Around two dozen Pakistani and Pakistani-origin runners took part in the 52nd Berlin Marathon on Sunday, with Muhammad Uzair Butt clocking the fastest time among them on his marathon debut, while Maheen Sheikh and Ayesha Akhtar completed the coveted Six Star journey.
Butt, who was born in Lahore and now lives in Boston, United States, completed the 42.195-kilometre race in three hours, 21 minutes and 27 seconds, leading the Pakistani runners tracked by Geo News.
Mohammed Samad Siddiqui, a British-Pakistani runner, was the second fastest in 3:25:44, while Karachi-based 19-year-old Munir Imran produced an impressive negative-split performance to finish in 3:45:07.
Bilal Umar completed the race in 3:47:09, followed by Canada-based Saif Ullah in 3:48:10.
The Berlin Marathon, one of the world’s biggest road races, attracted more than 56,000 athletes from over 160 countries for its 52nd edition.
For Butt, a healthcare consultant, Berlin was his first attempt at the marathon distance.
He made a fast start, covering the opening 5km in 21:21 and reaching 10km in 42:43. He crossed the halfway point in 1:30:38.
His pace dropped after the halfway stage, particularly between 25km and 30km, but Butt managed the closing stages to finish well inside three-and-a-half hours.
Butt said crossing the finish line in Berlin while carrying the Pakistan flag made his marathon debut particularly memorable.
“I’m incredibly grateful for this experience,” Butt told Geo News.
“Crossing that finish line in Berlin was a very special moment for me, especially because this race marks the beginning of a new chapter in my journey as a hybrid athlete and as a runner.”
Butt said the crowds and support along the route helped him through the difficult stages of the race.
“Hearing the support while carrying the Pakistani flag was something I will never forget.”
Karachi-based Munir Imran also produced one of the notable performances among the Pakistani runners.
The 19-year-old, a member of the WNP running club, ran a controlled race and reached halfway in 1:53:39 before completing the second half in approximately 1:51:28 for a negative split.
His pace remained consistent deep into the race. Munir covered the 30-35km section in 26:41, the next five kilometres in 26:21 and accelerated over the final 2.195km, completing that stretch in 11:03.
He eventually crossed the finish line in 3:45:07.
The race was also memorable for Maheen Sheikh, who finished in 3:56:08 to complete all six of the original World Marathon Majors and earn the Six Star medal.
Sheikh completed her Six Star journey in two years and five months, with Berlin being her seventh full marathon in less than three years. She said the flat Berlin course offered the potential for fast running, but the large field made it difficult to settle into a rhythm.
“I was dealing with some gut issues going into the race, so I had calibrated my expectations accordingly,” Maheen told Geo News.
“It was a flat course, but the field was very crowded overall, so settling into a rhythm was a struggle. The weather was good at the beginning, and it was breezy at times, although the sun got quite strong towards the end.”
For Sheikh, the Six Star medal also represented a transformation that began only a few years ago.
She said she went from the couch to completing her first marathon after just 13 weeks of training in late 2023. That first race was not a Major and, at the time, Sheikh said she did not even know what earning the Six Star medal meant.
“I had a childhood leg injury, so I didn’t grow up playing sports and never really saw myself as an athlete,” she said.
“Pursuing the Six Stars has completely reset that mindset. My mind and body are at their strongest now, and completing all six feels like proof of how much can change when you challenge the limits you once put on yourself.”
Ayesha Akhtar, a Pakistani-American runner, also completed her Six Star journey in Berlin, crossing the finish line in 4:53:33.
Fatima Chaudhry finished in 4:59:09, Mehwish Hanif clocked 5:09:48, and Salima Ali completed the race in 5:28:17.
Meanwhile, Karachi-based British-Pakistani Mohammad Tariq used his first marathon to express solidarity with Palestinians, carrying a Palestinian flag and wearing a keffiyeh during the race. He completed his first World Marathon Major in 5:02:52 after struggling with cramps from around the 28km mark.
“I carried the Palestinian flag, my keffiyeh and the message of Free Palestine with pride,” Tariq said.
He said the response from fellow runners and spectators had been encouraging, recalling that a German runner asked to carry the flag with him across the finish.
At the elite end of the race, Ethiopia swept both titles as Guye Adola won the men’s marathon in a personal best of 2:02:50 and Tigst Assefa produced the third-fastest women’s marathon in history to win in 2:11:04.
Adola, who had also won Berlin in 2021, broke away from the leading group in the latter stages to claim his second title in the German capital.
Compatriot Gemechu Dida Diriba finished second in 2:03:19, while Tanzania’s Gabriel Gerald Geay was third in 2:03:59.
Assefa, meanwhile, threatened the women’s world record for much of the race.
She reached halfway in a blistering 1:04:57 and was still on world-record pace at 40km, which she crossed in 2:03:00, before appearing to suffer a physical problem during the closing stages.
Despite slowing dramatically, Assefa had built such a large lead that she was able to finish in 2:11:04, taking 49 seconds off the course record she had set in Berlin in 2023.
The victory was Assefa’s third in Berlin after her previous triumphs in 2022 and 2023.
Bedatu Hirpa finished second in 2:16:53, with Dera Dida third two seconds later.
Berlin is regarded as one of the fastest major marathon courses in the world and has been the setting for a series of historic performances and world records.
The race starts on Straße des 17. Juni, between the Brandenburg Gate and Kleiner Stern, before taking runners through the German capital.
The route passes several of Berlin’s best-known landmarks, with prominent spectator points including the Victory Column, Federal Chancellery and Reichstag area, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Potsdamer Platz and Unter den Linden.
The iconic Brandenburg Gate provides the backdrop to the final stretch before runners cross the finish line, making it one of the most recognisable finishes in international road running.
The Berlin race is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors series. The 2026 edition was the 52nd running of the event.
Pakistani finishers at the Berlin Marathon 2026
1. Muhammad Uzair Butt — 3:21:27
2. Mohammed Samad Siddiqui (UK) — 3:25:44
3. Munir Imran — 3:45:07
4. Bilal Umar — 3:47:09
5. Saif Ullah (Canada) — 3:48:10
6. Maheen Sheikh (F) — 3:56:08 — Six Star finisher
7. Imran Ghayur Ahmed (Norway) — 4:09:38
8. Muhammad Zubair Umar — 4:14:24
9. Hamad Ali (UK) — 4:17:49
10. Khalid Sheikh — 4:29:35
11. Ayesha Akhtar (F, USA) — 4:53:33 — Six Star finisher
12. Fatima Chaudhry (F) — 4:59:09
13. Omar Ansari — 4:59:43
14. Muhammad Tariq — 5:02:52
15. Mehwish Hanif (F) — 5:09:48
16. Farhad Nasar (USA) — 5:18:29
17. Junaid Memon — 5:24:18
18. Muhammad Rehan Rafi — 5:27:19
19. Salima Ali (F) — 5:28:17
20. Fahad Nadeem — 5:35:28
21. Muhammad Zuberi — 5:45:30
22. Aamir Anwer Bhagat — 6:09:54
