At least 27 Pakistani and Pakistani-origin runners are set to take on one of the world’s most celebrated road races when the 2026 Berlin Marathon takes place in the German capital tomorrow (Sunday).
More than 56,000 runners from 162 nations have entered the 42.195-kilometre race, which will be held on September 27. The wider marathon weekend is expected to attract more than 84,000 participants across its various events.
The Pakistani contingent includes runners travelling from Karachi as well as members of the diaspora based in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Norway.
Munir Imran, Mehwish Hanif, Zubair Umar, Khalid Sheikh, Bilal Umar and Aamir Bhagat are among the Karachi-based runners on the list, while Ayesha Akhtar, Muhammad Uzair Butt, Farhad Nasar Chaudhary, Rahat Gillani and Junaid Memon will travel from the United States.
Hamad Ali and Muhammad Tariq are among the UK-based participants, with Saifullah coming from Canada and Imran Ghayur Ahmed from Norway.
Other Pakistani runners on the list available on Berlin Marathon’s website are Salima Ali, Syed Zeeshan Ali, Omar Ansari, Fatima Chaudhry, Hamza Farooq, Nadia Kamani, Muhammad Anas Khalid Khan, Taimur Khan, Fahad Nadeem, Muhammad Rehan Rafi, Maheen Sheikh and Muhammad Zuberi.
For Karachi’s Bilal Umar, Berlin will be his fourth World Marathon Major in the space of 12 months, but he says the objective this time is not to chase the personal best of 3:30 he recorded in Tokyo earlier this year.
“I want to enjoy the Berlin race,” Bilal told Geo News, saying he had completed a structured 12-week training block and was targeting a finish of around three hours and 40 to 45 minutes.
Bilal said preparing for Berlin on the roads of Karachi had presented its own challenge, particularly during the city’s hot and humid summer.
“I just want to go out there and finish strong,” he said. “A successful race for me would be to maintain a consistent pace across the 42km and carry the Pakistan flag across the finish line.”
For UK-based Pakistani runner Muhammad Tariq, meanwhile, Sunday’s race will mark his first World Marathon Major and comes after an emotionally demanding training period.
Tariq, who trained on the streets of Karachi, said his father had been unwell during much of his preparation and credited his family’s support with helping him continue training through a difficult period.
“I hope to run strong, enjoy the experience and cross the finish line with gratitude for everyone who supported me,” he said.
The runners will start from Straße des 17. Juni in the heart of Berlin, between the Brandenburg Gate and Kleiner Stern, with the first of six running waves scheduled to get underway at 8:45am local time.
The course takes participants on a sweeping tour of the German capital, passing through several of Berlin’s best-known districts and landmarks. The route features the Victory Column, Alexanderplatz, Berlin Cathedral, Potsdamer Platz, Kurfürstendamm and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church before bringing runners back towards the historic centre.
The closing kilometres take runners towards Unter den Linden and through the Brandenburg Gate before the finish on Straße des 17. Juni, one of the most recognisable finishes in international marathon running.
Berlin has long been synonymous with fast marathon running. Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge ran 2:01:09 there in 2022, then a world record, and organisers are again expecting a quick elite race this year. Five men on the 2026 start list have personal bests below 2:05.
