: allow roughly 2 % more time for every 5 ºC above 12 ºC.
Your Berlin Marathon, tailored to you
This guide uses a typical runner. In WinWatts we calculate it with your data:
- Your time, your pace and your split times from your threshold pace and the expected heat.
- The race-day forecast, and what to wear at the start and during the race.
- How much to drink at each aid station and where to take each gel, with your own gels.
- Your training plan until Sunday 26 September 2027, adjusted every week to how you're doing.
WinWatts is not affiliated with the organisers of the Berlin Marathon. Dates, routes, schedules and registration: official website. Route measured on the official 2025 GPX (elevation added by WinWatts); aid stations from the official website, provisional until the 2027 ones are published; weather from past editions (Open-Meteo). For guidance only: it doesn't replace advice from a health professional.