Marathon running came back at full blast over the weekend as Berlin hosted the biggest running event since the start of the COVID pandemic.
25 000 runners took to the streets of the German capital for the Berlin Marathon with pros and first timers enjoying race adrenalin and the much missed freedom of the great outdoors.
There were upsets in both the men’s and ladies’ professional races with Ethiopia’s Guye Adola victorious in 2:05:45 in only his fourth marathon over the favourite, legendary Kenenisa Bekele, who finished 3rd. His Ethiopian compatriot, Gotytom Gebreslase, won the women’s race in her debut marathon in 2:20:09.
The field featured six Zwift Academy Run members, with some taking part in their first marathon and some aiming for sub 2:30 PBs. These 6 very fortunate amateurs completed the first ever Zwift run academy last year with the second edition kicking off on 4 October 2021. The multinational team’s members are from the USA, Austria, Germany, Canada, England, and Japan - ranging from a CEO to a carpenter, showing that running is truly a sport for everyone. All six completed the race on Sunday with some powerful personal results after a rough 18 months!
If, like us, you’d love to be in contention to score a spot on the Zwift Run Team, get kitted out, get professional training, and take part in events around the world (duh - yes please!!), check out the details of this year’s academy at https://www.zwift.com/uk/academy/zarun