The Berlin Marathon, one of the six renowned Abbott World Marathon Majors, took place on Sunday, September 24th.

The Green Racing Project sent three Sprigs, Jackie Gaughan, Katie Kellner, and Caroline Williams off to Germany to compete. The course starts in the Tiergarten as participants run towards the remarkable Victory Tower, before winding through the city of Berlin. The course is flat and known to be fast but does contain many turns before returning to the Tiergarten and finishing through the Brandenburg Gate.

Jackie Gaughan crossed first for the Green Racing Project, finishing 18th overall and 2nd American. Her time of 2:27:08 was a 4+ minute personal best and her first time under the 2:30 barrier. Katie Kellner crossed next for the Sprigs, running a 2+ min personal best for a time of 2:32:48. She placed 31st overall and was the 4th American. Both Gaughan and Kellner ran solid negative splits, each running the second half of the race about a minute and a half faster than the first. Caroline Williams also had a fine race, running 2:38:44. When the race started to feel challenging around halfway, she stayed tough and mentally focused, snagging a sub-2:40 time and finishing 41st out of approximately 22,000 women.

The 2023 Berlin Marathon was also the site of two new women’s world records. Tigst Assefa ran 2:11:53 to set a new women’s marathon world record, while Catherine Debrunner crossed the finish line in 1:34:16 for a new women’s wheelchair world record.