The Berlin Marathon will on Sunday mark 50 years since its inception in 1974, with the 2024 edition of the event set to be unique for a number of reasons.
Most notably, the biggest name in marathon, Eliud Kipchoge, will for the first time in more than a decade miss out on this year's race.
The 39-year-old, who failed to finish his marathon at the Paris Olympics, is not the only big name missing from this year's lineup. The Ethiopian duo of Kenenisa Bekele and Guye Adola will also be absent, leaving the race open for fresh champions.
Since 2015, these three names have dominated the Berlin marathon, with Kipchoge winning it five times while Bekele won it twice. Adola holds one marathon win under his belt.
In an interview with Olympics.com, Kipchoge noted that he was okay following the race as a fan instead of a participant and noted that the gold medal was open for anyone to claim it.
“Everybody has a plan and at the back of their mind know what they need from that race. I would advise them to stick to their plan and trust their minds and their systems, like what the coach is telling them," he stated.
"For me, I could have just been there as one of the fans and a past winner of Berlin to celebrate the 50 years. To just thank the fans and the organisers for the many years of support."
In Kipchoge's absence, eight Kenyans are set to attempt to fill up the massive shoes left by the marathon legend.
The quintet of Ronald Korir, Samwel Mailu, Philemon Kipchumba, Kibiwott Kandie and Cybrian Kotut are expected to fly the Kenyan flag high in Germany as they look to retain the crown won by Kipchoge in the last two years, including a record-breaking feat in 2022.
However, they will not have it easy because they will face stiff competition from a troop of Ethiopian marathon talent including last year's third-placer Tadese Takele.
Takele's time of 2:03:24 in the 2023 marathon is the fastest among anyone on the lineup, although he has barely competed internationally since.
Being a half-marathon champion, Kibiwott Kandie is arguably Kenya's best chance at glory in Berlin this year, and he is beaming with confidence ahead of the race.
“For me going into every race, I always have high hopes. I am always determined to do my best and to do that which has never been done before. It doesn’t matter what position but I always give my best,” Kibiwott, who won the Valencia half marathon in 2020, said.
Kipchumba is also another Kenyan athlete to watch as he prepares for his first race of 2024. Last year, he won all his races, including the Hong Kong Marathon (February), the Xiamen Marathon (April) and the Shanghai Marathon (November).
In addition, he has a personal best time of 2:05:35, making him an extremely hot prospect in Berlin.
Mailu has also had an impeccable season, setting a course record of 2:05:08 at last year's Vienna Marathon.
Korir, who clocked 2:04:22 in last year's race, is also a strong favourite and will be hoping to land a podium place in the very least.
